Handing out 2021 awards for the LSU Tigers

Who were the standouts for the LSU Tigers in 2021?

The 2021 regular season is fully behind the LSU Tigers. They know who the new head coach will be with Brian Kelly and some of the names on the new staff. Before moving forward completely, we look back on the season that was in 2021.

It wasn’t a memorable season given the fact that the team won as many as they lost. Following the Kentucky Wildcats loss, the administration made the decision to move on from Ed Orgeron just 19 months after winning a national championship.

This team was hit with injury after injury, and a mass exodus in the transfer portal by the end of the season. Ending on a positive note before we move on to the recruiting class and next season, we hand out some team awards.

Tiger duo named to the SEC All-Freshman team

Malik Nabers and Maason Smith had big freshman seasons for the LSU Tigers when called upon.

[mm-video type=video id=01fpgzk8j34t1bb9v5cz playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fpgzk8j34t1bb9v5cz/01fpgzk8j34t1bb9v5cz-a9a18d4c5f27cadf4ba34010ec02b815.jpg]

On Thursday, the Freshman All-SEC team was announced, LSU defensive end Maason Smith and wider receiver Malik Nabers were both named to the team. The league coaches vote on the Freshman All-SEC team.

A five-star recruit coming out of Terrebonne High School, Smith made a significant impact at LSU in his freshman season. Smith started the season as a defensive tackle and then was moved to defensive end. Smith finished the season with 19 tackles, five tackles for a loss, and four sacks. Three of those four sacks came in a game against McNeese State. Smith was having a great season before he got injured and missed the season’s final four games.

Nabers, a four-star recruit, played his high school ball at Southside; he started six out of the ten games he played. Nabers caught four passes for 143 yards and a touchdown against ULM; he had six receptions, his career-best so far in his young career the following week. The Freshman receiver finished the season with 26 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns.

New Head coach Brian Kelly will have some young talent to work with Smith and Nabers on the roster. With two young players like that, LSU’s future could be bright. It’s up to Smith and Nabers to continue to develop so they can be the best players they can be.

Sage Ryan and Maason Smith out for the Texas A&M game

More bad news for the LSU Tigers

An already depleted roster is going to be tested on Saturday night.

On his final radio show, head coach Ed Orgeron stated that standout freshmen Sage Ryan and Maason Smith are out for the season finale. That surely puts a damper on things as the Tigers have a tall task in the final regular-season game of the year and in Orgeron’s tenure. We will soon find out if it is the final game that he will coach for LSU.

The Tigers have been hit time and time again with injuries at both defensive line and cornerback. Andre Anthony and Ali Gaye both suffered season-ending injuries at defensive end which caused Orgeron to move Maason Smith to defensive end. All three will miss the game against the Aggies and put even more pressure on BJ Ojulari and Soni Fonua to perform.

Ryan is another injury for the secondary that lost Derek Stingley Jr and Eli Ricks, with the latter recently entering the transfer portal. Cordale Flott has also been in and out of the lineup due to injuries, now the nickel cornerback Ryan is out. Going to need the next man up to fill the void.

Brian Thomas Jr and Neil Farrell Jr were both missing from the open portion of practice, their status remains up in the air.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PatrickConnCFB

Jack Bech and Maason Smith earn recognition as midseason freshman All-Americans

Despite the number of injuries, LSU has two young studs in the making.

We are currently at the midway point of the college football season with five games remaining for LSU. Due to a plethora of injuries on the team, younger players are getting more opportunities to shine. Specifically, two of the top freshman signed in the 2021 class for the Tigers.

The Athletic released their midseason freshman All-American team (subscription required) with two LSU players getting the nod. Starting on the offensive side, we have an “all-purpose” pick with wide receiver-tight end hybrid Jack Bech.

What The Athletic Says…

(AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

This is more of a multi-purpose pick than an all-purpose pick, but Bech is deserving of recognition. The four-star true freshman from Lafayette has been used as both a wide receiver and an in-line tight end, and he is currently the Tigers’ second-leading receiver (24 catches, 292 yards, one TD) behind Kayshon Boutte, who’s now out for the season. Bech and LSU’s talented freshman receiver group are going to keep making noise this year.

Bech is one of the emerging players on offense this season even before the injury to Boutte. However, moving forward they are going to need him to be among the players who raise their game in the final five weeks of the season. He has been a matchup problem for defenders as he is too big for cornerbacks to deal with and too quick for linebackers in coverage.

What about five-star defensive tackle Maason Smith?

LSU currently leads the nation in sacks and yards lost

When it comes to getting to the quarterback, LSU is among the best in the country.

The LSU Tigers had one area they needed to improve upon after last season. Their defense ranked 39th in the nation with 24 sacks a season ago. Bo Pelini exits and in comes Daronte Jones, the defense has already seen a bump in production when rushing the passer. The team went from 2.4 sacks per game to 5.7 this season through three games.

Their 17 sacks are tied with Marshall for the top spot in the nation. They are the top team in terms of yards lost on sacks with 118. At the top of the individual leaderboard, edge defender BJ Ojulari has 4.5 sacks. Tied with three others but he leads with 35 yards lost on sacks.

For his efforts against the Central Michigan Chippewas, Ojulari was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week.

Pass Rusher Sacks TFLs Pressures QB Hits
Ojulari 4.5 4.5 9 2
Anthony 3.5 4.0 7 0
Smith 3.0 3.5 10 0
Gaye 1.0 1.0 2 0

Maason Smith has really come on strong in the early going and the team is going to rely on him off the edge. After losing Andre Anthony for the season due to a knee injury, it is going to be all hands on deck for this one. Ali Gaye is expected back against Mississippi State, so his return will be huge.

Head coach Ed Orgeron stated they will use a three-man rotation at defensive end with Gaye, Smith, and Ojulari. The trio will get their opportunities as the Bulldogs have allowed a total of 34 pressures through three games. Will Rogers has been sacked six times this season, on average twice a game.

Mississippi State’s offensive line will be tested as they are tasked with slowing down the No. 1 pass rush in the country.

LSU edge defender Andre Anthony done for the season

Per Ed Orgeron, Andre Anthony is done for the season.

During the game against Central Michigan, the LSU Tigers lost one of their top defenders in Andre Anthony. During his weekly press conference, coach Ed Orgeron stated that Anthony is done for the season. It is a devastating blow to the defensive front.

The Tigers will use a three-man rotation of Ali Gaye, BJ Ojulari, and Maason Smith that moved outside due to need. The sixth-year senior will be severely missed upfront. Ojulari will continue to be relied on playing opposite of Gaye for the most part with Smith getting worked in.

Ojulari was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week on Monday.

Ojulari is tied with two other defenders for the most sacks in the nation. The move for Maason Smith will be an interesting one, he primarily played on the interior but moved outside and did well against Central Michigan. Orgeron stated that Smith has a chance to be dominant playing on the outside.

This group will be challenged to get to Will Rogers on Saturday when the team travels to Starkville.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PatrickConnCFB

LSU Report Card: Which Tigers graded well, which ones didn’t per PFF

Who were the top-graded players for the LSU Tigers and who didn’t grade well in the 34-7 win over McNeese per Pro Football Focus.

As we wrap up the win over McNeese on Saturday, we take one final look back at the win for the LSU Tigers.

Top Offensive Grades

As far as their Pro Football Focus grades for this game, on offense nothing was spectacular. The team won 34-7 but early on the offense struggled to move the ball consistently against the FCS foe. Only four players on offense were graded in the 70+ range with Jack Bech coming in close to that. The breakdown of the top five players on offense

Player Game Grade Season Grade
Ed Ingram, OG 74.9 66.3
Liam Shanahan, C 73.2 73.1
Max Johnson, QB 72.5 59.3
Deion Smith, WR 71.1 71.1
Jack Bech, TE/WR 69.5 65.6

Bottom Offensive Grades

Player Game Grade Season Grade
Brian Thomas Jr, WR 38.6 49.6
Jaray Jenkins, WR 44.7 49.4
Charles Turner, OT 50.1 52.6
Koy Moore, WR 53.3 61.6
Alex Adams, WR 54.7 54.7

No surprises with Brian Thomas Jr and Jaray Jenkins posting the two bottom grades from this one. Both players dropped a pair of passes each. While the offense was able to score 34, it could have been more if receivers weren’t dropping passes. Something that needs to be fixed ahead of SEC play in a couple of weeks.

The Tigers’ offense needs help in the receiving game from someone other than Trey Palmer and Kayshon Boutte. Who will emerge as a legit No. 3 receiving option for Max Johnson?

Next, a look at the defense

The good, bad, and the ugly from LSU’s win over McNeese

It wasn’t all sunshine and daffodils for the LSU Tigers on Saturday night in the 27-point victory.

The LSU Tigers responded in the way you would hope coming off the loss to UCLA, by getting the win in their home opener. Head coach Ed Orgeron is 15-1 coming off a loss with the lone loss coming last year against Alabama after losing to Texas A&M the week prior. The Tigers defeated McNeese 34-7 but the win felt more like a loss.

When it comes to playing an FCS team, you either dominate the game or expect a lot of questions to follow. This game served as the first opportunity to address the warts that showed against UCLA. The team couldn’t protect the quarterback or run the ball effectively. They couldn’t stop the big plays down the field or in the running game. Some of those issues were corrected, while others need a magnifying glass as we look under the hood of this team.

Since LSU won their game, we will start with the good from the 27-point win over the Cowboys from nearby Lake Charles, Lousiana.

Pair of Tigers among top newcomers to make impact in 2021

Two newcomers for the LSU Tigers are among the top impact players in college football for 2021.

[mm-video type=video id=01fcvex5cchxftay2qyx playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fcvex5cchxftay2qyx/01fcvex5cchxftay2qyx-645e71e28e398c9c6980225404900b97.jpg]

Last season the LSU Tigers defense was abysmal, so much so that Ed Orgeron saw enough after one season with Bo Pelini running the show. The head coach decided to go a different route and relieved the former Nebraska head coach of his duties. Daronte Jones comes to Baton Rouge to try and fix what was broken.

Jones will have some elite cornerbacks at his disposal while trying to find playmakers at the other positions. The help could come from a pair of LSU newcomers. One of the bigger additions comes from Clemson in Mike Jones Jr at linebacker. A versatile athlete at linebacker as the team tries to replace the production of Jabril Cox, who is now with the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL.

Jones was among the top 50 impactful newcomers from ESPN (subscription required).

No. 16: Mike Jones Jr, Linebacker

Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

Jones started seven games at linebacker last season for Clemson and had 30 total tackles, one sack, 2.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions. LSU’s defense could use some experience and the type of ability that Jones possesses at linebacker, and he should be a starter from day one.

[lawrence-related id=20002]

No. 35: Maason Smith, Defensive Tackle

As an early enrollee, Smith has a good chance of playing right away along the defensive line for LSU. The coaching staff is excited about his potential and how he could contribute early on.

Two former LSU Tigers were also among the top 15 with Arik Gilbert at No. 2 and Siaki Ika at No. 17. Gilbert transferred to Georgia while Ika is back with Dave Aranda at Baylor.

Jones comes in to play the strongside linebacker spot in the Daronte Jones defense. He can be a weapon in terms of coverage and tackling in space. Smith looks to break into the rotation at defensive tackle for the LSU interior. The No. 1 recruit for the 2021 LSU class is ready to make his impact felt.

[listicle id=20806]

Analyst names three LSU freshmen who could make an impact

These three players could make a name for themselves in their first season at LSU.

LSU football season is still months away, but there’s a sense of optimism and excitement surrounding this year’s group as the team looks to bounce back from a 5-5 season last year.

Of course, returning players are something taken into account when ranking teams and predicting how they could finish ahead of the season.

But there’s also a lot of intrigue surrounding freshmen, and there are a handful of new faces on the LSU roster who could quickly make themselves known in Baton Rouge.

When Chris Hummer of 247Sports released his list of 100 true freshmen who could impact the 2021 college football season, there was a trio of Tigers on it.

[lawrence-related id=17837]

Defensive tackle Maason Smith was among the LSU players to make the list. Here’s a look at what Hummer had to say about the outlook on Smith and what he’s already shown.

“Smith is already making waves in Baton Rouge as an early enrollee with strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt comparing him to a “more flexible” Michael Brockers. LSU will take that. Smith enters LSU with a college-ready body and some polish to his technique already. The Tigers return both of their interior starters off last year’s team as seniors Neil Farrell and Glen Logan opted to come back. That limits Smith’s opportunity to start right away. Yet I’m confident that Smith will, at worst, work his way into the rotation. At best, he’s an interior upgrade following a season in which Farrell and Logan combined for just two tackles for loss.”

Defensive back Sage Ryan was also named in the Top 100. He’ll be one to watch as LSU looks to return to “DBU” status in 2021. There’s still a lot that’s unknown about where exactly he’ll fall on the depth chart, though.

Even with Jay Ward sliding over from cornerback to safety and the addition of transfer Major Burns from Georgia, the Tigers need some help in the secondary. Ryan is capable of providing that right away, be it at nickel, safety or cornerback. Without Ryan being on campus, it’s difficult to know where exactly Ryan will fit on the Tigers’ depth chart. No matter what happens, though, he’s going to be a big part of the LSU defense as a true freshman just like Derek Stingley and Eli Ricks have been the last two years.

[lawrence-related id=17827]

Wide receiver Deion Smith could also make some noise in the upcoming season.

It didn’t get as much attention as Alabama and Ohio State’s wide receiver hauls, but LSU quietly signed three of the top 13 receivers nationally as part of a five-player group. Given the team’s need at receiver outside of Kayshon Boutte, it’s a pretty good bet at least a few members of that class will play in 2021. Smith, the only early enrollee of the group, has the best chance. The No. 1 player in the state of Mississippi was injured part of this spring but showed some flashes of brilliance upon his return. Given his natural playmaking ability and size at 6-foot-3, 203 pounds, Smith would be a different sort of target who could complement Boutte and Jontre Kirklin as starters.

It will be interesting to see how these players can make a difference for LSU on the field this year when the Tigers kick off the season against UCLA on Sept. 4 and how their careers will play out in the long term in the coming seasons.

[listicle id=17540]