Tag: Aaron Anderson

Brian Kelly updates injury report ahead of LSU’s Week 7 contest against Auburn

The Tigers are getting closer to full health as they return home to face Auburn.

LSU was without some key players on Saturday, but it was ultimately able to overcome that in a 49-39 road win against Missouri. Now, as the team prepares to return home and face another SEC opponent in Auburn, it’s getting closer to full health.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] updated the injury report on Monday, and while [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag] is expected to miss some more time with a high ankle sprain, receiver [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] — who both missed the Missouri game — are listed as probable.

Center [autotag]Charles Turner[/autotag], who suffered an injury during the game, is also considered probable.

According to Kelly, the staff was worried about a meniscus injury for Turner, but an MRI came back negative.

Quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], who injured his ribs on Saturday, is expected to be a full participant in Tuesday’s practice.

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Brian Kelly updates injury report on Thursday leading up to Missouri game in Week 6

The Tigers could be without several contributors against Missouri on Saturday.

As LSU prepares for what feels like a must-win game on the road in Columbia, Missouri, to keep the team’s SEC West hopes alive, it could be without several key players when it faces the unbeaten Missouri Tigers.

Coach Brian Kelly listed three primary contributors as doubtful: receiver [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag], receiver/returner [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag].

Hilton and Anderson are rotational receivers, though the latter sees expanded action on special teams in the return game. If neither are able to suit up, it could open the door for [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] to see even more targets.

Speights, an All-Pac-12 transfer from Oregon State, could be set to miss his third game of the season. After suffering a hip flexor against Grambling, he missed the wins over Mississippi State and Arkansas before returning last week.

However, he found himself back on the injury report this week, and that could mean that true freshman linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] will make his third start of the season against Mizzou.

The Tigers will look to get back in the win column against Missouri on Saturday morning in a game that kicks at 11 a.m. CT.

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Brian Kelly updates LSU’s injury report heading into Week 6 matchup at Missouri

The Tigers have some banged up players after Saturday’s loss at Ole Miss.

LSU was finally getting back closer to full health last week, but several Tigers players got banged up in the 55-49 loss, leading to a more crowded Monday injury report than we saw last week.

Addressing the media, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] listed receivers [autotag]Chris Hilton[/autotag], [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] as questionable. Speights made his return to the field after missing back-to-back games with a hip flexor while Hilton also played Saturday.

Anderson missed the game after a hamstring injury suffered in practice on Thursday.

We’ll be monitoring the progress of those players throughout the week, but if Hilton or Anderson aren’t able to go, the Tigers should have [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] available, who was listed as probable alongside redshirt freshman former walk-on receiver [autotag]Javen Nicholas[/autotag], who could see his number called depending on the status of other players.

Kelly said that all five players are dealing with lower-body injuries but declined to go into further detail.

The Tigers will look to bounce back in Week 6 as they hit the road to take on a ranked unbeaten team in Missouri.

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LSU receiver suffers injury in practice

Aaron Anderson suffered a hamstring injury during practice on Thursday and was unable to finish the session.

LSU receiver [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] suffered a hamstring injury during practice on Thursday and was unable to finish the session. His status for this weekend is not certain at this time.

The redshirt freshman has not been a focal point of the LSU offense this fall, but he is still trying to figure out the offense. Anderson has been used as a punt returner mainly, and although he has struggled, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] stuck with him.

Anderson’s status for the game against Ole Miss is still unknown. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] will be relying on [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] and the LSU running game to pull the team through against a Rebels squad that is trying to bounce back from a 24-10 loss to Alabama last week.

Hopefully, the injury is not severe and we will get to see Anderson back on the field sooner than later. His talent is apparent. He just has to get into a groove with the offense.

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Brian Kelly releases Week 2 injury report, updates John Emery Jr.’s status

Armoni Goodwin has been upgraded to questionable after missing the opener, but John Emery Jr. will miss another game this weekend.

If there is one bright spot the Tigers can take away from Sunday night’s 45-24 loss to Florida State in Orlando, it’s that the team emerged entirely healthy.

There were no new injuries that coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] reported to the media this week. Running back [autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag], who was listed as doubtful last week and indeed missed the opener, has been upgraded to questionable as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, receiver and return specialist [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] suffered an unspecified injury in the loss to the Seminoles but was listed by Kelly as probable entering the Grambling game.

Running back [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag], who returned to the team in camp after spending most of the offseason focusing on academics, was unavailable for the game against Florida State and will be sidelined once again this weekend, though Kelly neglected to go into detail on the reasoning or a potential timetable for his return.

LSU should be close to full strength as it looks to fix the flaws from last week in Saturday night’s home opener against an in-state HBCU opponent in the Tigers come to town.

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Stock Up, Stock Down: LSU outpaced by Florida State in Week 1

Game 1 of the 2023 football season did not go as planned for the Tigers.

Game 1 of the 2023 football season did not go as planned for the Tigers. After taking a 17-14 lead into halftime, the Seminoles came out of the locker room on fire as they outscored LSU 31-7 in the second half to run away with a 45-24 win.

Jordan Travis looked great as he found his receivers all night long. Keon Coleman finished the game with three receiving touchdowns and 122 yards receiving and Johnny Wilson added 104 yards of receiving as well.

The LSU offense was abysmal in the second half, barely getting over 100 total yards. Other than [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] running the ball, the Tigers had no run game. LSU will look to bounce back next week.

In the meantime, here’s the stock report for the Tigers following the loss to the Seminoles.

How LSU’s improved special teams can impact the offense

An improved special teams unit could come with a scoring boost for LSU’s offense.

LSU special teams were a mess last year.

We saw it in the opener against Florida State and issues persisted through the SEC title loss to Georgia.

LSU will handle this unit differently this year. [autotag]Bill Polian[/autotag] is out as special teams coordinator and the staff will take a committee approach.

LSU was good enough to overcome some of the issues on its way to a 10-win season. But the struggles kept LSU from reaching its ceiling.

Bad special teams put the entire team in a rough spot. Field position is worsened and momentum is stifled. LSU’s average starting field position ranked 105th in college football last year.

LSU still managed to average 34.5 points per game, which is more than any other team ranked outside the top 100 in field position. Teams outside the top 100 averaged 24.6 points per game. On the flipside, teams in the top 25 percentile averaged 32.6 points per game.

Based on expected points and points per game, only four offenses overperformed their field position expectation more than LSU.

That’s good news. LSU sustained drives and was one of the most efficient teams in the country. But you don’t want the offense to be in that position every week. You can win 10 games doing that, but you won’t make the playoff.

LSU’s average yards to go mark on a drive that ended in a touchdown was 69.6 yards. On drives that resulted in just a field goal, that number rose to 75.2 yards. And on punts and missed field goals, the average yards to go was at 77.04.

This is an area of the game where the smallest margins matter.

If LSU even manages to improve its average starting field position by a yard, its expected points per drive rise about half a point. Over the course of a season, that’s enough to swing one or two games.

LSU expects to have an improved return game. Transfer [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] can be a playmaker back there. He’s the type of player LSU missed last year. And again, he doesn’t need to rip off a big return every week. But a few yards here and a few yards there add up.

In a year where LSU expects to be strong on offense and defense, it can’t afford to give games away on special teams.

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Alabama transfer Aaron Anderson to return kicks and punts, other special teams notes from Brian Kelly

It’s no secret that LSU was held back by its special teams in 2022.

You didn’t have to watch much LSU football last fall to gather that execution on special teams was a limiting factor.

Those issues reared their head early and often as the Tigers lost in Week 1 against Florida State as the result of a blocked extra point in the final seconds.

After a coaching change (coordinator [autotag]Bill Polian[/autotag] was replaced with [autotag]John Jancek[/autotag], though [autotag]Bob Diaco[/autotag] is currently filling the role), LSU hopes it has those issues fixed in 2023.

Kelly addressed the special teams on Tuesday, announcing that speedy Alabama transfer [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] will return kicks and punts. True freshman running back [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] will be the off-ball returner.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said avoiding miscues will be key for the returners this fall.

“They’ve got to field the ball, they’ve got to be able to do the little things the right way,” Kelly said Monday.

Kelly had positive things to say about the unit in general. Placekicker [autotag]Damian Ramos[/autotag] has apparently had a good camp and seems likely to hold on to his starting spot again. Punter [autotag]Jay Bramblett[/autotag], who was named to the preseason watch list for the Ray Guy Award, also received praise.

“We think special teams should and can be a positive for us and influence games,” Kelly said.

If that ultimately proves to be the case, it would be a major boon for an LSU team that was held back by shoddy special teams play in an overall good campaign last fall.

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WATCH: Alabama transfer Aaron Anderson flashing at LSU camp

LSU might have found its source of big plays in Alabama transfer Aaron Anderson.

A prize piece of LSU’s 2023 transfer portal haul is wide receiver [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag].

The 247Sports Composite ranked Anderson as the best recruit in the state of Louisiana in the class of 2022. The Edna Karr product was also considered a top-five receiver in the country.

After an injury-riddled 2022, Anderson returned home to wear the purple and gold.

At just 5-foot-9, he’s known for his elite speed and versatility. He’s the type of player LSU’s offense needs as it looks to generate more explosive plays.

[autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag] has discussed a need to get players in space with room to run in the passing game. Getting the ball to Anderson in space could lead to some big moments for LSU’s offense.

Anderson flashed that speed in practice, taking a screen from [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and finding that extra gear.

Speaking about Anderson, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said they’ve only scratched the surface.

Anderson could also be of use on special teams. LSU struggled in the return game last year and if Anderson has sure hands back there, he might become one of the best kick and punt returners in the SEC.

Coming off an injury, you never know what to expect, but Anderson looks like he could be one of LSU’s primary targets behind [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag].

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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 11 Brian Thomas Jr.

After two seasons as a mostly rotational receiver, Brian Thomas Jr. could be poised to break out in 2023.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

We’re looking at a player in the receiver room who has shown a lot of signs of promise but is yet to put it all together in the form of a breakout campaign in Brian Thomas Jr. Entering a receiver room that he’s poised to be a leader in during his junior season, he has the potential to do just that in 2023.

Brian Thomas Jr. Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Walker, Louisiana

Ht: 6-3

Wt: 205

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four Stars | No. 4 in Louisiana | No. 13 receiver

Class in 2022: Sophomore

Career Stats

Year G Rec Yards Avg TDs
2021 12 28 359 12.8 2
2022 13 31 361 11.6 5


Depth Chart Overview

A former top-100 recruit coming out of high school, Thomas has made 25 appearances over the last two seasons with 15 starts. He’s had just moderate production in that time, and though his numbers didn’t skyrocket as a sophomore, he did finish fourth on the team in receptions, fifth in yards and second in touchdowns.

With [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaray Jenkins[/autotag] heading to the NFL while [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag] transfers out, that room is much less crowded in 2023. Alongside one of the SEC’s top receivers in Malik Nabers, Thomas could be an impact player in that group.

There will be others competing for targets, though, such as [autotag]Chris Hilton[/autotag], [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] and Alabama transfer [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag]. The Tigers added a pair of highly-rated true freshmen as well in [autotag]Jalen Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag]

Brian Thomas Jr.’s Photo Gallery