Tag: Soni Fonua

LSU Morning Rush: Two players to return against Auburn

The top stories of the day including two LSU Tigers return on Saturday.

We start off this edition of the morning rush with some positive news. The LSU Tigers are getting help in two players who are now eligible. Wide receiver Jontre Kirklin and defensive end Soni Fonua.

Fonua comes back at a good time after losing Andre Anthony to a knee injury. Fonua appeared in four games last season with seven tackles and 0.5 TFL. Coach Ed Orgeron was ecstatic about the additions to his 2021 team.

“We’re very happy,” Orgeron said. “I’m very complimentary of both of those young men. They practiced hard the last four weeks, and they’re eligible. They’re ready to play. I’m excited about that.”

Kirklin joins a wide receiver group that has been very productive. In his Tigers career, the senior wideout has caught 16 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Both players have been practicing over the last four weeks in preparation for the 2021 season debuts. Both will be welcome additions on Saturday night when LSU hosts Auburn.

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The conference announces SEC-Big 12 Challenge TV Schedule

For this year’s challenge, the LSU Tigers men’s basketball team will head to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on TCU. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. CDT and will be aired on ESPN2. The challenge is set for Jan. 29, 2022.

Last year Will Wade’s team finished 19-10 overall and 11-2 at home. This will be his fifth season in Baton Rouge after coming to the Tigers from VCU where he served as head coach from 2015-17.

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LSU football protests through campus following Jacob Blake shooting

Several players gathered outside of Tiger Stadium on Friday afternoon to help raise awareness.

Members of the LSU football team led a march through campus Friday — one of just many demonstrations across the country after the Jacob Blake shooting.

Several players gathered outside of Tiger Stadium on Friday afternoon to help raise awareness.

The players walked from the stadium over to the university president’s office, where they were met by Interim President Tom Galligan.

Galligan took to Twitter with in support of the student-athletes.

“We support you, we stand with you against racism and inequality, and we know actions will always speak louder than words,” he wrote.

The meeting with LSU officials and head coach Ed Orgeron lasted roughly an hour.

To players like linebacker Soni Fonua, some things are simply more important than football practice.

“We said (forget) practice today,” he said in an Instagram video. Fonua filmed as the players walked through campus. He held his right fist in the air. “That (stuff) is not important today.”

Other teams, including Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Kentucky, Boston College, South Florida and Oklahoma also organized marches and canceled practices over the last two days.

LSU football player on COVID face shield: ‘I can’t (expletive) breath under this thing’

The implementation of this helmet could be enormous for NCAA.

The LSU Tigers introduced a face-shield helmet for their players, and a few athletes didn’t not provide a stamp of approval.

The helmet, which essentially doubles as a mask, should help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus during the pandemic. The design is an effort toward promoting the safety of these student-athletes. LSU linebacker Soni Fonua brought fans inside the team’s locker room after they received their new helmets.

“I can’t [expletive] breathe under this thing,” he said.

“It’s like breathing in a Ziploc bag,” offensive lineman Austin Deculus said in response.

Here’s at what LSU’s equipment account posted on the “splash shields.”

And here’s a look at how the players responded. Warning: the players use explicit language when talking about the helmet.

Hopefully, the athletes will grow accustom to wearing the new design (so long as it’s not faulty) — much like the rest of America is adjusting to wearing masks. The implementation of this helmet could be enormous for NCAA Football.

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