LSU safety Ty Benefield explains why he transferred to program from Boise State: ‘I want the smoke’
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Ty Benefield spent the first three seasons of his college career at Boise State, where he was a first-team All-Mountain West performer in 2025 after posting 107 tackles and 8.5 tackles for a loss. But he wanted a new challenge, leading him to enter the transfer portal. He found his new home in Baton Rouge, signing with LSU to play for Lane Kiffin.
Despite Saturday’s setback against Ole Miss, Benefield is focused on what’s next: Week 4’s game against Texas A&M.
“Not worried about playoffs. Not worried about future weeks. (I’m) worried about Texas A&M Aggies right now,” Benefield said, per TigerBait.com’s Mike Scarborough.
Benefield entered the portal on Dec. 27. Ten days later, he committed to LSU, opting to finish his career in the SEC. His performances at Boise State have him set up to boost what’s already strong draft stock.
But why the SEC, which he called “the baby NFL”?
“I want all parts of any fight,” he said. “I want the best competition. I don’t care who’s in front of me. I want everything. I want the hard road, and that’s how it’s going to be the rest of my life. That’s why I came to LSU. … I want the smoke. I don’t care who we line up against, who I line up against.”
Benefield and the Tigers kick off against Texas A&M at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
