Tag: Kole Taylor

Ka’Morreun Pimpton could be just what LSU needs behind Mason Taylor

LSU could have its No. 2 TE in Ka’Morreun Pimpton

Few teams are better positioned at starting tight end than LSU is with [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag].

The rising sophomore is expected to be one of the best tight ends in the country and was recently put on the Mackey Award watch list.

Behind Taylor though, LSU lacks proven depth. [autotag]Kole Taylor[/autotag] hit the transfer portal, leaving LSU with several true freshmen carrying the load, the most highly touted of which is [autotag]Ka’Morreun Pimpton[/autotag].

Pimpton was a consensus top 10 TE in the 2023 recruiting class, being ranked as high as No. 4 by On3. With camp underway, that talent is beginning to flash.

LSU doesn’t just need someone to back up Taylor, it needs a guy to play alongside him. [autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag] doesn’t shy away from using two tight ends. Pimpton could be that guy.

Speaking to the media, Taylor said he’s impressed with Pimpton thus far, highlighting his catch radius.

At Pimpton’s size, he looks like he belongs on an SEC field right now.

The expectations are high for LSU’s offense. At Notre Dame, Brian Kelly’s offenses were at their best when the TE group was playing at a high level. From Tyler Eifert to Michael Mayer, Kelly’s had his fair share of NFL talents.

With Taylor and Pimpton, he has that again now.

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Veteran LSU tight end enters transfer portal

Kole Taylor caught just five passes for 55 yards this season.

LSU got even thinner at tight end on Thursday morning as tight end [autotag]Kole Taylor[/autotag] announced that he would become the latest Tiger to enter the transfer portal.

Though a significant loss, Taylor’s departure isn’t exactly surprising. The 6-foot-7 junior from Grand Junction, Colorado, caught just five passer for 55 yards in 2022, largely thanks to the emergence of true freshman standout [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] (no relation).

His departure leaves Mason as the only scholarship tight end on the roster.

“I am thankful for my time at LSU, however it is time for a change,” Taylor wrote in his announcement post on Twitter. “I have entered my name into the transfer portal with two years of eligibility left. I will forever remember the memories I made at LSU, however all good things come to an end. Excited to see what is next!”

The latter Taylor became the top tight end, and despite appearing in all 13 games, the former saw his role diminish quite a bit. He finishes his LSU career with 17 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown in 32 appearances.

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LSU finally found the explosiveness it has been searching for

LSU’s offense erupted on Saturday night. Here’s how it happened.

LSU’s offense has been hard to pin down. It’s been inconsistent and just when it seems like an issue is solved, another one emerges.

One of the most pertinent issues was a lack of explosive plays. LSU had been decent on a down-to-down basis but had yet to really find a way to create big plays.

Against Florida, LSU finally found some. The Tigers tallied eight explosive plays against Florida, according to GameOnPaper.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] looked comfortable standing in the pocket and delivering the ball down the field. He had seven passes that traveled 20 or more air yards and completed four of them.

He only has nine such completions all year, meaning nearly half of them came against Florida. It began on LSU’s opening series, with Daniels finding [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] for a 40-yard gain on third and eight.

On the first play of the second quarter, Daniels found Boutte again, this time for a gain of 21. On LSU’s third drive of the night, Daniels connected with Kole Taylor for a gain of 26 and finished the drive with a 24-yard touchdown to [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag]

LSU’s fourth drive was finished with a 56-yard touchdown to [autotag]Jaray Jenkins[/autotag] after Florida jumped offsides. In the second half, [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] broke free for a 50-yard run and Daniels would find Boutte and Nabers a couple more times for a significant gain.

LSU’s offense looked confident and comfortable. It looked like a group that was working in sync. For the first time all year, the unit played a complete game. Daniels, who has held the ball for too long at times, had his quickest time to throw of the year against Florida, per PFF.

He was trusting his receivers and not afraid to put the ball into tight windows. We saw some of that in the Tennessee game, but the timing looked much better in Gainesville.

Boutte finally having his breakout game helped and LSU got contributions from top to bottom, with guys like [autotag]Kole Taylor[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] getting involved too.

Daniels was good under pressure, too. His passer rating under pressure was the best in the SEC in Week 7.

[autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag] didn’t have their best night, allowing eight combined pressures, but it never became a talking point thanks to Daniels’ ability to either get the ball out quick or scramble.

In the run game, Daniels and Williams combined to force 13 missed tackles. LSU’s explosiveness was a result of players stepping up and making plays. Receivers were winning one-on-one battles, and Daniels was trusting them to make a play.

It didn’t matter if it was first down or third down. It didn’t matter what side of the field they were on — plays were made that needed to be made.

Whether or not it will continue is to be determined, but this was a good start. LSU will need more of the same with a top-10 Ole Miss team coming to town.

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Tigers have six games on ESPN’s top 60 games of the 2000’s

A number of LSU matchups cracked Bill Connelly’s top games of the century list.

Bill Connelly, an ESPN staff writer, released an article that chronicled the top 60 college football games of the 2000s, in his opinion.

Six LSU games made the cut for the top 60, with the highest-ranked game coming in at No. 37, with what has been dubbed “The Shoe Game.” Thanks, Marco Wilson and Cade York.

The lowest on the list was the LSU at Alabama game in 2019, which was a slugfest that ended in a Tigers victory and kept the hopes of an undefeated season alive. We’ve got overtime games, barnburners, shoe-tosses, and blown coverages. I’ll let you decide whether you agree with the placement of these games on the list or not.

Five freshmen most likely to see the field for LSU in 2022

Examining which of LSU’s newcomers will have a chance to make an immediate impact in 2022

With signing day now done, there is some clarity regarding what rosters may look like across college football in 2022.

It’s been a hectic couple of months all over the sport. With coaching changes, a flurry of transfers, and players declaring for the NFL draft. This off-season has provided more roster shakeup than any in recent memory.

That holds true for LSU as well.

Over the last couple of years, the previous coaching staff didn’t demonstrate much competence when it came to managing a roster. On top of that, coaching changes always lead to their own list of personnel shakeups.

There will be more moves to come throughout the spring and summer. It isn’t over yet. But the roster LSU has now should look close to the one it takes the field in the opener against Florida State.

All things considered, LSU will bring in a decent freshmen class. Given the inexperience all over the team, a lot of these guys will have opportunities to see the field right away.

Good teams usually need some contributions from first-year players if they want to have success. That could go even further for LSU, who’s just counting on these recruits to have enough athletes on scholarship.

Let’s look at the five freshmen most likely to see the field in 2022.

LSU makes changes to depth chart ahead of season finale vs. Ole Miss

LSU made changes to the depth chart ahead of kickoff vs. Ole Miss.

It’s been an interesting season for every college football team across the country, including LSU, in the midst of unprecedented circumstances.

On Saturday, the Tigers play their final game of the season against the Ole Miss Rebels, aiming to finish out with an overall record of 5-5 after suffering several opt-outs and the loss of starting quarterback Myles Brennan to a significant lower-body injury after the loss to Missouri.

The depth chart looks a little different for this one, as the Tigers made some changes ahead of kickoff.

Chasen Hines will be replaced by Cameron Wire at offensive guard, while Kole Taylor will start in Tory Carter’s place at tight end and John Emery Jr. is expected to start with Tyrion Davis-Price out at running back.

The Tigers and Rebels are set to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT in Tiger Stadium.

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Biggest pregame storylines ahead of LSU vs Florida

The LSU Tigers could start a new QB against Florida this weekend, while also using two new tight ends due to Arik Gilbert opting out.

The LSU Tigers travel to Gainesville to face the No. 6 Florida Gators (8-1), who have already locked up the SEC East division title, on Saturday.

LSU enters the game with a 3-5 record and rolls into Gainesville coming off a 55-17 beating from Alabama last weekend.

There’s a lot to look out for in what’s likely to be another lopsided matchup for the Tigers.

Here’s a look at the biggest pregame storylines ahead of Saturday’s match-up between the Tigers and Gators.

LSU without Arik Gilbert

Just as Terrace Marshall Jr. opted out last week before the Tigers faced Alabama. LSU tight end and former five star recruit Arik Gilbert opted out of the season earlier this week.

The freshman was second on the team in receptions with 35 catches for 368 yards and two touchdowns.

Gilbert, the highest rated tight end ever coming out of high school, leaves LSU with a void to fill at the position heading into the final two games.

The Tigers will use Kole Taylor and baseball star Nick Storz as the two tight ends against Florida on Saturday.

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