Tag: Weston Davis

LSU football still has major transfer portal need on offensive line

LSU still has a big portal need at a major position

LSU football made some big moves in the first week of the transfer portal window, but a few needs remain. Among them is the offensive line.

With tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones declaring for the NFL draft and guards Miles Frazier and Garrett Dellinger exhausting eligibility, the Tigers are replacing four starters up front. The lone player set to return is center [autotag]DJ Chester. [/autotag]

Despite a flurry of additions, LSU has yet to move on the offensive line, making it LSU’s most urgent need.

LSU likes the talent of the young offensive linemen on the roster. Aside from the draft losses, LSU has handled retention well in the room, with zero of the Tigers’ linemen entering the portal.

We saw glimpses of redshirt freshmen [autotag]Paul Mubenga[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] at guard in 2024, and the results were mixed. At tackle, LSU has freshman [autotag]Weston Davis[/autotag] waiting in the wings, but he played just 16 snaps in 2024.

But LSU would like to be in a place where it’s not relying on unproven underclassmen in 2025. With quarterback [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] back for a fifth year along with a budding star at running back in [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], LSU’s offense has a chance to be one of the best in the country next year if it can maintain talent on the offensive line.

LSU guard Garrett Dellinger to miss Alabama game after surgery

LSU will be without a key offensive starter when it faces Alabama on Saturday night

LSU will be without starting left guard [autotag]Garrett Dellinger[/autotag] when it faces Alabama on Saturday night.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly said Dellinger had tightrope surgery on his ankle. Dellinger injured the ankle vs. Texas A&M and did not return. Kelly said the Tigers are hoping to get Dellinger back in week 12, when LSU travels to face Florida. 

Offensive line depth took a hit earlier this year when Tyree Adams had season-ending surgery. That left Paul Mubenga to fill in when Dellinger went down against A&M. I’d expect it’s Mubenga back out there again on Saturday.

If LSU goes a different direction, the Tigers could turn to [autotag]Bo Bordelon[/autotag] or [autotag]Weston Davis.[/autotag] Regardless, LSU lacks an experienced option.

LSU’s interior offensive line play has been inconsistent this year. DJ Chester is a first-year starter at center and LSU’s failed to establish a consistent run game. The loss of Dellinger creates more questions ahead of a meeting with a strong Alabama front seven.

According to PFF, Dellinger is LSU’s top-graded offensive lineman in 2024. He’s a veteran that’s accustomed to big moments like the one LSU will be in on Saturday night. LSU is coming out of a bye and had some time to prepare, so we’ll see what answers Kelly and staff have.

LSU football’s top remaining 2024 target Terry Bussey announces signing day decision time

Terry Bussey is LSU’s top remaining target in the 2024 class. We now have a decision date and time.

LSU’s top remaining target, five-star athlete [autotag]Terry Bussey[/autotag], has announced his decision time.

He’ll make his final commitment Wednesday at 9 a.m. CT.

Bussey remains committed to Texas A&M, but his recruitment has remained open heading to the finish line. LSU and Georgia are pushing to flip him, but this one appears to be a race between the Aggies and Tigers.

Bussey is a Texas recruit and committed to A&M in September when Jimbo Fisher was at the helm. Since that time, he has continued to visit LSU.

If LSU can pull this off, Bussey would join a crew of other 2024 signees that were originally committed to Texas A&M. Most notably, five-stars [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] and [autotag]Weston Davis[/autotag].

Bussey is a consensus five-star, ranked in the top 20 by all four major recruiting sites.

He’s listed as an athlete, but the current assumption is he will be a defensive back. That’s big for LSU, given it remains a major position of need.

A commitment from Bussey would go a long way toward reaffirming the job [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] can do in his return to Baton Rouge.

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Can LSU flip elite 5-star Texas A&M WR commit Terry Bussey?

LSU has already flipped three prospects from Texas A&M this cycle. Can it pull off a fourth?

Like most teams around the country, LSU wrapped up the bulk of its 2024 class on early signing day last month. But the Tigers aren’t quite done yet.

Since the early signing period, they’ve already pulled off one major flip, pulling five-star defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] — the No. 1 prospect in the state of Louisiana — away from Texas A&M.

McKinley is one of three players LSU has flipped from the Aggies, joining offensive tackle [autotag]Weston Davis[/autotag] and fellow defensive lineman [autotag]Gabriel Reliford[/autotag].

The Tigers are pushing for a fourth flip, however, this time from five-star receiver [autotag]Terry Bussey[/autotag] who, like McKinley, pushed his signing back to February.

Bussey has been a frequent visitor to Baton Rouge, taking three trips including an official visit on a game weekend in October. Texas A&M has seen quite a bit of attrition since the firing of coach Jimbo Fisher, and LSU has taken advantage.

“LSU flipped four A&M commits this cycle, but they still are chasing one more. (Bussey) has been a standout at Timpson, he’s listed as an athlete, one of the best players in the country and he’s still available,” On3’s Shea Dixon said.

“Committed to A&M…he and Dominick McKinley were two A&M commitments who said ‘I’m not signing early, I want to wait until February to see how things look.’ Well, McKinley’s already flipped to LSU, a five-star defensive tackle. That’s four players that LSU’s flipped out of A&M’s class — and all being pretty big ones.”

LSU’s 2024 class currently ranks seventh nationally, but if it landed Bussey — a Timpson, Texas, prospect who ranks No. 19 nationally in the 247Sports Composite — it could push for a spot in the top five.

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Analysis: LSU’s Lance Heard enters the transfer portal

Here’s what LSU is losing with offensive tackle Lance Heard hitting the transfer portal.

The transfer portal window is now closed, but LSU took one of its biggest hits at the buzzer this week.

Offensive linemen [autotag]Lance Heard[/autotag] entered the portal. It was no surprise after Heard didn’t travel for the bowl game as head coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said Heard was evaluating his role with the program.

The writing was on the wall here.

Out of all the Tigers to hit the portal, Heard is the most talented. There’s no getting around that. He was a five-star recruit in 2023 and according to PFF, he was the top-graded freshman offensive lineman. This is a guy that’s ready to play now.

Where does this leave LSU?

The offensive line will be fine. [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag] are two of the best in the SEC, and there are enough pieces that the interior will work itself out.

But if Heard was on the roster, that would allow LSU to play him at right tackle and bump Jones to guard. The bottom line is with Campbell, Jones and Heard, LSU had three tackles that are capable of playing at an All-SEC level.

That’s something you usually don’t find and an incredible luxury.

Now, LSU doesn’t have that luxury. It’ll be counting on Campbell and Jones to stay healthy, which they’ve done so far, and another young lineman to make a jump.

LSU signed two more blue-chip tackles in the 2023 class, [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] and [autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag]. Adams played just three offensive snaps this year and Chester has a bright future, but it’s at the center position.

LSU doesn’t have an immediate answer to solve its depth issue at tackle now. And again, every team in the country has depth issues on the offensive line. That’s what made LSU having Campbell, Jones and Heard so special.

[autotag]Brad Davis[/autotag] is one of the best offensive line coaches in the business and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he had Adams ready to compete on the two-deep next year. [autotag]Bo Bordelon[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Mubenga[/autotag] were three-star recruits who could pan out too.

Or maybe it’s one of the 2024 signees like [autotag]Weston Davis[/autotag] or [autotag]Ethan Calloway[/autotag], two more blue-chip tackle recruits set to join that room.

Regardless, LSU needs an answer now. Heard was projected as an All-American level player. That’s now one less player of that caliber on LSU’s roster.

It’s on Davis to develop another one of these guys to fill that gap.

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Who was the most important player in LSU’s 2024 signing class?

The Tigers addressed the secondary on early signing day after struggles in 2023.

The 2024 early signing period is in the books, and while LSU may not be completely done adding players, all 28 committed players have signed their national letters of intent.

It’s not an elite class, but it’s certainly a very solid one that ranks either just inside or outside of the top 10, depending on the recruiting service. It addressed several key areas of need, including the secondary, which struggled quite a bit in 2023.

The headliner in that group was four-star safety [autotag]Dashawn McBryde[/autotag], who ESPN listed as the most important addition in the 2024 signing class. McBryde is the No. 2-ranked player in LSU’s class behind tight end [autotag]Trey’Dez Green[/autotag].

The Tigers have been looking for help in the secondary the past two seasons, and while they have added some playmakers in the portal, including Texas A&M safety Jardin Gilbert, McBryde is still a valuable addition. LSU ranked 104 among all FBS teams in passing yards allowed per game this past season, giving up 245.4 yards through the air. McBryde will give the coaches long-term help in fixing that problem, whether it’s this coming season or the next.

The Tigers’ class was also headlined by four-star quarterback [autotag]Colin Hurley[/autotag] and four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Weston Davis[/autotag].

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LSU signs a top five offensive tackle according to On3

LSU signed one of the top offensive tackles in the country in its 2024 recruiting class.

LSU signed one of the top offensive tackles in the country in their 2024 recruiting class. According to On3, the Tigers signed a guy who was the No. 5 overall offensive tackle in the country.

[autotag]Weston Davis[/autotag] is a 6-foot-5, 285-pound, four-star offensive tackle from Beaumont, Texas where he played for Beaumont United High School. Davis chose LSU over Texas A&M, Alabama, Oklahoma and others. He is ranked as high as the No. 3 offensive tackle in the class by On3.

The Tigers signed six offensive linemen in the 2024 recruiting class to add some depth to an offensive line that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award. If the LSU offensive line can stay healthy in 2024, they should be a finalist for the Joe Moore Award once again as [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has assembled a talented group of guys up front.

Davis will be an offensive tackle and be behind [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag], [autotag]Emory Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Lance Heard[/autotag] on the roster.

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LSU delivered one of the biggest flips in the 2024 recruiting cycle, per On3

LSU has already flipped one player from Texas A&M, and it could push for more.

While LSU has the makings of a special class in 2025, the 2024 class still needs a little bit of work between now and signing day.

It currently ranks outside the top 10, but there have still been some major wins for the staff in this cycle. The biggest one came over a division rival as LSU flipped offensive tackle [autotag]Weston Davis[/autotag] from Texas A&M.

Davis is a top-100 prospect nationally in On3’s industry rankings, and he’s a five-star in its own rankings. Considering On3 is higher on Weston than some other services, it’s not a surprise he was deemed one of the most impactful flips in this cycle.

As Texas A&M has struggled along through this season under Jimbo Fisher, much of the speculation has centered around whether the Aggies will bring him back for another season in 2024. On the recruiting trail, teams have taken advantage of that uncertainty, and one of the biggest beneficiaries has been LSU.

The Tigers are pushing for a number of A&M commits, and they’ve already flipped one, landing On3 five-star offensive tackle Weston Davis at the end of October. The Tigers used their proximity to his home in Beaumont, as well as their early development of young linemen to pull off the flip. Now they turn their attention to recent Aggies decommit Dre’lon Miller, as well as current pledges Gabriel Reliford and Terry Bussey.

As On3 points out, Davis may not be the last Texas A&M commit the Tigers flip following the firing of Jimbo Fisher. That would certainly help things along as [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] looks to close this class out with a top-10 ranking.

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Recent LSU recruiting addition named among most impactful flips in 2024 cycle

The Tigers’ class moved back into the top 10 after it flipped Weston Davis from Texas A&M last month.

Recruiting can be a fickle thing, and even when you have a player on board, it isn’t over until they sign on the dotted line — or sometimes after.

Decommitments and flips are part of the game, and it stealing away a player pledged to another school (especially a rival) can give a team quite a bit of momentum on the trail.

LSU has been the victim of this at times this cycle, losing cornerback [autotag]Ondre Evans[/autotag] to SEC foe Georgia, but it recently pulled off a flip of its own as it convinced five-star offensive tackle [autotag]Weston Davis[/autotag] to join the class despite having previously committed to Texas A&M.

On3 deemed that one of the most impactful flips in the 2024 cycle.

As Texas A&M has struggled along through this season under Jimbo Fisher, much of the speculation has centered around whether the Aggies will bring him back for another season in 2024. On the recruiting trail, teams have taken advantage of that uncertainty, and one of the biggest beneficiaries has been LSU.

The Tigers are pushing for a number of A&M commits, and they’ve already flipped one, landing On3 five-star offensive tackle Weston Davis at the end of October. The Tigers used their proximity to his home in Beaumont, as well as their early development of young linemen to pull off the flip. Now they turn their attention to recent Aggies decommit Dre’lon Miller, as well as current pledges Gabriel Reliford and Terry Bussey.

The Tigers’ class had fallen out of the national top 10, but it’s back in with the addition of Davis as coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] looks to finish strong with his third signing class.

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LSU climbs into top 10 in 2024 recruiting rankings after flipping five-star offensive tackle Weston Davis

LSU has suffered some recent losses on the trail, but the Tigers got a major win on Thursday night.

LSU has spent much of the 2024 cycle in the top 10 in recruiting rankings, but after a recent spate of decommitments — headlined by the loss of four-star cornerback Ondre Evans to Georgia — the team had fallen out of the top 10.

The Tigers are surging back up now, though. On Thursday night, the team flipped five-star Texas offensive tackle [autotag]Weston Davis[/autotag] from division rival Texas A&M as coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and this staff landed another big-time prospect along the offensive line.

Davis is a composite four-star as On3 is the only site that ranks him as a five-star.

LSU now has a top-10 class according to both 247Sports and On3, but the latter is higher on the Tigers’ 2024 class. Here’s where it stands in On3’s latest rankings.