Five LSU football players out for the year
LSU coach Les Miles confirmed Wednesday that linebacker Tahj Jones and three other reserve players - tight end Tyler Edwards, linebacker D.J. Welter and offensive lineman Evan Washington - will miss the season.
Miles also confirmed that backup defensive end Jordan Allen is out for
the remainder of the season with an unspecified injury.
Miles declined to specify why Jones, Edwards, Welter and Washington
will miss the season. A report Tuesday by the New Orleans
Times-Picayune citing unnamed sources said the four players are
academically ineligible.
The loss of these five players brings to seven the number of returning
players LSU has lost for this season. That list also includes
All-American cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, who was dismissed from team in
August for what reportedly was a failure of the school’s drug policy,
and starting left tackle Chris Faulk, who suffered a knee injury in
practice before last week’s Washington game.
Three LSU recruits - wide receiver Avery Johnson (younger brother of
former LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson), quarterback Jeremy Liggins
and junior college transfer Fehoko Fanaika - were ruled academically
ineligible before the season began. Incoming freshman wide receiver
Travin Dural also suffered a knee injury in August practice.
Jones, a junior from Sulphur, was a projected starter at strongside
linebacker. He’s since been replaced by junior Luke Muncie, who has
started the Tigers’ first two games.
Johnson is playing this season at Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy. His
father, Patrick Peterson Sr., said Johnson still plans to enroll at
LSU in January.
Before the season, Miles said Jones was being held out pending an
appeal on his academic eligibility along with running back Michael
Ford. Ford was eventually cleared to play, but Jones was not.
Back on Aug. 30, Edwards tweeted: “My motivation has been weakened by
the consequences of my failure...But this is a new beginning for me.”
On Sept. 7 he tweeted, “Everything happens for a reason.”