BREAKING: Pair of key defensive starters out for LSU against Mississippi State

The Tigers are missing two major contributors on defense for Saturday’s SEC opener.

LSU’s defense will be without two of its most impactful players on Saturday when the Tigers face a new-look Mississippi State offense.

Linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag], who was listed as doubtful on Thursday but still traveled with the team, didn’t dress and won’t play Saturday. Starting nickel [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag] also won’t play against the Bulldogs for undisclosed reasons.

Mason Taylor reportedly went through warmups and remains a game-time decision.

These are two very tough losses for the Tigers. Both are very experienced players and major contributors on the defensive side of the ball. With Speights out, you’re likely to see a heavy dose of [autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag], Whit Weeks and [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag].

Without Brooks, [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag] is likely to get the start at nickel.

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LSU dealing with injuries to pair of key players ahead of SEC opener at Mississippi State

LSU could be without starters Mason Taylor and Omar Speights on Saturday morning.

LSU is looking to earn a big SEC West road win on Saturday against Mississippi State, but it may be undermanned heading into that game.

Two Tigers starters are dealing with injuries leading up to the game and may not be able to play, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said Thursday night.

Tight end [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], who exited Saturday’s win over Grambling with an ankle sprain, is considered day-to-day. Linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag], an accomplished transfer from Oregon State, will travel with the team to Starkville but is doubtful to play less than 48 hours before kick, according to Kelly.

Assuming Speights doesn’t play, LSU will turn to [autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag], [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag] and [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] to shore up the inside linebacker group. Kelly said that [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], who began the year playing off the ball but moved back to the edge last week, will remain on the outside.

Taylor, meanwhile, is the only returning player in LSU’s tight end room. He’s a major part of the offense, and without him, the Tigers would have to turn to a largely unproven group that includes JUCO transfer [autotag]Connor Gilbreath[/autotag] and true freshmen [autotag]Mac Markway[/autotag], [autotag]Jackson McGohan[/autotag] and [autotag]Ka’Morreun Pimpton[/autotag].

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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 40 Whit Weeks

The younger brother of West Weeks, Whit Weeks impressed as an early enrollee this spring.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

We’re looking at one of the more exciting true freshmen on the roster in [autotag]Whit Week[/autotag]s, who joins his brother [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag], a transfer addition last offseason from Virginia, in the linebacker corps.

Whit Weeks Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Watkinsville, Georgia

Ht: 6-3

Wt: 222

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four Stars | No. 12 in Georgia | No. 12 Linebacker

Class in 2022: High School

Career Stats

DNP

Depth Chart Overview

Sitting just outside the top 150 nationally as a high school prospect, Weeks played all over the field at Oconee County High School in Georgia. He was recruited as a linebacker but also saw action as a running back, receiver and kick returner.

Weeks early enrolled this spring and impressed during the spring game, taking an interception from fellow true freshman [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] 55 yards to the house.

Earning a starting spot seems unlikely this fall, but Weeks should play a part in the linebacker rotation along with his brother this fall.

Whit Weeks’ Photo Gallery

2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 33 West Weeks

West Weeks saw a rotational role while playing in all 14 games as a transfer from Virginia last fall.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

We’re looking at another member of the linebacker corps in [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag], a junior who transferred in from Virginia last season. Weeks saw a rotational role last fall while appearing in all 14 games, and the LSU legacy will push for more playing time alongside his younger brother, true freshman linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag].

West Weeks Preseason Player Profile

2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 30 Greg Penn III

After coming on at the end of his true freshman season, Greg Penn III started all 14 games last season.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

This is a defense that has been largely remade over the last two seasons, but we’re looking at a returning starter who has been around for both. [autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag] came on at the end of his true freshman season in 2021, and he became a full-time starter last season.

Greg Penn III Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

Ht: 6-2

Wt: 235

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four Stars | No. 10 in Maryland | No. 23 Linebacker

Class in 2022: Sophomore

Career Stats

Year G Total Solo TFL Sacks FF PD INT
2021 10 11 5 0 0 0 0 0
2022 14 78 42 6 0 0 3 0

Depth Chart Overview

Penn certainly arrived at LSU as a true freshman with some expectations as a top-250 recruit, but he wasn’t expected to see the field a ton in his first season on the bayou.

In fact, he played in 10 games, though he was mostly a rotational player in all but one of them. He got the start for LSU’s loss to Kansas State in the Texas Bowl, where he notched seven of his 11 total tackles for the season.

His real breakout came as a sophomore in 2022, when he started all 14 games and finished second on the team in tackles. He has a chance to retain that starting job this fall, but it will likely depend on a few factors.

The Tigers added an All-Pac-12 inside linebacker in [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag], and depending on how much work [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] sees inside, Penn could see more of a rotational role alongside players like brothers [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag] and [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag].

This will certainly be a position battle worth watching in fall camp.

Greg Penn III’s Photo Gallery

11 LSU players to study abroad in Senegal next week

The selected players will head to Dakar, Senegal, for an eight-day trip.

Eleven LSU players will have the opportunity to study abroad next week.

The players will be heading to Dakar, Senegal, for an eight-day trip that begins on Saturday. The players will return on May 21. It’s the first time that Tigers football players have participated in the study abroad program.

The 11 football players selected to make the trip are running back [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag], receiver [autotag]Chris Hilton[/autotag], offensive tackle [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag], receiver [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag], running back [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag], defensive tackle [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Bo Bordelon[/autotag], receiver [autotag]Javen Nicholas[/autotag], defensive lineman [autotag]Fitzgerald West[/autotag] and long snapper [autotag]Slade Roy[/autotag].

“One of the things that I have tried to do since coming to LSU is to not only set the standards and the process of building a program that graduates champions, but to help our players establish an identity outside of football,” coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said in a release. “To get the opportunity to study abroad is an experience that student-athletes really don’t get the chance to do so for our players to be able to participate in this unique educational program is something that I think will have a lifelong impact on them.

“I want our players to have the opportunity to see things from a different perspective and to really take ownership in their studies and to understand that there’s much more out there than just being a football player. The opportunities of being an LSU football player go far beyond the field so I want to use the study abroad program to help them understand that. This is one of those pieces that we can continue to build on as we work with their identity outside of football and they are excited about it.”

LSU offered a description of the program:

The robust itinerary for this study abroad experience will purposely explore the course themes of race, sports, and civic engagement in a Senegalese context. Student-athletes will have the opportunity to learn Senegal’s Wolof language, engage in a service-learning opportunity with an international NGO, and meet local Senegalese families, among other highly immersive events. The program holistically introduces LSU student-athletes to Senegal’s rich culture and its strong ties to Louisiana.

It’s a neat opportunity for these LSU players, and with spring practice in the books, they will take advantage of some of their precious little down time to have what should be the experience of a lifetime.

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Instant analysis from LSU’s 2023 spring game

You can only learn so much from spring, but the Tigers checked the main boxes in Saturday’s exhibition.

We got our first look at the 2023 LSU team on Saturday as the team took the field at Tiger Stadium for a scrimmage after going through warmups and some situational drills.

With the offense pitted against the defense, the game finished in a 32-32 tie, but quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] impressed leading the first-team offense, completing 10 of 11 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns.

He started the game on a high note, finding [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] for a 70-yard touchdown after Lacy made a fantastic one-handed catch on the first play from scrimmage. Daniels also found true freshman running back Trey Holly, who also led all running backs with 26 yards, on a touchdown pass out of the backfield.

While Daniels and the starters looked good, [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] did a fine job working with the second team unit. He completed five of eight passes for 139 yards, and he had two touchdowns of his own.

One went to [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] — who finished second behind Lacy in receiving with 66 yards on three catches — on an in route in the end zone. He also found [autotag]Landon Ibieta[/autotag] on a nice catch-and-run play.

Defensively, several newcomers were impressive. Oregon transfer [autotag]Bradyn Swinson[/autotag] had a sack as did early enrollee true freshman [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag]. True freshman linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag], younger brother of [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag], took an interception off true freshman quarterback [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] to the house.

Collins struggled in his first action, completing just three of seven passes for 25 yards and no touchdowns. He did show off his mobility, however. He wasn’t wearing a non-contact jersey and went for 19 yards on five carries.

Only so much can be learned from a spring game, but the Tigers looked as solid as you would hope entering Brian Kelly’s second season. Stay tuned to LSU Wire for more content from the Tigers’ spring game.

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WATCH: True freshman Whit Weeks takes interception to the house in LSU’s spring game

It was true freshman vs. true freshman violence as Rickie Collins tossed a pick-six to Weeks.

There was some true freshman vs. true freshman violence late in the first quarter of LSU’s spring game on Saturday.

With Baton Rouge native [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] — a mobile passer who was not wearing a red non-contact jersey — under center, [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] made a play on a questionably thrown ball.

After bobbling it momentarily, he secured the interception. Forty yards later, Weeks reached paydirt as he gave the defense a 14-7 lead.

The four-star early enrollee from Watkinsville, Georgia, is the younger brother of his teammate and fellow linebacker [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag], who joined as a transfer from Virginia last season.

Whit finds himself a bit buried on the depth chart in the linebacker group, but with plays like this, he could see some early playing time this fall.

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Tigers land massive commitment from top transfer portal linebacker

With the addition of Omar Speights, LSU has the No. 1 transfer class in the country.

LSU’s transfer portal haul this spring just keeps getting better.

On Thursday, the Tigers picked up a monumental commitment through the portal from former Oregon State linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag]. A First Team All-Pac-12 selection in 2022, Speights led the Beavers with 83 tackles.

He finishes his career in Corvallis with 308 tackles (25 for loss), five sacks, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries. The Philadelphia native has been a full-time starter for the last three seasons.

This was a massive pickup for LSU, which currently has just four scholarship linebackers on the roster: [autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag], [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag] and early-enrollee [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag]. True freshman [autotag]Christian Brathwaite[/autotag] also joins the team this summer.

With Speights’ addition, LSU has the No. 1 transfer class in the country this offseason.

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Instant Analysis: Tigers shut out New Mexico for third-straight win

The Tigers outgained the Lobos 633-88 in a 38-0 blanking.

LSU delivered another impressive performance in its last tuneup before it enters the meat of its SEC schedule in Week 4. The Tigers blanked the New Mexico Lobos in a 38-0 win as they move to 3-1 on the season.

Coach Brian Kelly’s team has now won three-straight games since dropping its season opener against FSU in New Orleans.

It was about as dominant a performance as you’ll see at this level of football. Though the final tally on the scoreboard wasn’t anything spectacular, LSU outgained the Lobos by a stunning 633-88 margin, entirely controlling the game on both sides of the ball.

The offense looked sharp once again, and it was another efficient performance from quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], who completed 24 of 29 passes for 278 yards. He didn’t find the end zone through the air or on the ground, but he is still yet to throw an interception this season.

Early in the third quarter, Daniels exited the game and entered the medical tent with an apparent injury. He left the tent and grabbed a helmet, seemingly being cleared to return, but the game was already out of hand and the coaches would hold him out as a precaution.

In his place, Garrett Nussmeier looked much better than he did in his previous action against Southern in Week 2. He completed 9 of 10 passes for 135 yards and a 57-yard touchdown pass to [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], who finished with three catches for 76 yards.

With [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] out, [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] unsurprisingly also played a big role in the passing game, leading the team with 65 yards on six catches. Kelly also said the team wanted to work on getting the ball in Jack Bech’s hands, and the result was a seven-target, six-catch night in which he totaled 43 yards.

Jaray Jenkins (five catches, 57 yards), Kyren Lacy (four catches, 41 yards) and freshman tight end Mason Taylor (four catches, 34 yards) all made impacts, as well.

The ground game was dominant once again. In total, the Tigers managed 219 yards headlined by [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag], who led the team in both yards and carries with 94 on 11 attempts. He found the end zone twice, including a 49-yard touchdown. Daniels contributed as well with nine attempts for 37 yards.

[autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] saw an increased role in his second game back from suspension, leading the running back room in carries with nine for 45 yards. [autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag] got the start and had just 24 yards on eight carries, though he also scored twice.

I could be even more effusive in my praise of LSU’s offense, but the defense deserves just as much credit for holding New Mexico to double-digit yardage. True freshman linebacker Harold Perkins continues to demonstrate his versatility, leading the team in tackles with eight.

[autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag], [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag] and [autotag]Saivion Jones[/autotag] all notched a sack, as well.

This wasn’t a very good New Mexico team, but it’s never easy to shut out an opponent in college football. That should give the Tigers a ton of confidence as they prepare for their first true road game of the year against an Auburn team that survived a wild overtime game against Missouri on Saturday.

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