Tag: LSU Football

Tulane hires LSU football staffer as assistant offensive line coach

A rising young coach is leaving his GA spot at LSU to be Tulane’s assistant offensive line coach

LSU graduate assistant Kanan Ray is moving up.

Ray was hired by Tulane as an assistant offensive line coach, returning to his alma mater. Ray worked with Brad Davis and the LSU offensive line in 2024. Before joining LSU, Ray spent a year working as a grad assistant at Tulane in 2023, after he was a starting offensive lineman in 2022.

247Sports’ Matt Zenitz called Ray a “rising young coach.”

Ray previously worked with Wille Fritz and staff at Tulane, but Fritz accepted the head coaching job at Houston after the 2023 season. Now, with Jon Sumrall leading the program, Ray returns under a different staff.

Assistants with ties to LSU and Louisiana have a way of returning to the Tigers, so he’s a name to keep an eye on when it comes to future openings on LSU’s staff.

Ray was one of two support staffers to leave LSU for an AAC job on Friday, with offensive analyst Todd Fitch accepting the offensive coordinator position at Charlotte.

LSU football loses key offensive assistant to AAC offensive coordinator role

A key LSU offensive assistant is heading to the AAC as an offensive coordinator

LSU is losing a key offensive assistant, according to FootballScoop.

Senior offensive analyst Todd Fitch is heading to Charlotte to take over the 49ers offensive coordinator role.

Fitch joined LSU in 2024 after [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] was promoted to offensive coordinator. Fitch was Sloan’s right-hand man. Sloan played for Fitch at ECU, and the two worked together at USF and Louisiana Tech.

Hitch was heavily involved with the LSU offense and was often the one meeting with Garrett Nussmeier and the quarterbacks on the sideline.

Prior to LSU, Fitch spent three years as an offensive analyst at Ohio State, working with CJ Stroud and a productive Buckeyes offense. Fitch also served as Vanderbilt’s interim head coach in 2020.

Fitch has experience coaching all over the country. He’s originally from the Midwest and spent years coaching in that region before later stops across the SEC footprint. He also made a stop at Colorado State.

At Charlotte, Fitch gets to return to play calling under new head coach Tim Albin.

LSU’s West Weeks offers postgame thoughts on brother Whit Weeks’ injury

Here’s what West Weeks said after his brother Whit Weeks left the Texas Bowl with an injury

LSU was shaken up during the second quarter of Tuesday’s Texas Bowl against Baylor as its star linebacker left the game with an injury.

[autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] suffered an ankle injury late in the second frame. Surrounded by his teammates, he was carted off the field with an air cast on his lower right leg.

One of those teammates was [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag], Whit’s younger brother and fellow Tiger linebacker. Following the win over the Bears, West was still emotional when talking about his brother’s status.

“I can’t really even put it into words,” West said. “Seeing my brother like that it took a huge toll on me, and honestly, the only thing that got me back in the game was seeing my whole team rallying around him. That was special to me.”

Despite only playing in the first half, Whit was tied for the team lead in tackles with six.

On the season, he led the Tigers with 125 tackles, including ten for loss and three and a half sacks. He added six quarterback hurries, three pass breakups, and an interception.

Starting quarterback [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] called Weeks one of “our leaders” and shared what they said before Weeks was carted off the field.

“Hopefully, he’s happy with how we were able to respond with him coming out,” Nussmeier said. “I went and gave him some love when he was in the cart, and he told me just to win it, to finish it, and I told him I got him.”

Former LSU defensive tackle lands at Big Ten school after entering transfer portal

Ex-LSU football players continue to find new homes with Jay’Viar Suggs heading back to the Midwest

A former LSU defensive tackle found his next home after entering the transfer portal — Jay’Viar Suggs will be transferring to Wisconsin.

Suggs spent one year at LSU after beginning his career at Grand Valley State. He was part of LSU’s overhauled defensive line room as the Tigers hit the portal hard to find the needed numbers.

Suggs gave LSU 133 defensive snaps, ranking fifth among LSU defensive tackles. According to PFF, Suggs was the top graded of the bunch, thanks to his efficiency rushing the passer.

In just 74 pass rush snaps, Suggs racked up 11 pressures and three sacks. He was charted with eight stops and five solo tackles.

Suggs was not expected to start for LSU in 2025. The emergence of true freshmen Ahmad Breaux and Dominick McKinley and the return of sixth-year defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory would have kept Suggs to a rotational piece.

But Suggs was more than just depth. He has the talent to make an impact at the Power Four level.

Former LSU football QB AJ Swann transfers to App State

A former LSU quarterback found his next stop, transferring to the Sun Belt

A former LSU football quarterback found his next school.

According to On3’s Hayes Fawcett on Friday, AJ Swann is transferring to Appalachian State. Swann spent two seasons at Vanderbilt and one at LSU. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Through three collegiate seasons, Swann totaled 2,741 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. He played in 17 games with 12 starts. In his lone season with the Tigers, Swann made two appearances, completing two passes for 10 yards as he backed up Garrett Nussmeier.

Though he wouldn’t have started with the Tigers next season due to Nussmeier’s return, Swann looked poised to compete for the backup role. However, with Mississippi State starter Michael Van Buren joining the room, it looked like a long shot for Swann to ever claim the starting spot.

Swann originally committed to Maryland as a three-star recruit in the 2022 class but later flipped his decision to the Commodores in December 2021. Before choosing the Tigers in the 2024 transfer portal cycle, Swann visited South Carolina, and early reports pointed toward him landing with the Gamecocks. However, a visit to Baton Rouge won him over.

What Garrett Nussmeier said about Chris Hilton’s continued emergence

Here’s what Nussmeier and Brian Kelly had to say about Chris Hilton after bowl win

Playing without its top two pass catchers, LSU needed new threats to emerge to defeat Baylor in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl on Tuesday.

In the Tigers’ 44-31 win, [autotag]Chris Hilton[/autotag] hauled in a game-high 113 receiving yards, including one for 43 yards and a touchdown. The redshirt junior’s performance against the Bears continued a late-season surge after dealing with an injury during fall camp and early in the year.

“We knew he was going through something, and we stood by him,” LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier said. “We did whatever we could to help him get back to him. When he was ready and was able to get back to himself, I think you can see what we’ve all seen from him.”

For Nussmeier, it was deja vu from last season’s ReliaQuest Bowl when Hilton totaled 56 receiving yards and a touchdown with an explosive play for 43 yards. Developing the chemistry started toward the end of last season and continued during the offseason.

After an injury sidelined him the first seven games of 2024, Hilton played every game for the rest of the season, starting with Texas A&M. Through six games, he totaled nine receptions for 243 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 27 yards per catch.

Head coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] remained confident that Hilton would make an impact upon his return and looks forward to his future donning the purple and gold.

“Chris has been waiting for these opportunities, and he got his chance and was able to do the things he’s capable of doing,” Kelly said. “When he ran the inside stop route, and we saw burst from him, that was electric, so big things for him to come.”

LSU four-star defensive linemen enters transfer portal following bowl game

LSU is losing a defensive linemen to the transfer portal

LSU football defensive lineman Kimo Makane’ole is entering the transfer portal, according to A&P Sports Agency.

Makan’ole originally signed with LSU as an offensive lineman in 2021. With LSU having depth issues at defensive tackle, he moved to the other side of the ball. Per the On3 Industry Ratings, Makane’ole was a four-star recruit and the No. 299 overall-ranked player in his class.

Makane’ole saw 21 snaps with the Tigers in 2024. Most of his action came in LSU’s blowout win over Nicholls, where Makan’ole played 13 snaps and assisted on a tackle. That was his only stat recorded this year.

Makan’ole played a role on special teams as a member of LSU’s field goal-kicking unit. He saw 28 special teams snaps in his four years at LSU.

Prior to joining the defense, Makan’ole played 26 and 27 snaps on the offensive line in 2022 and 2023.

With LSU wrapping up its season on Dec. 31, players have five days to enter the transfer portal if they so choose.

2024 NFL season shows how valuable Cortez Hankton is to LSU

Performances in the NFL are proving the value of LSU wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton

For the first time in NFL history, four rookies totaled over 1,000 receiving yards. Three out of four were coached by LSU’s [autotag]Cortez Hankton.[/autotag]

The Tigers’ co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, Hankton mentored [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] (1,140) and [autotag]Brian Thomas[/autotag] (1,179) during their years in Baton Rouge. He also worked with Ladd McConkey (1,054) while they both were at Georgia.

The Baton Rouge, LA native joined the staff for his hometown team in 2022. In his second year, Nabers and Thomas combined for 2,746 and 31 touchdowns, making them the top receiving duo in the country. Nabers led all receivers in three categories during 2023 — receiving yards per game (120.7), plays of 20-plus (34) and 30-plus (17) yards. Thomas led the nation with 17 receiving touchdowns in a breakout 2023 season

Their standout performances lead to both being selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Nabers was the No. 6 pick to the New York Giants and Thomas was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with pick No. 23. Both helped the Tigers offense lead the nation in scoring (45.5) and top the 500-yard mark nine times.

Hankton also spent four years in Athens, GA and was a part of the Bulldogs’ 2022 National Championship team. McConkey played under him for three seasons, totaling 1,687 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.

Having just finished his third season with the Tigers, Hankton will continue having a large impact in the day-to-day planning of the offense as well as on the recruiting trail. Kyren Lacy just departed for the NFL Draft and the Tigers brought in Nic Anderson and Barion Brown from the transfer portal as they look to reload at the position.

LSU football lands Mississippi four-star defensive linemen over SEC rivals

LSU football added a four-star to its 2026 recruiting class

LSU football received a commitment from a blue-chip defensive lineman on Thursday.

JaReylan McCoy (2026) chose the Tigers over Tennessee, USC, and Alabama, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett. He announced the decision at the 2025 Under Armor All-American game in Orlando, FL.

McCoy’s commitment brings LSU’s 2026 class to six recruits and puts it at No. 4 in the cycle. Of the six, five are considered blue-chip prospects by On3’s Industry Rankings.

The Tupelo, MS native is the No. 124 overall prospect in the class, per On3’s Industry Rankings. The four-star recruit ranks sixth in the state of Mississippi and eleventh at defensive end.

McCoy is likely to play the field defensive end position in LSU’s system. He stands at 6-foot-6 and a half and 245 pounds but has demonstrated considerable speed at his size.

Per an On3 scouting report, McCoy “owns plus length for the position with 34.25-inch arms” and “registers as a top athlete, running a 4.89 second 40-yard dash.”

LSU’s Whit Weeks undergoes surgery following Texas Bowl injury

Whit Weeks underwent surgery to repair injury suffered in the Texas Bowl

LSU football star linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] underwent surgery on Thursday to repair a broken fibula, part of an ankle injury sustained during LSU’s bowl game, according to a report from The Advocate.

The report said Weeks didn’t suffer ligament damage and expects to make a full recovery in a few months. He may make it back in time to participate in spring practices.

In the Kinder’s Texas Bowl on Tuesday, Weeks went down late in the second quarter and was carted off the field with an air cast on his right leg. He did not return, and head coach Brian Kelly reported he suffered a dislocated ankle, indicating a pending surgery.

The sophomore led the Tigers and tied for second in the SEC with 125 tackles. Weeks also totaled 10 tackles for loss, three and a half sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception.

Before leaving the field, Weeks was surrounded by teammates, including brother and LSU linebacker [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag]. The two, along with youngest brother Zach, will don the purple and gold next season. Zach Weeks signed with the Tigers as part of the 2025 recruiting class.