LSU’s Top 40 Players in 2023: No. 12-9
The month of July brings more offseason content previewing the 2023 season and here we continue our series ranking the top 40 players on the team entering the 2023 season, an exercise to inspire discussion, debate, and thoughts on the team.
This is part seven of the series, with players 12-9. This list is an average of the Bengal Tiger staff’s individual list. Reminder: The list is based on talent over value, ranking the 40 best players on the roster.
Let us know what you think on our board.
So far: 40-36, 35-31, 30-26, 25-21, 20-17, 16-13, 12-9
8. Omar Speights
Omar Speights LSU Football courtesy
Senior linebacker from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Bengal Tiger staff rankings
Matthew: 7 / Shea: 14 / Billy: 7
Recruiting profile
2022 Recap
Speights was named to the first-team All-Pac-12 in 2022 after totaling 83 tackles and eight tackles for loss while starting 13 games for the Beavers. It was his fourth straight season with over 60 tackles, while finishing in the top ten in the conference in total tackles for three straight years. Speights was used in a variety of ways on a productive Oregon State defense which serves him well now at LSU. He was one of the top coverage linebackers in the Pac-12 while also being used as a blitzing backer in pass to keep offenses off balance. With his COVID year, Speights transferred to LSU looking to add a fifth straight productive season to his resume – this time in the SEC.
2023 Outlook
Speights immediately fills a need for LSU as the linebacker position severely lacked both depth and experience after the departure of Micah Baskerville and Demario Tolan. He adds an experienced voice to the room to help what is a fairly young room come together, but also should be in contention to start and lead the team in tackles in 2023. After being moved around frequently at Oregon State, LSU should allow him to play a more traditional linebacker role and be in position to make a high percentage of plays. Most people pencil in Speights and Harold Perkins as the starting two linebackers with Greg Penn and the Weeks brothers rotating in as well, and that would be a really strong linebacker unit.
7. Denver Harris
Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Sophomore cornerback from Houston, Texas
Bengal Tiger staff rankings
Matthew: 9 / Shea: 10 / Billy: 6
Recruiting profile
2022 Recap
Harris was one of the best cornerbacks in the SEC through the first half of the 2023 season. The former five-star defensive back from North Shore was living up to his rating as a starter in his first year at Texas A&M. He was suspended for the Miami game for a curfew related violation, then after the South Carolina loss, Harris was suspended indefinitely due to a violation of team rules. He did not play again and soon entered the transfer portal after the season. His freshman season was off putting to some, but LSU needed SEC-caliber cornerbacks and there clearly weren’t many better than Harris to gamble on.
2023 Outlook
Harris arrived on campus and went through spring camp without any news on him. Brian Kelly and defensive coordinator Matt House both said he’s taken the proper steps necessary and has been bought in, which is a positive because his upside at cornerback is something LSU needs. Harris rotated in with the other three cornerbacks during the spring, getting run with the ones and twos, and now we wait for fall camp to see what he can really do.
Harris is in competition with Laterrance Welch, Zy Alexander, and JK Johnson, three very talented players who are also vying for the two starting cornerback jobs. All four have shown they are capable, but Harris was by far the highest ranking recruit of the group and had six games in 2023 that showed a higher ceiling than the others. Now, it’s about maintaining consistency and remaining bought in. Fortunately, LSU has the talent to replace him if he does step out of line, but if this defense gets the most out of Harris in 2023, that changes the complexion of what House can do with this unit.
6. Garrett Nussmeier
Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Redshirt sophomore from Lake Charles, Louisiana
Bengal Tiger staff rankings
Matthew: 8 / Shea: 7 / Billy: 8
Recruiting profile
2022 Recap
Entering the 2022 season, Nussmeier was in the thick of the quartererback competition with Myles Brennan and Jayden Daniels. Daniels won the job, Brennan retired, and Nussmeier went back to work. He was quickly written off after throwing two awful interceptions against Southern in his redshirt freshman debut last year. He stepped in here or there, but failed to show consistent decision making that he needed.
Then came the SEC Championship game against Georgia where Daniels left the game in the second quarter and Nussmeier stepped into an incredibly difficult situation. Immediately, Nussmeier delivered. He went 15 of 27 for 294 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against the best defense in the country and put his electric arm talent on full display.
A month later he replicated that performance in the bowl game with 173 yards and two touchdowns on 11 of 15 passing. He showed enough to solidify himself as a starting-caliber quarterback in the SEC.
2023 Outlook
Daniels’ decision to return had LSU fans convinced that Nussmeier would transfer. Why wouldn’t he? Instead, it was Walker Howard who entered the portal and Nussmeier who decided to stay as a backup for one more year.
Even though he’s not going to start game one, it’s hard to imagine Nussmeier not contributing to winning at some point this season. Whether Daniels struggles for a game or has to miss a couple of series with an injury, LSU is going from one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC to…one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC. Nussmeier offers something different for this offense and his arm talent is undeniable. The Nuss Bus is no longer about him starting, but simply acknowledging that he’s one of the best QBs in the SEC and an absolute firecracker on the field.
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