Final Saints 53-Man Roster Prediction

Jamie UK • August 28, 2023

I’ve done plenty of these by now so minimal analysis required here’s how I think the initial 53-man roster shakes out.

Offense

Quarterback (3)

  • Derek Carr
  • Jameis Winston 
  • Jake Haener 


        No analyses necessary here this is as clear as it gets, Carr will be the starter, Winston (baring an trades, which I wouldn’t expect unless there is a godly offer) and Haener will be the emergency third QB active on gamedays.


Running backs (3)

  • Alvin Kamara*
  • Jamaal Williams 
  • Kendre Miller


        Alvin Kamara will need to be carried on the initial 53 before being placed on the reserve/suspended list which will then give the Saints the roster spot back. I’m predicting that the Saints will not keep Ellis Merriweather on the 53, despite impressing but instead as its likely he will pass through waivers put him on the practice squad and then elevate him on gamedays to provide additional cover for Williams and Miller on gamedays. The same possibility exists for veteran RB Darrel Williams its even easier to do the same with him as he does not need to pass through waivers to be put on the practice squad.


        I’m also predicting that the Saints will not carry FB Adam Prentice on the 53 (to begin with) to allow the Saints to get keep other players who are a threat to be claimed by other teams. Instead, as he also doesn’t have to go through waivers either bring him back to 53 before week 1 once other players have been placed on IR or the suspended lists or also add him to the practice squad and elevate him for gamedays before signing him to the 53 later down the line.


Practice Squad Candidates- Ellis Merriweather, Darrel Williams, Adam Prentice


Wide Receiver (5)

  • Michael Thomas 
  • Chris Olave
  • Rashid Shaheed 
  • Tre’Quan Smith*
  • A.T. Perry


        Smith has an * because I think he be carried initially so that the team can then place him on short-term IR.  With that roster Spot I expect the Saints to bring back vet WR Keith Kirkwood in some capacity either to the 53 or on practice squad to begin with before signing him to the 53 later down the line.


        The final spot for me goes to A.T. Perry the Saints were very high on him in the draft and Perry, after a slow start had a really training camp and preseason. I hear Saints fans everywhere hollering where is Shaq Davis??? I’ve been high on Davis since the first preseason game (before he caught fire) but I don’t see there’s enough room on the roster at this stage to carry him as well, I’ve predicted throughout the off-season that he’s going to be a practice squad player. Not because I don’t rate him, but because I don’t think the Saints will put him on the 53 at this stage.


 Practice Squad Candidates- Shaq Davis, Lynn Bowden, Kawaan Baker and Jontre Kirklin


Tight End (4)

  • Juwan Johnson 
  • Foster Moreau
  • Taysom Hill
  • Jimmy Graham


        Another reason for there not being room for Shaq Davis is he is not just competing with Perry for a roster spot but he’s also competing with Graham. Both, mammoth pass catchers with a specific role centered around the red  zone, third downs and contested-catch situations. If the Saints didn’t sign Graham, I think Davis probably makes the team. 

Despite his strong showing in the final preseason game, I don’t think there’s room for Luca Krull, he hasn’t done enough to show he can be a consistent contributor over Graham after some bad drops in the 2nd preseason game, if he made those plays then I think this decision is a lot tougher.


Practice Squad Candidates- Lucas Krull, J.P Holtz


Offensive Line (9)

  • Trevor Penning
  • James Hurst
  • Erik McCoy
  • Cesar Ruiz
  • Ryan Ramczyk
  • Andrus Peat
  • Nick Saldiveri
  • Calvin Throckmorton 
  • Landon Young*


        I’ve maintained these 9 names for the offensive line in all of my predictions, the only difference here is I think Young is carried initially before going short-term IR to finishes his recovery from a sprained MCL, once this is done, I expect the Saints to bring back backup RT Storm Norton.

I could see the Saints keeping 10 here and keeping veteran Center Max Garcia to be the primary backup for Erik McCoy but I think they are going the practice squad route for now with Garcia, in the same way they did last year with vet Center Josh Andrews.


Practice Squad Candidates- Max Garcia, Lewis Kidd , Mark Evans and Tommy Kraemer


Defense 

Defensive Line (9)

  • Cam Jordan 
  • Carl Granderson
  • Payton Turner
  • Tanoh Kpassagnon 
  • Isiah Foskey
  • Bryan Bresee
  • Nathan Shepherd
  • Khalen Saunders
  • Malcolm Roach


        Nothing much to add here this feels like a pretty obvious group. DT Jack Heflin and DE Niko Lalos made late pushes with an impressive preseason and end to training camp. This group is to stacked with high draft picks and vets who have had brilliant off-seasons for either to crack the 53 at this stage and I expect both to be practice squad priorities for the Saints.


Practice Squad Candidates- Jack Heflin, Niko Lalos and Jerron Cage


Linebacker (6)

  • Demario Davis
  • Pete Werner 
  • Jaylon Smith
  • Zack Baun
  • D’Marco Jackson
  • Nephi Sewell 


        Same here as my previous projection, I think the Saints go 6 LBs due to the heavy usage that LBs have on special teams, Baun, Jackson and Sewell are expected to be featured heavily in this phase of the game, with all three having solid upside on defense should there be injuries. With Davis and Werner being the starters and Smith as the primary backup for either spot as well as the starting SAM LB.


        I would have liked to have found a spot for rookie UDFA Anfernee Orji, but I don’t see the Saints keeping 7 here and I don’t think he has enough upside to start in defense if needed at this stage, so I expect him to be a priority for the practice squad.


Practice Squad Candidates- Anfernee Orji, Ty Summers and Ryan Connelly (depending on Injury status)


Cornerback (5)

  • Marshon Lattimore
  • Paulson Adebo
  • Bradley Roby 
  • Alontae Taylor
  • Isaac Yiadom


        The top 4 goes without saying with the top three expected to be the starters with Taylor the primary backup on the outside. I’ve also kept Yiadom here as I expect him to be the starting Gunner on special teams opposite all pro special teamer J.T. Gray. Yiadom has also showed improvements on defense throughout the off-season so does have some value there too if needed.


        Rookie UDFA Anthony Johnson has also had a strong off-season but this position is too stacked for him to make the initial roster at this stage without the special teams ability that Yiadom has. I would expect him to be a priority for the practice squad.


Practice Squad Candidates- Anthony Johnson and Troy Pride Jr.


Safety (6)

  • Tyrann Mathieu 
  • Marcus Maye*
  • Jordan Howden
  • Lonnie Johnson Jr.
  • J.T. Gray
  • Ugo Amadi 


        Mathieu and Maye will be the starters with the primary backups expected to be Jordan Howden and Lonnie Johnson Jr. Crucially both players have played well on special teams throughout preseason so will provide good value in that phase, Howden also appears to be the preferred option in DIME packages. Amadi, appears to be the primary backup at slot CB and has good special teams value as a returner, gunner and on kick coverage. 


        Jonathan Abrams and Smoke Monday are unfortunately in my opinion the odd players out in a very deep position group. Both have had really solid off-seasons and any other years would be on the 53, I expect them both to be on the practice squad.


Practice Squad Candidates- Jonathan Abrams and Smoke Monday


Specialists (3)

  • Will Lutz
  • Blake Gillikin 
  • Zach Wood


        I hate not having Grupe on the 53, but with the Saints current win now mode and previous issues with Kickers when Lutz was injured barring a trade, I just think they are going to go with the incumbent starter over the unproven product.  I have applied the same rationale for the Punter, by going with Blake Gillikin.


Make sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram @SaintsReportUK, for much more Saints content and discussion throughout the 2023 season and beyond.

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Late Rally Sparks Another Tiger Comeback Over Vols

By David Billiot Jr • April 4, 2026
Friday Evening Recap For the third consecutive game, the LSU Tigers decided to be the Cardiac Cats. That’s nothing new for an LSU baseball team, but considering the struggles of this team in 2026, the mid-game deficits have seemed scarier than normal. Tennessee’s new Friday night ace Landon Mack was phenomenal and he had the Tiger offense in a pretzel. Through 7 innings, he struck out 10 and was mowing LSU hitters down. They only mustered together 3 hits, one of which was a Jake Brown solo homerun, representing the only damage Mack allowed. He finished his outing by retiring 14 straight hitters, which makes Josh Elander’s decision to not send him back out in the 8th inning with 96 pitches that much more confusing. He was showing no signs of slowing down. Hindsight is 20/20, though, and the Tigers went full-on attack mode with the Volunteer bullpen. A 5-run 8th inning flipped the game on it’s head and LSU never looked back. Coming off of his strange outing vs Kentucky, Casan Evans was pretty good from the very beginning. It was two pitches and two swings that resulted in the only damage that he sustained. Both were mistake pitches that were left in hittable spots and Tennessee hitters deserve credit for taking advantage of them. Aside from that, Evans was very good, despite not making it through the 6th inning. There was some shakiness in the 7th from the bullpen, but Santiago Garcia ended up receiving the win to bring his record to 1-0. Deven Sheerin’s second save of the season closed out a massive victory on the road in Knoxville, as the Tigers took game 1 by a final score of 7-5. Pitching Casan Evans got off to a great start in the 1st. Despite a 2-out single to the open part of the field due to the shift, he struck out two for a pretty easy inning. A leadoff single in the 2nd was quickly erased by a 6-4-3 double play turned by Steven Milam and Seth Dardar. Another groundout to Milam would retire the side in order. Tennessee made their first dent in the 3rd when Levi Clark hit a belly-high fastball out to left-center to tie the game at 1-1. Evans would retire the next two hitters to end the inning. The 4th is where he would find the most trouble. After a flyout to start the inning, the Vols would get a bloop single, followed by a Reese Chapman bomb to right-center field to give them their first lead of the game. Another deep flyout and a strikeout would end the inning there. Evans walked the leadoff hitter in the 5th, but then struck out three in a row to prevent any further damage. The Friday night ace would see the end of his night in the 6th after a walk and single put two runners on with 1 out in the 6th. He hung in to get a lineout, but with 2 outs, Jay Johnson would walk out to make the change. Final line: 5.2 IP / 6 hits / 3 runs / 6 Ks / 2 BBs / 90 pitches (62 strikes, 69%) Danny Lachenmayer was called upon for the third time in the last four SEC games, showing the inflated level of trust that the coaching staff has found in him. He came in to face a lefty Tyler Myatt and struck him out on 4 pitches to do his job. Final line: 0.1 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 1 K / 0 BBs / 4 pitches (3 strikes, 75%) Mavrick Rizy entered to start the 7th and was in the strike zone immediately, recording a 4-pitch strikeout, but then lost it and walked the next hitter on 5 pitches. A jam shot would roll right in to no man’s land with Dardar playing up the middle, putting runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Omar Serna would get charged with an inexcusable passed ball to allow both runners to move up. Rizy came through with a massive strikeout with the infield drawn in, but then allowed another walk after a 2-2 count to load the bases. Final line: 0.2 IP / 1 hit / 1 run / 2 Ks / 2 BBs / 24 pitches (11 strikes, 46%) Jay would call upon Santiago Garcia with 2 outs and bases loaded and left-handed hitting Blake Grimmer coming to the plate. Four straight balls would walk in a run to extend Tennessee’s lead to 4-1. Garcia was able to find the zone against Chapman, striking him out to prevent further damage. Final line: 0.1 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 1 K / 1 BB / 10 pitches (4 strikes, 40%) A 5-run 8th inning for LSU took them from down by 3 runs to up by 2, Jay turned to Deven Sheerin to try and get the final 6 outs of game. He recorded back to back flyouts to Chris Stanfield to start the inning, but even those were nerve=racking as he temporarily lost both in the sunsetting sky. A single and a walk put the tying run on base with 2 outs, but the junior got his first strikeout and let out a primal yell afterwards. After Stanfield added an insurance run in the top of the 9th, Sheerin returned in the 9th to close out the game. Despite a 2-out solo homerun to make it 7-5, he struck out the side with two of them looking to slam the door and record his second save of the season. Final line: 2.0 IP / 2 hits / 1 run / 4 Ks / 1 BB / 41 pitches (28 strikes, 68%) Hitting Derek Curiel’s 8th inning grand slam was, to no one’s surprise, was the Magic Moment of the game. Just when it looked as if LSU was going to waste a huge opportunity, the star sophomore did what stars do and changed the game with his one swing. He also singled earlier in the game and was the only Tiger to record multiple hits tonight. Curiel finished 2-4 with the 4 RBI and scored that one time. Chris Stanfield hit his second homerun of the game to add insurance in the 9th, but that was not his biggest at bat of the night. He was up second in the 8th and after Mason Braun drew a walk to lead off the inning, the senior outfielder laid off a few good breaking balls to draw the second walk of the inning, which eventually led the bases. Not many players could have held back from chasing all of those pitches and that game would have been completely different if he struck out in that moment. Stanfield finished 1-3 with the homerun, walk, RBI on the homerun, and also scored twice. Jake Brown and Seth Dardar both finished with identical lines. They went 1-4 with solo homeruns. Brown hit his in the 3rd inning to start the scoring for either team. Dardar’s came immediately following Curiel’s grand slam for back to back blasts. His actually ended up being the difference in the game, as it made the score 6-4, because Tennessee hit the solo homerun in the 9th for their fifth run. Although he went hitless, Mason Braun deserves to be noted for 2 walks. He finished 0-2 and also struck out twice, but one of the walks was the only one that Landon Mack allowed and the other was to lead off the big game-changing 8th inning. Up Next LSU and Tennessee will return tomorrow evening for game 2. First pitch is for 5 pm central, as the Tigers look to follow up their first SEC series win with their first road SEC series win of 2026. With today’s win, LSU is now 21-10 overall and back to .500 with a 5-5 conference record. Tennessee drops to 19-11 overall with a disappointing SEC record of 3-7. William Schmidt (4-1) will take the mound for the Tigers to make his second consecutive game 2 start. He is coming off of the win vs Kentucky in which he threw 5.1 scoreless innings. The Volunteers will answer with Tegan Kuhns, who had been their Friday night ace up until last weekend. The potential 1st round pick in this July’s draft has not had the season he expected, but is still very talented. He’s off to a 1-3 start in 2026 with his 4.08 ERA. Although he’s struck out 46 hitters in 35.1 innings pitched, he’s allowed 34 hits. LSU would love to strike first, as the trajectory of Tennessee’s early conference season is in a tailspin at this current moment. If the Tigers can come out hot, they will put a lot of pressure on the Volunteers. Follow me on X for much more @DCBilliotJr
An LSU Tigers baseball player in a yellow jersey yells and pumps his fist in celebration while wearing a purple helmet.

Massive Comeback Gives LSU First SEC Series

By David Billiot Jr • March 30, 2026
Sunday Afternoon Recap LSU had to have it. They had to have this series, which meant they had to have this game. Putting themselves directly behind the 8-ball with a loss on Friday night set up an uphill battle. An uphill battle that appeared to be too tall to climb after a disastrous start to the game on Sunday. Since the postgame on Friday night, we had been saying that the importance of Casan Evans battling through 6 innings in game 1 would truly have. In their first weekend without Cooper Moore, the Tiger pitching staff was going to be challenged. The performances of William Schmidt and Zac Cowan in game 2 put them in about as good of a position as they could have hoped for, which allowed Jay Johnson to call upon Gavin Guidry to start on Sunday. There is no one on the roster that is trusted more by Jay, so it was no surprise to see his name listed as starting pitcher about 90 minutes before first pitch. It was surprising just how much Guidry struggled, though. Control was an issue from the very first pitch. It wasn’t much better for a few guys that came after him, either, putting LSU in a deep hole. The pitching rapidly improved with Deven Sheerin and the stabilization on the mound allowed the offense to get to work and complete the comeback. Following a horrid game on Friday night, the Tiger lineup showed signs of life yesterday in game 2. Despite only scoring in 3 innings, they put up crooked numbers in each of them and that was a step in the right direction. Well, today was a gigantic leap in the right direction, because the offense went crazy. Jay described the performance of his team after the game as “zero quit”. After just one hit in the first time through the order, they picked things up in a hurry during the second trip through. Once they got going, there was no slowing them down. LSU scored in 5 of their final 6 at bats, with three of those times being 4+ runs. It was big swing after big swing, something we have rarely seen this year. Time will tell if this was truly the breakout game that they had been looking for or just an anomaly, but either way, they showed up when they were needed the most. Pitching It could not have been a worse start for Gavin Guidry. Needing as much length as you can possibly get from every pitcher that stepped on the mound today, a 39 pitch 1st inning was less than ideal. After an infield single to start the game, followed by a stolen base, he recorded a flyout for the first out. Guidry then issued three straight free passes to give Kentucky their first run since Friday night. A strikeout and an 0-2 pitch count would get him just one pitch away from escaping with minimal damage, but he’d lose him to give up his 3rd walk and bring in another run. A wild pitch would make it 3-0 before Guidry recorded a strikeout to finally get out of the 1st. Jay sent him back out for the 2nd, but it wasn’t much better. He recorded a flyout to start the inning, but then the hit barrage from the Wildcat bats got started. Guidry gave up a single, double, and then a walk, and was out of the game with the score 4-0. Final line: 1.1 IP / 3 hits / 6 runs / 2 Ks / 4 BBs / 48 pitches (24 strikes, 50%) Santiago Garcia took over after Guidry and immediately gave up a base-clearing double that made the score 6-0. He fought back for a flyout and a groundout, but the Tigers were already in deep trouble. Back for the 3rd, Garcia would walk the leadoff hitter and then LSU nearly turned a rare double play that doesn’t involve Steven Milam, but Zach Yorke was unable to scoop Seth Dardar’s low throw. A 4-pitch walk would be the end of the junior LHP’s day. Final line: 1.0 IP / 1 hit / 1 run / 0 Ks / 1 BB / 20 pitches (7 strikes, 35%) Connor Benge entered with runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out, coming off of a good outing on Tuesday where he put out a fire. His job got even tougher after a passed ball on Omar Serna allowed both runners to move up, which set up a sacrifice flyout to centerfield to make it 7-0 and that would be all for Benge. Final line: 0.1 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 0 Ks / 0 BBs / 5 pitches (2 strikes, 40%) Cooper Williams took over and was able to end the inning with a lineout. He returned in the 4th for another good inning. Despite a 1-out walk, the lefty struck out Kentucky’s 3 and 5-hole hitters, along with a nice defensive play by John Pearson on a slow roller. Final line: 1.1 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 2 Ks / 1 BB / 23 pitches (13 strikes, 57%) After a fantastic outing by Mavrick Rizy on Friday where he threw 80% strikes, it was the opposite story today. He struggled from the very beginning and walked two of Kentucky’s worst hitters in their lineup, as per batting average. Their 7-hole hitter Will Marcy came in with a .200 average, while 9-hole hitter Carson Hansen was at .227 and Rizy walked them both with a strikeout between them. Following the second walk, his day was over. Final line: 0.1 IP / 0 hits / 2 runs / 1 K / 2 BBs / 18 pitches (8 strikes, 44%) Jay had to call upon Deven Sheerin far earlier he would have liked, especially considering that was the last of his “top” arms that was completely fresh for the weekend. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and only 1 out, Sheerin was being asked to come through in a huge spot with the Tigers having closed their deficit to 7-6. With the infield drawn in, Steven Milam took a ground ball and fired home to nab a potential run for out number to. Sheerin then had the next hitter down 0-2, but was struggling to finish him off with four straight foul-offs. Luke Lawrence eventually slapped a ball the other way off of the left field wall to drive in both runs. Bell followed with an RBI single and just like that, LSU was back down 10-6. From that point on, the big righty was nails. Sheerin struck out three in a row going in to the 6th, which ended up being the first 1-2-3 inning of the day for the Wildcats. After recording two outs to start the 7th, which made for 6 retired in a row, he hit a batter and that would be the end of the day. His ability to battle past the early hiccups played a massive role in bridging the gap to the end of the game for the bullpen. Sheerin earned the win to extend his record to 3-0. Final line: 2.1 IP / 2 hits / 1 run / 3 Ks / 1 BB / 1 HBP / 50 pitches (35 strikes, 70%) Danny Lachenmayer entered with two outs in the 7th for what was his second appearance of the weekend. This one was the biggest spot he has been in as a Tiger, though, and he delivered. He recorded a flyout to end the threat and preserve the 11-10 lead that LSU had just taken. He returned for the 8th, but gave up a base hit with to the open part of the field with the infield shifted. Final line: 0.1 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 0 Ks / 0 BBs / 5 pitches (3 strikes, 60%) Grant Fontenot entered and despite his shaky performance on Tuesday, he has been pretty good for the past month. After recording a flyout, he initiated a 4-6-3 double play that was beautifully turned between Dardar and Milam. Back in the 9th and now pitching with a 7-run lead, Fontenot cruised. Despite a 1-out single, he struck out two, including the final hitter of the game to clinch the game and LSU’s first SEC series win of the season. Final line: 2.0 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 2 Ks / 0 BBs / 22 pitches (15 strikes, 68%) Hitting Set h Dardar was not only the offensive MVP of the day, but he was the best player at the plate for LSU all weekend. Today, his 6th inning 3-run homerun on to the roof of the Marucci hitting facility gave the Tigers their first lead after they fell behind 7-0 after the top of the 3rd. That wasn’t all for Dardar, as he also doubled and finished 3-5 with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored. His defense was impeccable all weekend. Jay has been searching for someone to take over the second base position and, as of now, the local kid has done just that. The other giant swing of the day belonged to John Pearson. A 2-out grand slam in the 3rd brought the Tiger back to within just 2 runs and brought both LSU and Alex Box Stadium back to life. Speaking of players taking control of positions, the sophomore has done just that at 3rd base. He has also shown big strides of improvement defensively, garnering praise from Jay after the game. Pearson finished 1-4 with the 4 RBI and a run scored, while also walking once. Derek Curiel had himself a huge day and was a part of every single big inning. He scored 3 runs and those came in the 3rd when LSU closed the deficit, in the 6th when they took the lead, and then in the 8th when they extended it way out of reach. He hit his second homerun of the year, a beautifully struck backside blast on a pitch that was on the outer half of the plate. Curiel finished 3-5 with 3 RBI, the 3 runs scored, and a walk. It wasn’t his first time leading off this season, but Chris Stanfield has not been in that position very much. Today, he may have shown why he should stay there. The senior went 4-5 and also drew a walk. He doubled and had two opposite field singles. One of those was immediately following when he fouled a ball right off of his knee and went down to the ground in major pain. Jay told us after the game that when he went out to check on his leader, Stanfield looked at him and said that he was ok and was going to come through. He did just that, lining a base hit to right field and driving in a run. He also walked and scored twice. Jake Brown didn’t drive in a single one of LSU’s 17 runs and the importance of that can not be overstated. I have mentioned multiple times in the past week that it is imperative that other players step up, because opposing teams are not going to allow Brown to beat them. Why would they? Pitchers have not given him much to hit and he’s had to work with what he’s given in many of these games. Despite the “quiet” day by his standards, Brown finished 2-5 with a couple of singles and scored 3 runs. Zach Yorke may not have driven in a ton of runs, either, but he was very active by getting on base four times. He finished 1-3, but he drew 3 walks and scored twice. Up Next LSU will stay home and welcome Southern for a midweek matchup on Tuesday. First pitch is for 6:30 pm central. The Tigers improved to 19-10 (4-5 SEC) with the win today. The Jaguars will come to Alex Box with a record of 10-16. They took 2 of 3 in a series with Prairie View A&M at home this weekend. Their common opponents with LSU include both Grambling, who Southern beat, and two games with McNeese, in which they split. Follow me on X for much more @DCBilliotJr
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