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LSU got a big boost for its defensive front in 2025 on Saturday when transfer edge rusher Jimari Butler committed to LSU for next season.
Butler played in 11 games this season while making 10 starts for Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule. The Cornhuskers’ loss is LSU’s gain; Butler was one of the Huskers’ most productive players, recording 22 tackles (12 solo), 7 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks while also recovering a fumble.
Butler will have 1 year of eligibility remaining.
The junior played 3 seasons at Nebraska, compiling 7.5 sacks and a forced fumble to go with 65 tackles. But Butler decided he wanted to finish his collegiate career elsewhere and entered the transfer portal after the regular season ended.
The extra year of eligibility for Butler comes from the COVID-19 season. Combined with a redshirt year in 2021, Butler still has an opportunity to play another season of college football. And he’ll do that at LSU, giving Brian Kelly and the Tiger defense a boost next fall before the calendar even flips from 2024.
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Butler was also said to be considering Florida State and Texas A&M during his recruitment in the transfer portal.
LSU has now added 4 transfers in the past 2 days, with all of them being from power conference schools. Butler joins Oklahoma tight end Bauer Sharp, Florida cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson, and Kentucky wide receiver Barion Brown in heading to Baton Rouge for the 2025 season.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
