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Right now, LSU are in a state of flux...questions abound as to which players will be headed to the portal or the NFL Draft....and after long talks with many around the program, including those on roster, I have a good feeling about these calls below....though confidence is not as high as it has been in past years, due to a number of portal, NIL and other factors....not to mention a defensive coordinator that led a disgracefully poor defense to the worst season in program history, wasting a season where your offense led the country in damn near every main category, scored 40+ points over 9 of 12 games, and featured a deserving Heisman & Biletnikoff finalist at QB and WR (Jayden Daniels & Malik Nabers), a stable of solid complimentary backs, and fronted by the most nationally underrated offensive line in America.....
What will LSU's roster look like at the start of Spring practices in mid March?
We try to answer those questions.
ALREADY TRANSFERRED
ARMONI GOODWIN
LT WELCH
CORREN NORMAN
BRYCE LANGSTON
TRE BRADFORD
QUENCY WIGGINS
NFL DRAFT
Let's get the obvious right out of the way:
JAYDEN DANIELS
Projected as a top 10 pick on many mock drafts, cashed out of eligibility, it's obvious JD5 will most likely skip the bowl game (expected to be vs Notre Dame in Tampa), and prepare for the NFL Draft soon after the Heisman Trophy announcement on December 10th.
MALIK NABERS
Nabers, listed as high as a 6th overall pick on many of the top analyst mock drafts, will play in the bowl game in order to achieve the record for most career receiving yards, only 23 yards away from breaking former Tigers' Biletnikoff winner Josh Reed's record (standing since 2001)....and that will be his final LSU appearance as he rides off into the sunset towards a highly promising pro career.
Malik will also be facing off against Marvin Harrison Jr & Rome Odunze for the Biletnikoff Award, announced on December 8th on ESPN, though the LSU junior leads the nation in receiving yards, receiving yards per game, receiving plays over 20+ yards, overall receiving performance grades (Pro Football Focus), while placing 2nd in TDs, behind his teammate, Biletnikoff semifinalist Brian Thomas Jr.
BRIAN THOMAS JR
It would take a serious push to keep Brian Thomas Jr from entering the NFL Draft, with many NFL scouts & GMs touting his overall skill set, finishing touch, and true receiver's physique, eliciting the majority of NFL Draft junkies & journalistic jurors placing him as high as the late 1st round.
With that news, it's incredibly tough for me to envision #11 returning for another season, not impossible, but it'll take a maximum NIL commitment from LSU to make it happen, plus assurances that BTJ would, without question, be LSU's #1 WR heading into 2024....but since Brian is already being mentioned as a target for the Philadelphia Eagles, as well as being discussed as a late 1st round talent, then what would returning do to help Brian's footballing development???
Thomas Jr leads the nation with 15 receiving TDs, recorded his first career 1,000 yard season, and finished as a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist.
RETURNERS
KYREN LACY
With the Covid season available for Kyren Lacy, the Thibodeaux native could rise to the position of #1 WR if he takes advantage of his athletic potential, cleans up the drops completely, and ascends to that next step in his evolution.
Hauling in 7 TDs this past fall, Lacy traveled back and forth from blistering brilliance to cold catastrophe, with almost no consistency in the passing game, yet he adds strong sustained blocking ability on the outside and possesses all the physical tools to finish his collegiate career with an absolute banger of a 2024.
MEKHI WINGO
Listed high among the top 5-10 D-linemen available in the upcoming NFL Draft, Mekhi Wingo stands to make a lot of money, as well as landing as a high 2nd Round pick, 3rd rounder or 4th round selection at the worst....but could LSU's #18 be persuaded to stay for another go-around, plied with enhanced NIL opportunities, a chance to win a title, and one more run to push his name into the 1st round?
I could see LSU's #18 returning or heading to the NFL, following 2 seasons where he battled for double digit games while fighting through injuries (torn labrum during 2022 and a groin injury throughout 2023, both requiring surgeries in their own respective offseason)....but right now, I'm feeling the Tigers' 2022 All-American will return to the team, despite the wear and tear he's suffered for the program already.
BRADYN SWINSON
Without question, after analyzing his own public comments, including saying he was "working on" getting Mekhi Wingo & Maason Smith to return, the vibe around LSU's defensive line room, and the nature of his rising development, it's obvious last year's Oregon transfer arrival Bradyn Swinson will return to LSU for a second season (his senior year & 5th overall, still holding two whole seasons of eligibility with the Covid year).
Swinson will definitely look to build from a promising debut campaign among the SEC, providing the most pressures of any player during the regular season (22), he will want to improve on his sack total (2); in fact, the Tigers' jack LB even posted "I don't think they felt me enough this year".
MAASON SMITH
There is a 0.9% chance Maason Smith foregoes his red shirt junior year and enters the NFL Draft, after a career blighted by his 2022 Week 1 injury, with a narrative that "Smith hasn't been the same since" becoming both inescapable as it is tragically true.
The former 5 star simply needs to show NFL scouts & GMs one more season of his return to elite level play, or there'll be a lack of interest in his signature. Plus, the most detail-oriented scouts will want to see Smith take the next step in his evolution, hopefully beginning to take full advantage of his athletic dominance, superior skill set, and once-in-a-generation D-Line body.
Unless Maason is poorly advised, he stands to gain everything and lose very little by coming back for another season at LSU....although.....could the risk of suffering yet another long term injury force the Tower of Terrebonne to re-think the idea of "running it back", heading for the Draft now, perhaps a year too soon?
We see him returning, with NIL and injury insurance agreements in place.
CHARLES TURNER
Containing a 6th season of eligibility due to the 2020 Covid season, Turner could actually return to the team, even after having a season where he was named an Outland Offensive Lineman of the Week among other honors, leading a juggernaut offense that challenged Burrow, Cushenberry & Co's 2019 records, snapping the ball to Heisman candidate Jayden Daniels, fronting an O-line unit replete with star power (Will Campbell, Emery Jones Jr, Lance Heard, Garrett Dellinger, Miles Frazier, etc), it's looking to be an attractive offer for the 2019 National Champion to come back for one more ride as a Tiger.
I've heard the offensive line's additional importance protecting 1st year starter Garrett Nussmeier is a very attractive, nearly magnetic incentive for veterans like Turner or Dellinger to return.
JOSH WILLIAMS
Sources confirm to us LSU's 2019 National Champion running back will be returning to the team; From his inspirational story as a walk-on who battled his way into becoming a scholarship starter, as well as his major contributions within the Tigers' locking room, it's great to see J-Dub return for one more opportunity to win a 2nd title at LSU.
Williams matched his 2022 touchdown total of 6, though he rushed for 5 scores alongside 1 receiving TD vs Auburn; Williams was a dual threat Tiger, hauling in 11 passes for 172 yards and a huge score vs Auburn, while recording 233 yards from 43 carries on the ground.
It's looking like J-Dub will be back for year 5 on the field, year 6 total as a Tiger (red shirt freshman in 2019).
TRANSFER PORTAL WATCH LIST
BRYCE LANGSTON (entered the portal on 12/4)
MARLON MARTINEZ
DUCE CHESTNUTT
DASHAWN WOMACK
WHIT WEEKS
WEST WEEKS
SAGE RYAN
QUENCY WIGGINS (entered the portal on 12/8)
RYAN ROBINSON JR
TRE BRADFORD
BY lonn phillips sullivan
copyright 2023 uninterrupted writings inc
We can’t let Weeks go. Yikes!
Losing Womack and Whit Weeks would be a major fail by the program leadership.