LSU 2024 Season Primer

Erik Trosclair • August 30, 2024

Let's get into it!

The LSU 2024 Football Season is upon us! Let's meet the Tigers!



Quarterbacks


#13 Garrett Nussmeier - It is his time to shine. This is his 4th season with the Tigers, but his first time entering the season as a starter. Nussmeier has made 18 appearances for the Tigers. He is a tough quarterback who will let it fly. He is surrounded by weapons, and if he can build off of his ReliaQuest bowl game performance, the Tiger offense is in good hands. 11th best Heisman odds (DraftKings), Maxwell Award Watch List, and Unitas Golden Arm Watch List.


#15 AJ Swann - The Vanderbilt transfer has over 20 TDs with over 2700 passing yards. He is an quality backup with SEC experience.


#10 Rickie Collins - The former 4-star had an excellent offseason and turned a lot of heads at camp.


#16 Colin Hurley - Colin walked on to LSU's campus as a 16 year old. He made his varsity high school debut in 8th grade. He gained praise from Coach Kelly in fall camp.


Running Backs - Experience, Depth, Quality


#18 Josh Williams - A 6th year senior who carries everything you want in someone wearing number 18. He has over 1000 career rushing yards. He will play a lot of big downs for the Tigers.


#22 John Emery Jr. - Another 6th year senior who made real contributions on the 2019 national championship team. It is hard not to be a fan of this guy. He has battled lots of adversity. He opted to stay with the Tigers after briefly committing to UCLA. He had positive camp reviews from Coach Kelly and Coach Frank Wilson. He provides big play ability.


#28 Kaleb Jackson - I am really looking forward to seeing Kaleb play this season. He is an old school running back who can run through the defender or can shake you out of your shoes. He packed on some muscle in the offseason. He is an every down threat.


#29 Caden Durham - The former 4-star is a really exciting prospect with a bright future.


Tight Ends - LSU's new tight end coach, Slade Nagle has a truly stacked room.


#86 Mason Taylor - Mason was named to the Preseason 3rd-team All-SEC team. He will play a massive role in this offense. Coming off to back to back 30+ catch seasons, the third year starter is a top tight end in the nation. Named to the Mackey Award watch list.


#88 Ka'Morreum Pimpton - The true sophomore will play a big role as a red zone/down the seam threat. It will be interesting to see how they utilitize the 6'6" tight end.


#14 Trey'Dez Green - The 6'7" freshman turned heads in camp this year with his big play ability. It will be tough to keep him off of the field.


#45 GiVanni Peterson - The former walk on will get some playing time this season.


Offensive Line - This is an exciting group with four returning starters. This group averages 6'5 1/2" and 321.4 lbs.


#66/#7 Will Campbell - Will was named to the Preseason 1st Team All-SEC team. The 6'6'' junior was named to the Lombardi Award watch list, the Wuerffel Trophy watch list, and the Outland Trophy watch list. Campbell will more than likely be a top 10 selection in the next NFL draft.


#50 Emery Jones Jr. - Emery was named to the Preseason 2nd Team All-SEC team. The 6'6'' tackle has true top 10 draft pick potential. He was named to the Outland Trophy watch list and the Lombardi Award watch list.


#72 Garrett Dellinger - The versatile senior can start anywhere on the offensive line. He played a whopping 797 snaps last season.


#70 Miles Frazier - The former Freshman All-American has played a ton of football in his college career. This is a three year starter on the Tiger offensive line.


#79 DJ Chester - The lone first year starter on the Tiger offensive line. He did see some meaningful action last season in SEC play. The 6'6'' Redshirt Freshman has made quite the impression on the coaching staff.


Wide Receivers - In my opinion, this is the most exciting position group on this team. This is an extremely deep room full of PLAYMAKERS!


#2 Kyren Lacy - The 5th year senior was named to the Preseason 3rd Team All-SEC Team. This season is massive for Kyren. He had a great offseason. He made a lot of big plays at camp. He is on the Maxwell Award watch list.


#3 Chris Hilton Jr. - The redshirt junior can absolutely fly! He has big play ability. He had a great fall camp. He is a little dinged up coming into the season.


#4 CJ Daniels - The explosive transfer was named 2nd Team All-Conference USA in 2023. He is on the Biletnikoff Award watch list. CJ can take the top off of the defense.


#12 Kyle Parker - The 5'11'' redshirt freshman is the next man up in the receiving room. He will play big snaps for the Tigers this season.


#1 Aaron Anderson - He can take one to the house from anywhere on the field.


#0 Zavion Thomas - The Mississippi State transfer had some big games last season for the Bulldogs. He provides big playmaking ability.


#6 Shelton Sampson Jr., #17 Jelani Watkins, #82 Kylan Billiot - These are all younger guys who will provide excellent depth for the receiver room, but don't let that fool you; these guys have big play ability.


Defense - I'll always say one of the biggest what ifs in LSU history is what if the 2023 LSU was "middle of the road." New defensive coordinator Blake Baker has quite the job on his hands, but he is the right guy for the job. This guy wears cleats to practice and is very hands on. He seems to have made a big impression on players so far.


Defensive Line - New defensive line coach Bo Davis will be a key to LSU's success for years to come.


Interior Defensive Line


#90 Jacobian Guillory - Guillory is one of the most experienced Tigers on the roster. He has a chip on his shoulder coming into the season. It is his time to shine.


#99 Gio Paez - The Wisconsin transfer flew up the depth chart for the Tigers. He is extremely experienced.


#93 Jalen Lee - The former Florida Gator will be providing quality depth and may even start on the interior of the defensive line.


#56 Kimo Makane'ole - The redshirt junior made the switch from the offensive line to the defensive line over the offseason. It was said he made some serious progress in camp.


#96 Dominick McKinley - At 6'6'' 315 the freshman will be hard to keep off of the field this season. He had positive camp reports.


#95 Shone Washington - The former Georgia Bulldog comes to LSU from the JUCO ranks. He will provide quality depth along the defensive line.


#31 Jay'Vair Suggs - Suggs is someone I am very interested in watching because of one comment Coach Kelly made. Coach Kelly said he is a "natural pass rusher." The Grand Valley State transfer has a lot of experience. He is a perfect example of the saying, "If you are talented, they will find you."


#93 Ahmad Breaux - Coach Kelly has said Breaux has earned snaps in the opener. Over the offseason, it was said Breaux was one of a handful of Tigers who opted to stay on campus working out rather than return home. This is huge for the freshman!


Defensive End/JACK


#35 Sai'vion Jones - The 6'6'' senior is very experienced. It is his time to shine. Jones had a great fall camp. He is one Tiger I am excited to watch.


#13 Bradyn Swinson - The former Oregon Duck is entering his second season with the Tigers. Swinson has a ton of potential to become a force coming off the edge.


#0 Paris "Agent 0" Shand - Paris is in for a big season. Although he may not start, he will provide excellent depth for the Tigers this season.


#15 Da'Shawn Womack - Womack is stepping into a big role this season. He had a great fall camp. When asked about Womack, Coach Kelly said, "I think Da'Shawn Womack is going to have a big year for us."


#19 Gabriel Reiford - Reiford had an excellent fall camp. He will fit squarely into the rotation at defensive end.


#97 Dylan Carpenter - The 6'4'' redshirt freshman will provide depth at the defensive end position.


Linebackers


#18 Greg Penn III - Penn is stepping into a massive role on this team. The newest member of the #18 club is ready for the challenge, as he said, "This whole team has a chip on its shoulder."


#33 West Weeks - The older Weeks brother is a ballhawk. He is a true playmaker who is always in the action. He is in for a big season.


#40 Whit Weeks - The younger Weeks brother had a huge fall camp. He didn't miss a step from his freshman season. I am excited to watch this guy play.


#7 Harold Perkins Jr. - The newest member of the #7 club has a massive season loading. He was named to the Preseason 1st Team All-SEC Team. Perkins was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list, Walter Camp Award watch list, Bednarik Award watch list, and the Lombardi Award watch list. The defense will go as Harold Perkins Jr. goes.


STAR Position - The STAR position is a safety/linebacker hybrid in Blake Baker's defense.


#8 Major Burns - Burns was named to the Preseason 2nd Team All-SEC Team. Stepping into the STAR position allows new opportunities for Burns. He made a lot of plays in camp.


#23 Kylin Jackson - It will be impossible to keep this guy off the field. He will see time at safety as well. He made a ton of plays during fall camp. He is a playmaker!


#24 Ju'Juan Johnson - The true freshman mixed in with the 2nd team defense at the STAR position over fall camp. He will be a big part of this defense for years.


Cornerback


#1 Ashton Stamps - Stamps put on some muscle over the offseason. He had a massive camp. I am excited to watch him perform.


#12 JK Johnson - After missing the 2023 season from an injury, JK will play a massive role at the cornerback position. The former Ohio State Buckeye has a ton of potential.


#11 PJ Woodland - Coach Kelly said PJ has "earned" snaps in the opener. The freshman had a huge camp. He has an eye for the football.


#14 Zy Alexander - Although Zy is coming off of a late season ending knee injury, he is not on the injury report. It will be interesting to see how much he plays. He had an impressive camp.


#17 Jyaire Brown - The Ohio State transfer mixed in with the first and second team defense, and you will see him all around the defensive backfield.


#25 Javien Toviano - Toviano will play a big rotational role in this defense. He showed a lot of promise last season.


#3 Sage Ryan - Sage is one of the most versatile and experienced Tigers on the roster. Sage may move around the entire defensive backfield. I am excited to see Sage this season.


Safety


#6 Jordan Allen - The redshirt sophomore will burst onto the scene this season. Allen has a ton of potential. He had an excellent camp.


#10 Dashawn Spears - The freshman is a true playmaker. It will be hard to keep him off the field. He turned a lot of heads in fall camp. Coach Kelly mentioned his name when speaking about freshman who have "earned" snaps against USC.


#2 Jardin Gilbert - The Texas A&M transfer will more than likely start opposite of Jordan Allen. This playmaking safety will play a massive role on this defense.


Special Teams - This has been Coach Kelly's weakness during his time at LSU. It is crazy to me why LSU does not have a special teams coordinator.


Kickoff Specialist


#31 Nathan Dibert - Dibert tore his ACL late in the season, but he did participate in fall camp. It would be nice to get him back so quickly.


Kicker


#34 Damian Ramos - Damian is about as steady as they come. I am not worried at all about the kicker position. Ramos made several 50+ yard field goals during fall camp.


Punter - Here are where my worries lie.


#38 Peyton Tood - This was Todd's position, but he cannot find the consistency Coach Kelly would like to see. If you need a booming punt, Peyton is your guy.


#99 Blake Ochsendorf - The Louisiana Tech transfer was 1st Team All Conference USA last season. Coach Kelly has commented about his lack of consistency as well. If you need to pin someone, Blake is your guy. Coach Kelly said the Tigers will use both punters.


Long/Deep Snapper


#44 Slade Roy - Roy was named to the Preseason 3rd Team All-SEC Team. Roy was named to the Patrick Mannelly Award watch list as well. He is one of the top players at his position in the nation. He has made some big tackles in his LSU career.


Return Specialist


#0 Zavion Thomas - Thomas was named to the Preseason 3rd Team All-SEC Team. The Mississippi State transfer was a Freshman All-American punt returner in 2022. Zavion can flip the field in a hurry. He is a true "X-Factor" in my opinion. If he can provide you with good field position periodically, that is a massive leg up.


GEAUX TIGERS!


Thank you for checking out my article.


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LSU Snaps Road Losing Streak, Defeats Auburn 38-17

By David Billiot Jr • October 27, 2026
Fresh off their first shutout of the season, LSU took a road trip to the Plains to take on an Auburn team that was on top of the world. While a 31-0 victory over Mississippi St was certainly impressive for Lane Kiffin’s team last week, fellow first-year head coach, Alex Golesh, secured his first marquee win for his Tigers with a 27-24 upset win over the #1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Athens.With all of the momentum in the world, the question was whether or not they could stay hot against LSU or were they do for a hangover. Sam Leavitt and company did their part to make sure it was the latter, showing up in Jordan-Hare and dominating Auburn with an explosive offensive showing for a 38-17 victory. That score included a late touchdown by Golesh’s Tigers that made it look even closer than it actually was. The win improved LSU to 6-2 overall (3-2 SEC) and propels them in to their bye week for some much needed rest. Auburn dropped to 4-3 overall and now sit below .500 with a 2-3 record in the SEC. Kiffin’s team faces a two game gauntlet coming out of their bye as Alabama and Texas come to Baton Rouge in consecutive weeks for what will essentially be playoff elimination games. The Tigers carried over their momentum from their shutout win over the Bulldogs last week, racking up 552 yards of total offense, while only allowing 271 on defense. Leavitt was phenomenal, finishing 32-45 for a career-high 387 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air. Despite his compromised hamstring, he still found a way to add 54 yards rushing and another touchdown on the ground Jackson Harris continued his ascent as one of the top wide receivers in the SEC, delivering a 178 yard, 2 touchdown performance on 9 receptions. He’s been outstanding since week 4. In the first 3 weeks of the season, he only had 5 receptions for 117 yards and 0 TDs. Starting against Texas A&M in week 4, he now has 31 receptions for 517 yards and 7 TDs in five games. Leavitt needed someone to step up as his top target after Trey’Dez Green went down in that week 3 loss ot Ole Miss. Harris has done just that. Speaking of Green, he returned a couple of weeks earlier than anticipated. When the first injury report came out last Wednesday and he was noticeably absent, it came as a giant surprise. Everyone then began to wonder how recovered is he actually, and how much would he play. He was out there from the very beginning and ended up playing 49 of 83 offensive snaps, hauling in 5 receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown of his own. His return, along with Harris’s emergence, is exciting for Kiffin’s offense. Game Flow The explosion started slow, as it typically seems to do for this LSU offense. After Auburn went 3 and out on the opening possession, drove down for a field goal, which was answered by Golesh’s Tigers. Leavitt and the offense would then be off to the races from that point on, scoring their first of 4 touchdowns in the 1st half. While about to get drilled in the pocket, the Tiger quarterback hung in there and delivered a perfect throw over the middle for Harris’s first touchdown of the day to jump to a 10-7 lead. After three consecutive 3 and outs between both teams, LSU’s most impressive drive of the day came on a 14 play, 95 yard touchdown drive that was capped off with Green’s 15-yard score to go up 17-3. That drive included a gutsy 4th down conversion in their own territory on a beautifully drawn up trick play by Charlie Weis Jr. Auburn was finally able to answer, as Byrum Brown orchestrated an 11 play, 75 yard touchdown drive. His running ability was the biggest concern for Blake Baker’s defense going in to this game and he showed why with a 34-yard run to make it 17-10. With a little less than 6 minutes left in the first half, LSU had the chance to milk one final scoring drive before getting the ball to start the second half, but Harris had other plans. On a 3rd and 5, he caught the ball on a middle crossing route and turned on the jets to outrun two Auburn defenders on his way to a 70-yard touchdown, his second of the day. After another quick 3 and out for Brown and his offense, LSU then got their milked final drive, going 74 yards on 10 plays, capped off by Leavitt’s fourth touchdown, a 4-yard run to give his Tigers a 31-10 halftime lead. While scoring came to a halt in the 3rd quarter, it became the LSU defense show, as Baker’s unit smothered the Auburn offense. Golesh’s Tigers were only able to manage 67 rushing yards, far short of their 182 yard per game average. What the Tigers were able to do against Brown and his legs was a mirror of what they did to Marcel Reed a few weeks ago. The big Auburn QB finished with just 21 yards rushing on 19 carries and was sacked a whopping 6 times. He wasn’t much better through the air, finishing 15-24 for only 160 yards. Jordan Ross showed up big for the second week in a row, accounting for 2 of the sacks on Brown and 2.5 tackles for loss. The SEC’s second-leading sacker, Princewill Umanmielen, returned from his head injury that knocked him out of the Mississippi St game after just 7 plays and recorded a sack and 1.5 TFLs of his own. LSU’s final nail in the coffin came early in the 4th quarter on a 7 play, 67 yard drive that resulted in a 12-yard touchdown run by Dilin Jones. While Leavitt, Harris, and Green garnered much of the praise, and deservedly so, Jones produced yet another outstanding day on the ground. He finished with 92 rushing yards on 21 carries for a 4.4 yards per carry average, while adding 4 receptions for 27 yards. His touchdown made it 38-10. Auburn was able to get the garbage time touchdown after backup QB, Tristan Ti’a took over and scrambled for a 7-yard run to make it 38-17. The score came with just 24 seconds left in the game. Summary It was LSU’s most complete game of the year. Although the shutout over the Bulldogs was nice the week prior, it came against a backup quarterback and at home. This win at Auburn secured Kiffin’s first SEC road win as the head coach of the Tigers. It also snapped a 735 day streak since LSU’s last conference road win, which came on October 19, 2024 when the Tigers defeated Arkansas in Fayetteville. Kiffin’s team will head in to their bye week as preparations begin for a critical matchup in Tiger Stadium on November 7th. The #10 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will travel to Baton Rouge for a 2:30 pm kickoff. With both teams sitting at 6-2, next Saturday is likely a playoff elimination game.

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