Tag: LSU injuries

LSU dealing with several injuries in secondary ahead of season

The Tigers could enter the season with some depth concerns in the defensive backfield.

We’re less than two weeks away from LSU beginning its 2023 campaign against the Florida State Seminoles in Orlando, but the Tigers are currently battling a few injuries in one of the thinner position groups on the field.

LSU currently has several players in the secondary working to get back to full health. The most significant is cornerback [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag], an Ohio State transfer who was expected to compete for a starting job but is currently out indefinitely with a fractured foot.

On3’s Matthew Brune also provided injury reports on two other players. [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag], who’s having a good camp and could win the nickel job, was injured during Saturday’s scrimmage, ending his day.

If Ryan is unavailable for the opener, it’s possible we could see safety [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag] move back to nickel, where he began the 2022 season.

Safety [autotag]Matthew Langlois[/autotag] has missed a lot of camp, which is concerning given his injury history. He was expected to provide some key depth, and his absence for the start of the season would raise even more questions about the group.

That’s not even mentioning the status of [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag], who returned to the field on Saturday after missing a week of practice. It’s still not entirely clear if he’s going to play against the Seminoles.

LSU has luckily managed to stay healthy among starters in the defensive backfield, but it could enter the season with some serious depth concerns.

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LSU cornerback JK Johnson to miss extended time with leg injury

The Ohio State transfer may be set to miss a decent chunk of time this fall.

LSU’s secondary has been missing one of its key pieces in fall camp as [autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag] has been held out with a leg injury.

He was spotted wearing a cast earlier in camp, and while the team worked at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank on Wednesday, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said that Johnson will miss an extended period of time with what he described as a “fracture,” according to LSU Country’s Zack Nagy.

“JK has a fracture,” Kelly said. “That’s got to get set. That looks to be a long-term situation that he’s going to be out.”

If Johnson is unavailable for a decent portion of the year, it would be quite a blow to the secondary. The Ohio State transfer was expected to compete for a starting spot on the outside, and with him out, the Tigers will turn to other transfers in [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag], as well as returning player [autotag]Laterrance Welch[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Javien Toviano[/autotag].

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LSU cornerback JK Johnson spotted in cast at practice on Monday

The Ohio State transfer will seemingly be unavailable for at least the near future.

LSU seems to be dealing with a potentially major issue in the secondary.

[autotag]JK Johnson[/autotag], a transfer addition from Ohio State this offseason, was spotted at Monday’s practice wearing a cast and using a scooter to move around. It’s unclear exactly how long Johnson will be unavailable.

In two seasons with the Buckeyes, Johnson appeared in five games and made five starts, all of which came last season. He finished the season with 20 tackles, and now the St. Louis native is reunited with his high school coach in LSU cornerbacks coach [autotag]Robert Steeples[/autotag].

If Johnson is unable to go by the start of the season, it would certainly impact the team’s depth in the secondary as he was expected to compete for a starting spot on the outside alongside fellow transfers [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag].

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Brian Kelly to increase transparency with reporting injuries in 2023

Brian Kelly will now give Monday and Thursday NFL-style injury reports during game weeks.

When compared to their NFL counterparts, college football teams are often fairly guarded when it comes to injuries. Players’ statuses are treated like state secrets, with their availabilities often not revealed until the hours (or minutes) leading up to a game.

But in 2023, LSU coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] will move to an injury reporting system much more in line with what happens at the professional ranks.

According to On3’s Shea Dixon, Kelly will report injured players’ statuses twice during the week — on Mondays and Thursdays — as well as on Saturdays ahead of the game.

The mid-week reports will list players as probable, questionable, doubtful or out (in line with NFL-style injury reporting) as well as the injury location. Saturday reports will list the player as either available or unavailable.

While it’s arguable that this level of transparency could potentially give an opponent a game-planning advantage, it also provides both fans and media with more information ahead of games without giving too much away ahead of game time.

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Brian Kelly offers update on Maason Smith’s injury recovery

Kelly said Smith will be ready to go for fall camp.

LSU fans are eagerly waiting the return of talented defensive lineman [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag]. The Louisiana native was primed for a breakout year in 2022 before a torn ACL in Week 1 ended his season.

Smith has been a non-contact participant in spring practice, but Kelly said he’ll be full strength when fall rolls around. This lines up with what has been said throughout Smith’s recovery process.

Kelly is excited with what Smith will bring back to the defense.

Kelly discussed LSU’s inside pass rush in 2022, noting it wasn’t always a threat.

The return of Smith will help make for a more complete unit and the Tigers will need it with [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag] headed to the NFL.

Smith isn’t your typical pass rusher from the edge, but he’s a force on the inside and can be just as impactful. Generating pressure from the middle gets to the QB faster and disrupts his eye line, making things easier on the whole defense.

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These 10 LSU football players will be out or limited for spring practice

The Tigers will not have several key players available as they begin spring camp.

Football is back on the bayou — sort of.

The 2023 LSU football team took the field for the first time on Thursday as coach Brian Kelly began spring camp for his second season. This team has some key returners — namely quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], top receiver [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and budding defensive star [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] — but it also has a lot of new faces, both acquired via the transfer portal and in high school recruiting.

Tigers fans will be eager to see a lot of these guys in action over the next six weeks, but not every player will be available. Due to injuries, a number of players will be either non-contact or out entirely for spring ball.

The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander reported the full list ahead of camp. Here’s a rundown of each player the Tigers will be missing.

Coach Matt McMahon provides positive injury update on LSU guard Cam Hayes

McMahon says Hayes’ injury was just a cramp and he should be good to go against Winthrop on Saturday night.

LSU earned a 67-57 win over a solid mid-major program in North Carolina Central on Tuesday night, but the final minutes provided the team with quite a scare.

Starting guard [autotag]Cam Hayes[/autotag] had to exit the game, and he was helped off the court by a pair of trainers with what appears to be a lower-body injury. Coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] provided an update on his status after the game, and it should come as good news for Tigers fans.

“Cam, just a cramp, so expect him to be fine,” McMahon said. “Was concerned there making sure it wasn’t a rolled ankle or anything, but he just got a cramp there chasing down that last layup there, so should be good to go tomorrow as we head into Saturday.”

Hayes, a transfer from North Carolina State, scored 14 points in the Tigers’ win over the Eagles. It was a season-high in points in his first start of the season, which came after a 13-point outing off the bench in the comeback win over Wake Forest.

As LSU prepares to host Winthrop at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, it should have Hayes back in the lineup.

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Update on LSU QB Jayden Daniels’ status heading into bowl season

Daniels will be out of practice for a week or so, but there’s reason to be optimistic that he will return for the bowl game.

As the Tigers prepare for a Citrus Bowl matchup against Big Ten runner-up Purdue on Jan. 2, the biggest question will surround the health of one of the most important players on the roster.

Quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] exited in the second half of LSU’s 50-30 SEC Championship loss to Georgia after aggravating an ankle injury suffered the previous week in the loss to Texas A&M. Daniels would not return, and [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] finished the game with an impressive performance, albeit mostly in garbage time.

On Sunday, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said that Daniels will need a week to 10 days to fully recover before he can return to practice.

“We won’t practice him this Saturday, so he’ll be out this week. Probably take it into the middle of next week before we even start to think about getting him out and around,” Kelly said. “So (we’ll) give him plenty of time so he’s 100% healthy.”

Given the fact that LSU has nearly a month before it takes the field again, that would open the door for Daniels to return to the field by then. With an additional year of eligibility, the junior has the option to return to Baton Rouge in 2023.

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Brian Kelly provides update on Jarrick Bernard-Converse and Josh Williams

Kelly delivered good news on both starters ahead of Saturday’s conference title game.

If the LSU Tigers plan to beat Georgia for the SEC Championship this Saturday, it will start with being as healthy as possible.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] gave an update on two of his most impactful players as LSU has been hard at work getting ready for the Bulldogs. The Tigers have been without one of their best running backs, [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag], and one of their best cornerbacks, [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag], as they have been dealing with injuries the past couple of weeks.

It would be crucial for LSU to get these guys back as they could provide a big confidence boost and morale boost for the team. Kelly updated both of their statuses on Thursday.

“Yeah, I was really pleased with Josh yesterday. I think he looked like himself finally. This is an injury that takes some time because of the way he runs. He’s such a physical runner. He plays so hard. His physical exertion and effort is one where he’s not a guy that’s going to go at less than 100%.

“I think yesterday was really the first time where I felt like, Okay, we’ve got Josh back to where he needs to be, to be confident and effective.”

“Jarrick was cleared through our concussion protocol,” said Kelly. “He is obviously going to play an important role for us, as well.”

That is definitely great news heading into Saturday, as LSU will need to be at full strength to have a hope of pulling off the win in this one.

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LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels will play Saturday vs. Georgia in SEC Championship, Brian Kelly says

Daniels will start for the Tigers despite a nagging ankle injury.

Ahead of LSU’s first trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship since the 2019 season, one of the major questions has surrounded the health of quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag].

Daniels suffered an ankle injury in last week’s loss to Texas A&M and briefly exited. He eventually finished the game, but he was seen in a walking boot on Monday, putting his status for Saturday’s game against the Georgia Bulldogs in question.

LSU fans got some good news on Thursday, as [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] announced at his press conference in Atlanta that Daniels had a good week of practice and will play for the Tigers against No. 1 UGA.

Daniels has been a major part of LSU’s offensive success this season, totaling 26 touchdowns (15 passing and 11 rushing) to just two interceptions. The Tigers have their work cut out for them against the defending national champions, but Daniels being in the mix certainly helps.

With the loss to the Aggies, LSU has no shot at the playoff regardless of the outcome on Saturday, but the Tigers may need a win if they have any hope of reaching a New Year’s Six Bowl game.

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