LSU’s defensive backfield just got a little deeper-and a lot more athletic.
Former Baylor wide receiver Mason Dossett is heading to Baton Rouge via the transfer portal, and while he made the move to offense last season, LSU plans to flip him back to his original position: safety. It’s a full-circle moment for the 6-foot-1, 195-pound athlete, who first made his name on the defensive side of the ball coming out of Ridge Point High School in Missouri City, Texas.
Dossett was part of Baylor’s 2024 signing class, originally recruited as a safety. But during bowl practices in his redshirt freshman season, he transitioned to wide receiver.
While he didn’t see the field in a football game, he made his mark elsewhere-on the track. Dossett competed in seven meets during Baylor’s 2024 indoor and outdoor track seasons, including the Big 12 Championships.
He clocked a blistering 7.82 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles at the Big 12 Indoors-good for sixth-fastest in Baylor history-and later posted a personal best of 13.79 in the 110-meter hurdles at the Texas A&M Alumni Muster. That time earned him a silver finish.
He also claimed his first collegiate gold medal in the 110m hurdles at the Clyde Hart Classic.
That kind of speed and explosiveness is exactly what LSU is looking to inject into its secondary. Dossett’s athletic résumé goes beyond just raw track times.
In high school, he was the definition of a Swiss Army knife. As a senior, he tallied 25 tackles, four interceptions, and three pass breakups on defense-while also hauling in 15 catches for 291 yards and five touchdowns on offense.
The year before, he caught 46 passes for 660 yards and four scores, returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, and even logged carries out of the backfield. As a sophomore, he was primarily a running back, rushing for 433 yards and five touchdowns while also catching three more scores.
Recruiting services took notice of his versatility. Dossett was a consensus three-star prospect, rated by 247Sports as the No. 75 athlete in the country and the No. 114 overall prospect in Texas. Rivals and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football echoed those evaluations, with DCTF naming him the 17th-best wide receiver in the state.
And while his athleticism speaks for itself, it’s also in his blood. Dossett’s father, Martin, played wide receiver and ran track at Baylor from 1997 to 2000 before signing with the Green Bay Packers. His pro football journey included stints with the Barcelona Dragons in NFL Europe, the BC Lions, and several indoor football teams.
Now, Mason’s journey brings him to LSU, where the Tigers are looking to retool their defense with speed, range, and playmaking ability in the secondary. With 38 transfer portal additions already locked in, Lane Kiffin and his staff are clearly not shy about reshaping the roster-and Dossett’s blend of athleticism and positional flexibility makes him an intriguing piece of that puzzle.
He may have redshirted his first season and bounced between positions, but Dossett’s raw tools and multi-sport background give LSU a high-upside project to develop. If the Tigers can harness that speed and translate it into coverage skills and tackling ability, they might have found a hidden gem in the portal.