It's tampering season.
LSU's talented roster is going to be ripe for the picking in the midst of a coaching search on the Bayou. Following a disappointing blowout loss at home to Texas A&M, LSU made the move to fire Brian Kelly during his fourth season as the program's head coach.
LSU came into the season with College Football Playoff aspirations, but the loss to the Aggies dropped the Tigers to 5-3 and all but ended any realistic hopes of getting into the 12-team field. Kelly went 34-14 during his time in Baton Rouge, but his inability to break through and put LSU in National Championship contention - the main thing he was hired to do - led to change.
LSU will be an attractive job opening. It immediately became the best open job in the country, and plenty of top coaches will line up to put their names in the hat. But amidst the uncertainty, there's no doubt that staffs from around the country are going to be using back-channels to contact some of LSU's talented roster in hopes of enticing them to enter the Transfer Portal when the window opens in January.
Kalen DeBoer should be among them, and these are the guys he should be looking to poach.
Tampering Tide: The players Alabama should try to poach from LSU
CB DJ Pickett
Alabama doesn't need former 5-star CB DJ Pickett, but what a luxury it would be to have. Also, just imagine for a moment how insane it would be to line up Pickett (6-foot-5) opposite Dijon Lee (6-foot-4).
Alabama has plenty of talent at CB for next season and beyond, as Maurice Linguist has stockpiled elite talent at the position, but Pickett is a special enough talent that he's worth taking a swing on even if it's probably unrealistic.
TE Trey'Dez Green
DeBoer could probably get an assist from Nate Oats in recruiting LSU two-sport star Trey'Dez Green. The uber athletic TE/forward could provide a boost for both the football and basketball programs in Tuscaloosa.
Green has put up 264 yards and four touchdowns on the gridiron this season. On the hardwood last year, he only played in six games before an injury, but his athleticism was on full display when he did play, including a breakaway dunk against the Crimson Tide last season.
Alabama has some talented young tight ends on the roster, but Green would be the mismatch DeBoer has been looking for.
LB Harold Perkins Jr.
It might seem difficult to believe because he's played so much, but Harold Perkins still has a year of eligibility remaining. The redshirt junior has seen his stock tank since a breakout freshman season, but the talent is still undeniable.
The biggest isssue, at least in my opinion, has been the lack of consistency in scheme and position for Perkins. Since he broke through as an edge rusher as a freshman, producing 7.5 sacks, Kelly and his staff have tried their best to make him into something he's not.
They've moved him to an off-ball linebacker role and done everything they can to prevent him from doing what he does best: rush the passer.
His stock may be low enough that he returns for a fifth year of college football. He'd be worth kicking the tires on, though Alabama is probably set at Wolf LB for 2026.
RB Harlem Berry
LSU freshman running back Harlem Berry was the No. 1 RB in the 2025 recruiting cycle and has flashed his immense potential in his first season in Baton Rouge. He was one of the few bright spots against Texas A&M, picking up 59 yards on nine carries in his first career start. For the season, Berry has rushed for 225 yards and two touchdowns on 46 attempts (4.9 ypc).
Alabama is in need of a difference maker at the RB position. They have one coming in next season in 5-star EJ Crowell, but making a push for Berry could give the Crimson Tide a lethal two-headed monster at the RB position for the foreseeable future.