Tag: BJ Ojulari

Jacob Hester congratulates Mekhi Wingo on earning No. 18 jersey

One No. 18 took to social media to congratulate the latest addition to the club.

LSU announced its special jersey assignments for the 2023 season, and defensive tackle [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] will wear the No. 18 jersey this fall. He’ll take over from [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag], an edge rusher and second-round pick who wore it in 2022.

With Wingo being the next player to carry on the legacy, a former No. 18 took to social media to congratulate him in star fullback [autotag]Jacob Hester[/autotag]. A player at LSU from 2004-07, Hester received the jersey in his senior season as he led the Tigers to a national championship.

Wingo will hope to become the latest No. 18 bearer to lead LSU to the promised land.

A transfer from Missouri, Wingo was elevated to the starting lineup after Maason Smith suffered a season-ending injury in the first game. He ultimately picked up All-SEC honors as he had a fantastic campaign, and he should lead one of the best interior defensive lines in the league.

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Mekhi Wingo earns No. 18 jersey for Tigers in 2023

Mekhi Wingo was one of the biggest impact transfers for the LSU Tigers last season.

[autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] was one of the biggest impact transfers for the LSU Tigers last season. He came to LSU after starting for the Missouri Tigers as a freshman in 2021. He made 27 tackles in 12 games for Missouri along with two tackles for loss, one interception, and a touchdown.

He came to LSU with the hopes of starting for a Tigers team that was rebuilding with a new head coach, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag]. Wingo started 13 out of the 14 games he played last year as he made 46 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble.

Today, Kelly informed Wingo that he will be wearing the famed No. 18 for LSU this fall. In the video below, Wingo mentions how he came to LSU not wanting to be very vocal and step on any toes as the new guy. He just wanted to come in, put his head down, and go to work. It seemed his work and his leadership has paid off.

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What did the Cardinals’ draft picks and other rookies do in the 38-10 loss to the Chiefs?

A rundown of the performance of the Cardinals’ rookies in their 38-10 preseason loss on Saturday.

The Arizona Cardinals lost on Saturday night 38-10 at home to the Kansas City Chiefs in the preseason. It wasn’t a good overall team performance, but the preseason is more about individual play than team play.

The Cardinals’ draft picks and other rookies got a decent amount of playing time.

Let’s go over what each player did.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Cardinals 2nd-round pick BJ Ojulari gets nearly 3 years of guaranteed salary

Ojulari gets two full years of salary guarantees and gets about 90% of his Year 3 salary guaranteed.

The final draft pick for the Arizona Cardinals to sign their rookie contract was linebacker BJ Ojulari, their second-round pick out of LSU.

It took longer for many second-round picks to sign their contracts and the hangup was the number of years with guaranteed salary.

We have the details of his contract from Over the Cap. Ojulari gets nearly three full years of salary guarantees.

Ojulari’s four-year contract is worth a total of nearly $8.6 million.

He received a $3.25 million signing bonus.

These are his yearly salaries:

2023: $750,000 (fully guaranteed)

2024: $1.14 million (fully guaranteed)

2025: $1.53 million ($1.39 million fully guaranteed)

2026: $1.92 million

His cap hit in 2023 will be $1.56 million. His cap hits the rest of his deal will be $1.95 million, $2.34 million and $2.74 million.

Last year’s second-round pick, tight end Trey McBride, got two full years of salary guarantees. Receiver Rondale Moore, drafted in the second round in 2021, got two years of guarantees. Cornerback Byron Murphy, drafted in the second round in 2019, got three full years of guarantees.

Ojulari gets two full years of salary guarantees about 90% of his third year’s salary guaranteed.

Ojulari has been on PUP recovering from a knee injury since the start of training camp.

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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 35 Sai’Vion Jones

Sai’Vion Jones could be poised to earn a starting job at defensive end this fall.

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.

There will be a lot said and written about the transfer additions brought in to replace [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag] along the edge, but we’re looking at a returning player who could also occupy that mantle in [autotag]Sai’Vion Jones[/autotag], who showed promise as a sophomore in 2022 and could be poised for a breakout.

Sai’Vion Jones Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Vacherie, Louisiana

Ht: 6-6

Wt: 280

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four Stars | No. 6 in Louisiana | No. 11 EDGE

Class in 2022: Sophomore

Career Stats

Year G Total Solo TFL Sack FF PD INT
2021 11 3 1 0 0 0 0 0
2022 14 23 11 6 4.5 1 1 0

Depth Chart Overview

Jones was one of the top recruits in Louisiana coming out of high school, and for good reason. A tremendous athlete, he also played basketball and competed in track and field, throwing the discus and shotput while even doing the high jump.

He saw action in 11 games as a true freshman for LSU in 2021, but he had a minimal impact and finished the year with just three total tackles. Still, he registered very solid Pro Football Focus grades in tackling and pass-rushing, setting up for a bigger Year 2.

He ultimately appeared in all 14 games last year, starting three times. His best career outing came in the start against Southern when he totaled six tackles. Jones also record sacks in four games.

He’ll have to compete with the likes of [autotag]Paris Shand[/autotag] and [autotag]Quency Wiggins[/autotag] for playing time as a junior, but given his massive frame and promising early career production, he has a chance to make a big impact.

Sai’Vion Jones’ Photo Gallery

Rookie LB BJ Ojulari had knee procedure, will return during training camp

The Cardinals did not want there to be a risk of a reoccurring injury so he had a minor knee procedure to clean things up.

The Arizona Cardinals began training camp this week making a few roster designations because of injuries. Three players were placed on PUP (physically unable to perform list) and another was placed on NFI (non-football injury).

One of the players landing on PUP was rookie linebacker BJ Ojulari, whom the Cardinals drafted in the second round this year. The Cardinals’ press release indicated he had a knee injury.

It was the first we had heard about what the injury was. He missed time in the offseason program and head coach Jonathan Gannon downplayed his absence, saying it was minor.

On Tuesday, Gannon was asked about the injury and he wavered between whether Ojulari suffered the injury before the draft or after the draft.

Ojulari had minor knee surgery

“He had a little procedure to get it fixed so we’re going to be smart with him knowing we didn’t want to have a reoccurring issue or the possibility of that happening as we got going during the season,” he told reporters on Tuesday.  “So we decided to clean it up a little bit, but you’ll see him out there in camp. You’ll see him pretty soon.”

It would appear his recovery time is in the next couple of weeks.

He just signed his rookie contract and could be back in the next two or three weeks.

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Zach Ertz, BJ Ojulari to PUP; Garrett Williams to NFI to start training camp

The Cardinals made some roster designations on Wednesday to start training camp.

The Arizona Cardinals announced some roster designations on Wednesday that affect the ability of some players to be able to practice in training camp.

As expected, quarterback Kyler Murray was placed on PUP (physically unable to perform) as he recovers from a torn ACL.

Two other players with knee injuries will also begin camp on PUP.

Tight end Zach Ertz, also recovering from a torn ACL, and rookie linebacker BJ Ojulari (knee) were also placed on PUP, making them ineligible to practice for now.

Ojulai missed time in the offseason program, although head coach Jonathan Gannon downplayed the injury, saying it wasn’t serious. However, because he is on PUP, it means it was not a preexisting knee injury. He got hurt with the team while participating in the offseason program.

All three players are able to come off PUP at any time before the season, at which time they will be able to practice again. Starting them there ensures the possibility of being on the regular-season PUP. Once removed from PUP, a player cannot go back on.

In addition to the moves to PUP, rookie cornerback Garrett Williams was placed on NFI (non-football injury list). He suffered a torn ACL last season while playing in college. The injury did not happen while with the Cardinals in the NFL, so it uses a different designation. He can come off at any time as well.

Williams said he hoped be clear for football activities in August.

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2nd-round pick BJ Ojulari finally signs rookie deal

Ojulari’s signing comes a day before training camp and gives the Cardinals a fully signed 2023 draft class.

The Arizona Cardinals finally have all their 2023 draft picks under contract. The one previously unsigned player, linebacker BJ Ojulari, has signed his rookie deal, the team announced Monday.

As with all rookie contracts, it is for four years.

Now we wait for the details of the deal to see how many years of the contract had guaranteed salary.

First-round picks have all four years guaranteed. Second-rounders can negotiate theirs. Tight end Trey McBride and receiver Rondale Moore, the team’s two previous second-round picks, had two guaranteed years. Cornerback Byron Murphy, drafted in the second round in 2019, had three years of guaranteed salary.

Ojulari was selected 41st overall by the Cardinals out of LSU. In 2022, he had 5.5 sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hurries.

The signing comes just in time for training camp. Ojulari and all his teammates are scheduled to report for camp on Tuesday.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 13 Bradyn Swinson

After appearing in 30 games with one start at Oregon, Bradyn Swinson is looking for a fresh start in Baton Rouge.

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.

It’s no secret that LSU hit the transfer portal hard to replace losses on defense. The defensive line was one of the most affected groups, and we’re looking at one of the most impactful additions in [autotag]Bradyn Swinson[/autotag], who was a rotational edge rusher in three years at Oregon.

Bradyn Swinson Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Douglasville, Georgia

Ht: 6-4

Wt: 249

247Sports Composite Ranking

Three Stars | No. 55 in Georgia | No. 20 Strong-Side Defensive End

Class in 2022: Sophomore

Career Stats

Year G Total Solo TFL Sack FF PD INT
2020 (Oregon) 7 3 2 0 0 0 1 0
2021 (Oregon) 11 24 14 4 3 0 2 0
2022 (Oregon) 12 8 5 1.5 0 0 0 0


Depth Chart Overview

Despite his big frame and athleticism, Swinson was a bit overlooked out of high school and ranked outside the top 500 nationally. Still, he signed with Oregon, and following seven appearances during the COVID season in 2020, he had his most productive season in 2021.

He played in 11 games, making his first and only start, and he earned all three sacks in his career that campaign. He also had a career-high four tackles for loss.

Swinson played in 12 games in 2022, but his role diminished as he totaled just eight tackles. He entered the transfer portal looking for a fresh start on an LSU team that has to replace [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag], though Texas transfer [autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag] seems like the safer pick to win that starting JACK spot.

Bradyn Swinson’s Photo Gallery

Pair of LSU defensive lineman named potential breakout freshman in 2023

Jaxon Howard and DaShawn Womack could both make impacts as true freshmen this fall.

LSU’s defensive front is poised to be very strong in 2023, but if there’s one question mark, it comes at the edge of the defensive line.

Last year’s starting edge defenders in [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag] are gone, and LSU is likely to turn to transfer additions like [autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag], [autotag]Bradyn Swinson[/autotag] and [autotag]Paris Shand[/autotag] to fill in the gaps.

However, the Tigers could also look to a pair of true freshman blue-chip prospects to make an impact, as well. On3 recently recognized [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag] and [autotag]DaShawn Womack[/autotag] as potential breakout true freshmen in the SEC this fall.

Here’s what they said about Howard.

Where he ranked in the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking: Four-star, No. 16 EDGE, No. 120 overall prospect

Howard is one of a couple freshman EDGE players for LSU with a shot at contributing this season.

You’ll see the other one shortly.

As for Howard, he’s impressed with his work ethic, approach and intelligence.

He had four tackles and a sack in the Tigers’ spring game.

“You could see his progress and his grit kind of grow throughout the spring to the point where we were like, that was a really good spring for him,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said during the spring.

Howard’s father, Willie, was an all-conference defensive lineman at Stanford and a 2001 second-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings.

Now for Womack.

Where he ranked in the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking: Four-star, No. 5 EDGE, No. 42 overall prospect

Here’s the other LSU freshman EDGE with a chance to be a factor this season.

Although Womack was limited during the spring while working back from shoulder surgery, On3 ranked Womack as a five-star player and the No. 12 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class.

“I think he has some flexibility as a guy that can play the big end position, but we haven’t ruled out how we play him,” Kelly said during the spring. “Is he a stand-up two-point player in a manner that he’s 100 percent of the time a Jack linebacker? No, probably not. That doesn’t mean that we can’t be in four down and he can’t stand up and drop back in a limited fashion to change the looks up because he is so athletic.

“His athletic ability still lends itself to having some of the traits necessary to put him in a hybrid position.”

With all the transfer additions LSU made to its defensive front this offseason, both of these guys may see a limited role. However, we saw a true freshman make a big impact on the edge last fall in [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], and perhaps one of these two players will be the next one up.