Tag: jaxon howard

Former LSU EDGE Jaxon Howard commits to Minnesota

Jaxon Howard is heading home after one season at LSU.

After one season at LSU, former four-star edge rusher [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag] is heading home.

The Minneapolis native recently committed to the Minnesota Golden Gophers as a transfer, and he’s heading to the Big Ten following a redshirt season with the Tigers.

A top-150 prospect nationally coming out of high school and the No. 1 player in Minnesota, Howard appeared in five games. One of them was the bowl, which allowed him to preserve his redshirt.

In those five appearances, Howard had two tackles and a quarterback hurry. One of the tackles and the hurry came in the ReliaQuest Bowl win, while the other tackle came in the win over Grambling.

Howard is one of six LSU players to enter the transfer portal since the spring window opened, but he’s the first to commit to a new school.

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LSU preferred walk-on cornerback enters transfer portal

Ryan Robinson Jr., a New Orleans native, walked on at LSU last fall despite holding multiple Division I offers.

The LSU Tigers football team has already seen a pair of scholarship players opt to move on since the spring transfer portal opened — defensive end [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag] and receiver [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag].

But now, LSU is also losing a redshirt freshman preferred walk-on who could have ultimately found a role on the team. Cornerback [autotag]Ryan Robinson Jr.[/autotag], a New Orleans native, is moving on after one season at LSU.

Robinson was a three-star recruit and top-35 player in the state of Louisiana, but he turned down multiple Division I scholarship offers to join the Tigers. As a true freshman in 2023, he appeared in four games, mostly seeing special teams action.

He played the cornerback spot against Grambling and recorded two tackles, while he added one more on special teams against Ole Miss.

Robinson likely wasn’t in line to start or even see significant reps this season, but with depth at cornerback already a concern, the Tigers may look to add someone during the spring transfer portal window.

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LSU redshirt freshman receiver enters transfer portal

Khai Prean is moving on after a redshirt season in 2023 in which he didn’t appear in any games.

LSU has seen its second transfer portal departure in the spring window as redshirt freshman receiver [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag] opted to enter the portal on Wednesday.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Prean entered the portal with a no-contact tag. That would seemingly indicate that he already knows where he’s going, or at least has a shortlist.

Prean joins [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag] as LSU’s spring transfer portal entrants so far, but Howard signaled his intention to transfer prior to the window opening on Tuesday.

A four-star recruit and top-20 recruit nationally, the Belle Rose, Louisiana, native didn’t appear in any games as a true freshman and ultimately took a redshirt year.

With Prean now out of the mix, LSU will turn to players like [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag], last year’s transfer addition [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and fellow 2023 recruit Shelton Sampson Jr. for depth behind the new starting receiving corps, which seems to be comprised of [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], Mississippi State transfer [autotag]Zavion Thomas[/autotag] and [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] as we complete spring ball.

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LSU edge rusher Jaxon Howard reportedly plans to enter transfer portal

Jaxon Howard appeared in five games as a true freshman and saw backup action this spring.

LSU’s depth on the defensive line just got a bit thinner.

On Wednesday, multiple reports indicated that redshirt freshman edge rusher [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag] will enter the transfer portal when it opens next week following the conclusion of spring practice. The news was first reported by 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

A top-150 prospect nationally coming out of Minneapolis in 2023, Howard was a four-star recruit and one of LSU’s top signees in the cycle. He appeared in four regular-season games and the bowl game, preserving his redshirt year.

In those five appearances, he totaled just two tackles and had reportedly spent spring practice as a backup.

Now, he’ll look for starting opportunities elsewhere, though he will not be permitted to join another SEC team as a spring transfer.

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Former Wisconsin football top class of 2022 target enters transfer portal

Former Wisconsin football top class of 2022 target enters transfer portal

LSU redshirt freshman edge rusher Jaxon Howard plans to enter the transfer portal when the spring window opens later this month, according to 247Sports.

Howard was 247Sports’ No. 131 player in the class of 2022, No. 20 edge rusher and No. 1 recruit from his home state of Minnesota.

Related: Ranking Wisconsin football’s incoming transfers by expected impact in 2024 season

Wisconsin was one of the many top programs to offer the former four-star recruit coming out of high school. His loaded offer sheet included Michigan, in-state Minnesota, Wisconsin, Alabama, Miami, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Texas, Tennessee and Washington.

The Minneapolis, Minnesota native played in just five games for the Tigers in 2023, during which he recorded only two total tackles.

Howard should be heavily-pursued once the spring portal window opens. There was a connection with the previous Wisconsin staff, so it may be a long shot for the Badgers to get involved.

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Brian Kelly discusses importance of bowl practices as LSU gets ready for Wisconsin

Brian Kelly was asked about the importance of bowl game practice, and here is what he had to say.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the LSU Tigers will look for their second 10-win season in a row as they take on the Wisconsin Badgers in Tampa, Florida.

That is the known part of the bowl game situation. Now to the unknown, nobody knows who will decide to play, who will sit out, or who will transfer before we get to the game. We live in a day and age where half of the players on a team could opt out before you even get to a bowl game. Does anyone remember when LSU played Kansas State in the Texas Bowl? The Tigers did not even have an active quarterback on their roster.

Recently, Kelly was asked about the importance of bowl game practice, and here is what he had to say.

“They’re important,” Kelly said, per On3. “Here’s why they’re equally as important as any other time. When we’re balancing our roster. I’ll give you an example. The Howard kid, right? We held on to him at the three game max until A&M and then we put them in against A&M, played pretty good. And so he used his fourth game and that last year, we’re excited about playing him in the bowl game, because he gets that extra game.”

Kelly made mention of [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag], the freshman linebacker who gets to play in an extra game thanks to the bowl game not counting towards him losing his redshirt. That plays a huge role in games like this.

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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 11 Jaxon Howard

True freshman Jaxon Howard joins a defensive line that has to replace a lot of talent at the edge 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.

It’s time to take a look at one of the biggest additions for the Tigers in the 2023 signing class. Four-star edge rusher [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag] joins a talented LSU defensive line, but it’s also one that replaces talent at the edge and could create an opening for a true freshman to make an impact.

Jaxon Howard Preseason Player Profile

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.

Instant analysis from LSU’s 2023 spring game

You can only learn so much from spring, but the Tigers checked the main boxes in Saturday’s exhibition.

We got our first look at the 2023 LSU team on Saturday as the team took the field at Tiger Stadium for a scrimmage after going through warmups and some situational drills.

With the offense pitted against the defense, the game finished in a 32-32 tie, but quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] impressed leading the first-team offense, completing 10 of 11 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns.

He started the game on a high note, finding [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] for a 70-yard touchdown after Lacy made a fantastic one-handed catch on the first play from scrimmage. Daniels also found true freshman running back Trey Holly, who also led all running backs with 26 yards, on a touchdown pass out of the backfield.

While Daniels and the starters looked good, [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] did a fine job working with the second team unit. He completed five of eight passes for 139 yards, and he had two touchdowns of his own.

One went to [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] — who finished second behind Lacy in receiving with 66 yards on three catches — on an in route in the end zone. He also found [autotag]Landon Ibieta[/autotag] on a nice catch-and-run play.

Defensively, several newcomers were impressive. Oregon transfer [autotag]Bradyn Swinson[/autotag] had a sack as did early enrollee true freshman [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag]. True freshman linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag], younger brother of [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag], took an interception off true freshman quarterback [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] to the house.

Collins struggled in his first action, completing just three of seven passes for 25 yards and no touchdowns. He did show off his mobility, however. He wasn’t wearing a non-contact jersey and went for 19 yards on five carries.

Only so much can be learned from a spring game, but the Tigers looked as solid as you would hope entering Brian Kelly’s second season. Stay tuned to LSU Wire for more content from the Tigers’ spring game.

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Brian Kelly breaks down LSU’s defensive line depth in 2023

Here’s how the depth is shaping up on the defensive line as spring comes to a close.

With [autotag]Dashawn Womack[/autotag] and [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] getting back to the practice field, LSU’s defensive line is looking healthier.

However, don’t expect to see them out there on Saturday.

“It’s just not something that is worth the risk,” Kelly said when discussing potentially playing Smith, who is coming off a torn ACL, in the spring game.

With LSU thin all spring on the defensive line, several players got more reps this spring. Kelly believes that’s helped LSU improves its depth. On four-star freshman [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag], Kelly said he benefited from extra work that wouldn’t have been there if LSU was fully healthy.

On the interior, [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] also impressed Kelly, getting plenty of reps at several spots up front. [autotag]Paris Shand[/autotag], the Arizona transfer with a chance to take over for [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag], has also made strides.

“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,” Kelly said.

Kelly also cited [autotag]Tygee Hill[/autotag] and [autotag]Fitzgerald West[/autotag] as two guys who benefitted from the available work.

The main takeaway: Kelly likes the depth LSU has up front.

Smith and [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] are surefire starters up the middle, but it’s wide open outside of that.

It’s also worth noting this group has been working under interim defensive line coach [autotag]Gerald Chatman[/autotag] as LSU looks to replace [autotag]Jamar Cain[/autotag].

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Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

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