Tag: LSU

Shaquille O’Neal said Angel Reese is ‘like a daughter’ to him as he attended his first Sky game this season

This is so cool to hear from Shaq about his relationship with Angel Reese.

Chicago Sky rookie forward Angel Reese is one of the WNBA’s brightest stars, and she had a major supporter in the Chicago crowd during Friday night’s game against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has a close relationship with Reese going back to the latter’s days at LSU where he became one of her mentors, and the Los Angeles Lakers alumnus spoke glowingly about Reese as he attended her first WNBA game.

“[Angel is] like a daughter to me,” O’Neal shared, via the WNBA’s Twitter (X) account.

It’s so cool to see two basketball greats strike up such an impactful mentor-mentee relationship as Shaq and Reese have, as their LSU connection seems to have developed into something much more profound and special.

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Saints pick LSU star left tackle Will Campbell in 2025 mock draft

Will Campbell could be too talented for the Saints to ignore. LSU’s star left tackle stayed in-state with this 2025 mock draft:

Will Campbell could be too talented for the New Orleans Saints to ignore. LSU’s star left tackle stayed in-state with this 2025 mock draft from ESPN’s Field Yates, who has the Saints picking Campbell at No. 10 overall next year. Here’s why this would be a home-run hit:

If the Saints are picking 10th, I get that the quarterback position will probably be under the microscope. However, while New Orleans doesn’t come across many salary cap predicaments that it can’t work out of, releasing Derek Carr would incur nearly $50 million in dead money. So I’d watch for the Saints to instead address the O-line, staying local by nabbing Campbell, a native of Monroe, Louisiana.

Campbell became a Day 1 starter at LSU at left tackle and may well end up on the left side in the NFL, but this pick would allow the Saints optionality. (Taliese Fuaga, their 2024 first-round pick, has moved from right tackle to left tackle already.) Campbell has great length and quick feet, but he must improve his power and finishing ability.

The draft order was determined by ESPN’s Football Power Index, which is currently down on the Saints. If they’re bad enough to be picking at tenth overall there needs to be serious conversations about whether or not they’re best served with Derek Carr sticking around at quarterback, and with Dennis Allen at head coach.

Still, the opportunity to land a prospect like Campbell could be just what this team needs to get right. He’s a surefire top-ten pick who probably won’t make it out of the first five selections next April. Campbell immediately won a starting job at left tackle and was the top-rated high school player in Louisiana. He’d bring real credibility to what’s arguably the Saints’ weakest unit. Campbell hasn’t allowed a sack in 15 straight starts, largely competing against future NFL players in the SEC.

And as Yates observed, adding Campbell would free up Taliese Fuaga to move somewhere else, either to his college position at right tackle or inside to left guard, where the Saints have expressed optimism about his hypothetical fit. If there’s any hope of Trevor Penning holding it down at right tackle, that would give the Saints the ability to truly field their five best blockers.

But those are problems for next year. Penning needs to actually win his starting job before he can worry about holding onto it. Campbell would be a huge addition for the Saints up front. Until it’s a possibility, though, it’s closer to the stuff of daydreams.

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One College Football Playoff projection has game Notre Dame fans want

How would you like the chance to beat Brian Kelly in the postseason?

For nearly three years, there is one matchup Notre Dame fans have been clamoring for. They felt jilted the moment Brian Kelly abruptly left for LSU, and they want the Irish to prove to him that he was wrong to ditch them. One College Football Playoff projection would provide that opportunity.

The Athletic released its early playoff projection, and it has the Irish as the eighth seed, hosting the Tigers at Notre Dame Stadium. If this happened, Irish fans would be out for blood and would make life absolutely miserable for Kelly and his team. Combined with the cold temperatures, the result could be as intense an atmosphere as there’s ever been in South Bend.

Obviously, there’s a long way to go before this can become reality. For now, the mere thought of the Irish sticking it to Kelly is enough to get fans excited. Let’s see it come to pass.

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Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Four-star DB in 2025 class flips from Texas to LSU

The Texas Longhorns’ 2025 recruiting class suffered a blow when defensive back Kade Phillips flipped from Texas to LSU

On Sunday, the Texas Longhorns’ 2025 recruiting class suffered a blow when defensive back Kade Phillips flipped from Texas to LSU. He had been committed to Texas since July and is ranked as the No.7 cornerback in the 2025 class, according to On3.

While the Longhorns made their belief in Phillips well known, LSU’s persistence paid off. When speaking with On3 about the Tigers’ interest, Phillips said, “It was a little while once I committed to Texas, with them still texting and calling me almost every day. The coaching staff was locked in with me even after I committed.”

As the Longhorns look to fill the void left by Phillips, they do have a few options. Cornerback Aiden Anding and Jonah Williams, a five-star linebacker recruited by Texas as a safety, set their commitment dates for August 24. If Texas is able to land either of them, its defense in 2025 will get a massive upgrade.

With Phillips out of the mix, the Longhorns 2025 class has dropped from the No. 12 recruiting class in the nation to No. 13. Clemson jumped up one spot. However, there is plenty of time to add more talent, which will be a focus over the next few weeks.

Although Phillips’s decision is disappointing for Texas, he should thrive at LSU and improve a secondary in need of help.

Mike Denbrock is college football’s second-best offensive coordinator

No pressure, Mike.

As dominant as Notre Dame’s defense is expected to be in 2024, the offense has almost equally high expectations. Much of that has to do with the return of [autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag] as offensive coordinator after seven years of holding the same position at Cincinnati and then LSU. But the pressure he faces might have just gotten greater.

Big Game Boomer, social media’s college football list aficionado, has released his list of the sport’s 50 best offensive coordinators for the upcoming season. Denbrock was extremely high on the list. In fact, he was ranked second:

So now, there’s really no excuse for the Irish not to have the best offense they’ve had under [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag]. If this group doesn’t make significant strides this season, a lot of questions will surface about how the Irish go after offensive talent both on the recruiting and coaching side. We’ll see how well everybody responds to these expectations.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Trojans Wire visits LSU YouTube show to discuss USC game in Week 1

We visited Power Hour LSU to talk USC-LSU in Vegas.

Power Hour LSU, the superb LSU YouTube show hosted by Carter Bryant, generously invited us on to discuss the various aspects of USC-LSU in Week 1. Offense, defense, coaching, key matchups, major storylines — we covered the main angles attached to this huge season opener in Las Vegas.

There is a general point of agreement among USC and LSU football analysts, magnified by this conversation at Power Hour LSU, that line play is where the game will be decided. LSU has an elite offensive line which, it hopes, will make it very easy for the Tigers to pick apart USC’s defense. USC’s offensive line needs to show it is for real. If it does play well, USC’s passing game should be able to function at a high level. Miller Moss should be able to carve up a question-mark-filled LSU secondary which was not good last season and is already facing some roster limitations this summer, heading into Week 1.

Catch our full discussion with Carter Bryant and Power Hour LSU here, with our conversation starting roughly 20 minutes into the broadcast:

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LSU YouTube host examines Lincoln Riley’s comments at Big Ten media days

Lincoln Riley’s view of the USC-LSU game remains a point of contention.

Lincoln Riley made news at Big Ten media days when he talked about USC’s view of the LSU game, and how much of an effort was made to actually back out of the game. We have the audio and video below in a tweet, but before you watch the clip (if you haven’t seen it already), let’s get the obvious point out of the way: You can imagine that LSU fans would have a field day with this. More specifically, you can imagine that LSU folks would be skeptical of what Lincoln Riley did say. Riley’s words just don’t resonate or sound convincing to people outside USC. That’s what happens when a coach comes off a five-loss season with Caleb Williams as his starting quarterback.

The “feeding frenzy” feel to USC football is real. There is a sense that there’s blood in the water. It’s up to the Trojans to significantly change the conversation, and the LSU game is their first huge chance to do something about that. Here’s the clip below of Riley commenting on the LSU game:

LSU YouTube host Carter Bryant of Power Hour LSU had a few things to say about Riley’s comments in the opening segment of his latest YouTube show:

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Trojans Wire discusses latest points of intrigue for USC-LSU football game

We cover the latest news affecting the LSU-USC game in Week 1.

If you have not been paying really close attention to the LSU football team six weeks before the big game against the USC Trojans, we talked about an important news story on our Monday night YouTube show at The Voice of College Football.

We picked up LSU Tigers Wire’s story on the suspension of LSU cornerback Javien Toviano, which mentioned this detail:

Toviano is entering his sophomore season, and the former four-star recruit from Arlington, Texas, appeared in 13 games with three starts as a true freshman in 2023. He was expected to compete for a potential starting spot this season, as well.

We discussed just how much this suspension might affect LSU’s secondary rotation, the quality of the LSU secondary in Week 1, and how the USC passing game with Lincoln Riley and Miller Moss can potentially exploit LSU’s notable weakness in the defensive backfield.

The discussion about Javien Toviano and the LSU secondary begins near the 47-minute mark of our show at The Voice of College Football:

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LSU matchup versus USC creates new plot twist six weeks before kickoff

LSU’s roster decisions in its secondary just got tougher.

The news over the weekend that LSU has suspended cornerback Javien Toviano for off-field behavior is an important development relative to USC. The Trojans face LSU in Week 1 of the 2024 college football season. The stakes are high, and the details of the matchup are evolving now that LSU has had to suspend a player who was competing for a starting spot at corner.

LSU had a bad secondary last season. Toviano played in 13 games but started only three. The extent to which Toviano was a problem on the field for a struggling unit is not easy to pin down. Was he going to be a highly improved piece of a generally flawed unit, or was he part of the problem last season? That’s part of the mystery attached to his story.

LSU has some talented, promising freshmen in its secondary. LSU Tigers Wire has explored the topic of whether Brian Kelly will be able to play these freshmen early in the season. They might not be physically developed enough or scheme-ready in September to be starters. With Toviano out, Kelly might have to go to a freshman by necessity, not choice. We’re not sure if that’s the case, but if we presume that Toviano won’t be able to play against USC, LSU will face a difficult decision one way or the other: Play a veteran who performed poorly last season, or play a freshman who might have more upside but might not be entirely prepared to face USC’s receivers in Week 1.

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