Tag: LSU

Huge risk/reward receiver declares for 2025 NFL draft

Kyren Lacy is an incredibly talented receiver but still a risky pick.

The wide receiver class of the 2025 NFL draft is shaping up to be very deep. This group is headlined by a minimum of five receivers who should go in the first round and then a second tier of receivers who have the talent to go in the top 60 picks but all of them have flaws that could tank their draft stock.

One of these high-risk/high-reward receivers who just declared for the draft is former LSU wideout Kyren Lacy. Lacy posted on social media his time at LSU is over and he’s heading on to the NFL.

 

Lacy is a tough player to scout because teams have to take into consideration more than just his development as a wide receiver. 2024 finally showed Lacy making the most of his skill set on the field and at times he looked like a first-round prospect. But there are concerns about his maturity on the field and a team has to weigh out if he’s grown up enough to warrant a high draft pick. The best thing for Lacy would be to land with a team where he isn’t asked tobe the No. 1 and the team already has a stable veteran group who can mentor him.

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Clyde Edwards-Helaire talks return to Louisiana after first Saints practice

Clyde Edwards-Helaire discussed the opportunity to return to Louisiana after his first practice on Thursday, and the call he received from the Saints:

The New Orleans Saints signing of Clyde Edwards-Helaire brings another Louisiana native back to the state, as he was born and raised in Baton Rouge. Edwards-Helaire then went on to play high school football at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, before moving on to college where he would spend three seasons with LSU, win a National Championship, and move on to the NFL.

He will now have a chance to play at this level with the Saints, and he had the opportunity to discuss this return to the state after his first practice with his new team on Thursday.

Edwards-Helaire told reporters it was too perfect of an opportunity to pass up.

“When I saw that 504 number come across my phone the other day, I couldn’t be more than ecstatic. Being able to come home and put on the black and gold was something I dreamed of as a kid,” Edwards-Helaire said.

He’s a lifelong Saints fan, so this was something of a full-circle moment for him. Edwards-Helaire said his mother had just found some of his old Saints gear during some housecleaning before the team called him: “I had multiple Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Deuce McAllister posters in my room. My mom was texting me on the way up here, she found my Saints puffer that I used to wear that had my name embroidered on it.”

He will now return home after winning two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, as he looks to make an impact on his home town team.

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Vols have Rose Bowl on the line for first time since 2001

Tennessee will play for an opportunity to be in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 2001.

No. 9 seed Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) will play No. 8 seed Ohio State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) Saturday in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Kickoff between the Vols and Buckeyes is slated for 8 p.m. EST at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. ABC will televise the contest.

The winner of Saturday’s game will advance to the Rose Bowl to play No. 1 seed Oregon (13-0, 9-0 Big Ten).

The last time the Vols played for an opportunity to appear in the Rose Bowl was during the 2001 season. Tennessee, however, lost to LSU, 31-20, in the SEC championship game.

Tennessee’s loss cost the Vols a chance to play for a BCS national championship against Miami in Pasadena, California.

Tennessee led the Tigers, 17-10, at halftime. The Vols only scored three points after halftime, a 21-yard field goal by Alex Walls in the fourth quarter.

LSU backup quarterback Matt Mauck replaced starter Rohan Davey, who was injured.

Mauck completed 5-of-15 passing attempts for 67 yards. He also recorded 43 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 12 attempts. He was named MVP of the game.

Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen completed 27-of-43 passing attempts for 332 yards and two touchdowns. Kelley Washington and Troy Fleming each had one touchdown reception in the contest.

Tennessee finished the season with a 11-2 record (7-1 SEC). After not making the Rose Bowl, the Vols defeated Michigan, 45-17, in the Citrus Bowl.

23 years later, the Vols and fourth-year head coach Josh Heupel will compete Saturday for an opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl.

Tennessee last played in the Rose Bowl game on Jan. 1, 1945 against USC (L, 25-0). The Vols also played USC on Jan. 1, 1940 in their other Rose Bowl appearance (L, 14-0).

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Ravens DC Zach Orr compares Giants WR Malik Nabers to another former LSU star

Ravens DC Zach Orr compares Giants WR Malik Nabers to another former LSU star in Ja’Marr Chase

The Ravens face the Bengals twice yearly, so they’re knowledgeable about elite wide receiver play.   Heading into Sunday’s game against the Giants, rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers offers a similar skill set that Baltimore is familiar with.

Just days before matching up with the former LSU wide receiver, Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr compared Nabers to the league’s leading pass catcher, Ja’Marr Chase.

Selected sixth in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Nabers leads the Giants with 80 catches, 819 yards, and three touchdown receptions. Nabers’ 80 catches place him third on the Giants’ rookie list. Odell Beckham (2014) and Saquon Barkley (2018) share the record with 91 receptions.

Chase had a record-setting rookie season in 2021. He started all 17 games and caught 81 passes for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns, which set the Bengals rookie record and was fourth in the NFL. He also had five 100-yard games, tied for second most in Bengals history.

Chase’s 368 postseason receiving yards broke the rookie record previously held by Torry Holt in 1999. He also helped the Bengals advance to Super Bowl LVI, their first appearance since 1988.

Chase was named Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press and the PFWA and Rookie of the Year by the Sporting News. He was also named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

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Kool-Aid McKinstry is eager for another shot at Malik Nabers

Kool-Aid McKinstry didn’t line up against Malik Nabers as much as he wanted in their last matchup. He’s excited to run it back in Week 14, if Nabers is cleared to play:

Kool-Aid McKinstry wants another shot at Malik Nabers when the New Orleans Saints face the New York Giants.

But whether McKinstry will get his chance is yet to be seen. That’s due to an injury Nabers suffered in practice this week; the rookie wideout has been dealing with both groin and hip issues. Reports, however, say Nabers has a realistic chance to play.

The last time these two players played was last year at LSU and Alabama. Their one-on-one matchups were limited, to the disdain of McKinstry.

“I was definitely mad about that,” McKinstry said, “I feel like I match up good against him.”

His time against Nabers will still be divided between him and Alontae Taylor. When it is his turn, McKinstry likes his chances. They didn’t face off much in 2023, but their time in college overlapped for three seasons.

Defensive coordinator Joe Woods relayed the message he gave McKinstry earlier this week: “You did it in college, now it’s time to do it in the NFL.”

How would McKinstry describe the matchup between two impressive first-year pros? He says, “It’ll be what makes the game beautiful.”

Now all that’s left is to see if the Giants will let Nabers get in the game.

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Steelers CB Donte Jackson excited to face fellow LSU alumni in Week 13

Steelers CB Donte Jackson admires LSU alumni Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase ahead of Pittsburgh’s Week 13 matchup with Cincinnati.

The LSU brotherhood appears to be running strong. Although the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals are bitter rivals, CB Donte Jackson, who dons the Black and Gold, admires the impressive start fellow LSU alumni Bengals QB Joe Burrow and WR Ja’Marr Chase have had to their NFL careers.

During media availability leading up to the Steelers’ Week 13 contest against the Bengals, Jackson spoke highly of both Chase and Burrow but specifically highlighted what makes Burrow so special: his “killer instinct.”

Reporters jokingly asked if Jackson spoke so highly of the two because of his ties to LSU, and the Steelers CB had one simple response: “Go Tigers.”

While Jackson admires the younger generations of great LSU talent, his admiration will quickly shift to determination, especially when he likely faces Chase directly in a few matchups. Fans can witness the action when the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 on December 1st at 1:00 PM EST.

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Steelers go for risky receiver in new mock draft

Ryan Fowler has the Steelers taking a huge risk in the first round of his new mock draft.

There are very few players who I would consider undraftable when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But at some point, the level of talent just can’t overcome the potential personality problems.

But in this new mock draft by Ryan Fowler at The Draft Network, they have the Steelers picking exactly one of those guys. In Fowler’s new mock draft, he has the Steelers selecting LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy with the No. 26 overall pick. Here’s what he had to say about the pick:

Kyren Lacy continues to impress as the weeks go on. That second tier of wideouts remains fluid, and Lacy has become a popular name to potentially headline the group. In Pittsburgh, the LSU product slides in to play opposite of George Pickens with the nuance and playmaking ability to up Arthur Smith’s playbook a bit. He and Pickens would be a nightmare to counter each week.

The Steelers have enough to deal with having George Pickens and his immaturity, the last thing they need is to add more of that into the mix at the same position at the expense of a first-round pick. If the Steelers could take a flyer on Lacy in the third round, that’s a much better risk/reward choice.

In addition, Lacy is a fifth-year senior who will be 24 when he’s drafted and even after all these years, struggles with very simple parts of his game.

Just looking at the players taken after Lacy, Oregon’s Darron Harmon would be our choice. He’s a dominant interior player and one of our favorites in this draft. Just looking at the rest of the wide receiver class, give me Texas’ Isaiah Bond or Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka over Lacy in the first round.

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Brian Kelly’s streak of 10-win seasons ends with LSU loss to Florida

Now who’s laughing?

While Notre Dame is fighting to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation, that dream already was dead for Brian Kelly and LSU. They still could get into a decent bowl game though if they ran the table for the rest of the regular season. That won’t even happen now.

The Tigers suffered a 27-16 loss to a Florida team simply trying to get back to .500. That brought their losing streak to three, and they most certainly will drop out of the rankings now. There’s even more to this though.

With this loss, Kelly’s personal streak of seven 10-win seasons will come to an end. The last time Kelly failed to earn that distinction was during the Irish’s dreadful 2016 season in which they finished 4-8.

Kelly’s decision to bolt for Baton Rogue is looking more foolish all the time. This is the second time in three years Kelly has lost four games with the Tigers, something he didn’t do once over his final five seasons with the Irish. Does he still think he put himself in a better position to win a national championship?

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Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Three reasons LSU will get back on track vs. Florida

Here’s why LSU fans should be confident about the Tigers bouncing back this week

LSU needs a win. Thanks to a bye week and two losses, LSU’s last win was almost a month ago. It was a 34-10 victory vs. Arkansas that came one week after upsetting a top-10-ranked Ole Miss squad. Things were trending up for a one-loss LSU squad.

A month later, the mood is different. A flat second half vs. Texas A&M followed by a 42-13 drubbing from Alabama has LSU needing to win out to match its win total from last year.

“No one is in a good mood,” Brian Kelly said, “The food doesn’t taste good. No one likes being around each other right now.”

That’s what a 42-13 loss can do to a team, especially one with LSU’s expectations. But Kelly acknowledged the SEC is still in play and the team knows it. A bad mood doesn’t mean morale is shot and Kelly said he liked the group’s preparation this week.

Here’s why LSU fans should be confident in a rebound vs. Florida.

They’ve been here before

LSU was in a similar spot last year. After the Alabama loss, the Tigers were out of the SEC race and playoff conversation. But three games were left on the schedule and LSU had to find something else to play for.

Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers set their sights on the Heisman and breaking records while Kelly said the team took pride in getting to 10 wins.

A core of this team was present for that last year and Kelly is a veteran coach. LSU doesn’t have the cheat code that was Daniels this year, but LSU has enough veteran leadership. Over the summer, Kelly said this was his most player-led team yet.

I don’t see LSU coming out flat and that aforementioned leadership shows up.

Florida gives Nussmeier a bounce back opportunity

LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier hit a rough patch coming out of the half vs. Texas A&M The stretch continued into the Alabama game. Nuss struggled to complete passes and the interception issues persisted.

Kelly said Nussmeier was locked in at practice this week, hinting at a big performance from his QB.

Florida offers a reprieve from the stingy defenses LSU’s seen in recent weeks. The Ole Miss and Alabama defenses are among the best in the country and A&M isn’t that far behind. According to SP+, this is the LSU offense’s most favorable matchup since South Alabama on Sep. 28.

LSU usually responds well after a loss

Under Brian Kelly, LSU has a habit of responding to losses. Kelly is 7-2 coming off a loss with an average scoring margin of +19.7

One of those losses came last week, but I don’t see LSU dropping three in a row. There just isn’t much evidence saying LSU is about to hit a wall or fall off a cliff. LSU usually takes care of business against lesser teams, and at this point, UF remains in that category.

Kelly is 6-2 as an away favorite at LSU and I think the Tigers are prepared for the environment.

Najee Harris compares Steelers-Ravens rivalry to Alabama-LSU

Najee Harris compares the Steelers-Ravens rivalry to his Alabama days battling Joe Burrow’s LSU, highlighting the physicality of Week 11.

Najee Harris, currently outperforming expectations during his contract year, is the heart and soul of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ impressive rushing attack in 2024, averaging 4.1 yards per carry, on 157 rushing attempts for 645 yards through nine games.

During Thursday’s media availability, Harris explained that he expects physicality to play a pivotal role in the Week 11 matchup against the Steelers’ AFC North rivals, the Baltimore Ravens.

When asked what the rivalry between the Steelers and Ravens means to him, Harris took trip down memory lane, explaining that it reminds him of his college days at Alabama, going head-to-head with the Joe Burrow-led LSU.

The Steelers’ RB has an opportunity to showcase his team’s desire to further solidify their place in the AFC North divisional title race, and Harris’ physical, downhill running style could be exactly what the team needs to walk away victorious in Week 11.

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