These 10 LSU football players will be out or limited for spring practice

Football is back on the bayou — sort of.

The 2023 LSU football team took the field for the first time on Thursday as coach Brian Kelly began spring camp for his second season. This team has some key returners — namely quarterback Jayden Daniels, top receiver Malik Nabers and budding defensive star Harold Perkins — but it also has a lot of new faces, both acquired via the transfer portal and in high school recruiting.

Tigers fans will be eager to see a lot of these guys in action over the next six weeks, but not every player will be available. Due to injuries, a number of players will be either non-contact or out entirely for spring ball.

The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander reported the full list ahead of camp. Here’s a rundown of each player the Tigers will be missing.

DT Maason Smith (Non-Contact)

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

Smith was expected to have a breakout 2022 season before a torn ACL on the first drive of the season ended those hopes. Coming off a knee injury, the coaches are playing it safe with Smith and he will understandably be non-contact. Still, it’s a good sign that he’ll get at least some work this spring, and his return at hopefully full strength will be one of the biggest storylines come fall camp.

EDGE Da'Shawn Womack (Non-Contact)

The most prized commit in LSU’s sixth-ranked 2023 recruiting class, Womack was a five-star recruit and could see immediate playing time on an LSU defensive line that has to replace both edge rushers in [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag]. The Tigers added quite a bit of transfer depth at the edge, but Womack’s talent could allow him to see the field early, even as a true freshman. He had shoulder surgery after his senior season of high school, and the coaches will take it slow with him.

TE Mason Taylor (Out)

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This is arguably the most impactful absence of any player on the list. Taylor had a fantastic true freshman season, becoming LSU’s top tight end. He finished third on the team in receiving with 414 yards, and he had three receiving touchdowns. He caught the game-winning two-point conversion against Alabama, and he figures to play a major role in the offense this fall.

He underwent offseason shoulder surgery, and LSU will have to look for other pass-catchers to step up without him in camp.

RB Armoni Goodwin (Out)

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Goodwin has the potential to be the X-factor in the running back room this fall. He was LSU’s top back last season before a knee injury ended his campaign in November. He’s still recovering from that and will miss the entire spring, opening the door for players like [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] as well as early enrollee [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag] to make an impression.

OL Charles Turner (Out)

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Turner is a veteran who started at center most of last season. He’ll likely retain that role again this fall, but his absence in camp has opened the door for [autotag]Marlon Martinez[/autotag], who is earning first-team reps in his stead according to The Advocate.

DT Mekhi Wingo (Out)

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Another absence that will be sorely felt this spring, Wingo will miss all of spring ball with what Kelly described as shoulder and core muscle injuries. A transfer from Missouri, Wingo stepped into a starting role when Smith was injured in the first game, and he became one of the defense’s most impactful players. With neither him nor Smith as full participants, LSU will be down to a thin defensive tackle group in the spring.

CB Duce Chestnut (Out)

AP Photo/Adrian Kraus

Chestnut was one of LSU’s top additions in the transfer portal this offseason as a two-year starting cornerback at Syracuse. He should prove to be key in replacing LSU’s breadth of losses in the secondary, but he’s working through a shoulder injury, so we won’t get a look at him in live reps until fall camp.

DT Jordan Jefferson (Out)

AP Photo/William Wotring

Another portal addition who won’t be available for the spring, Jefferson figures to be an important depth piece behind Smith and Wingo, so it’s a shame he won’t be able to get reps in camp. Without that trio of interior players, the Tigers will have just four healthy scholarship defensive tackles as full participants this spring.

WR Aaron Anderson (Out)

Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

Of the three transfers who won’t participate in spring practice, this one is perhaps the most disappointing. Anderson is a former five-star who transferred in after an injury-plagued true freshman season in which he only made one appearance. He had a knee procedure in the offseason and will also undergo thumb surgery, but if he can return to full health, he could play a major role in a receiving corps that lost [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaray Jenkins[/autotag] to the draft, as well as [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag] to the transfer portal.

RB John Emery Jr. (Out, focusing on academics)

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Emery is healthy and could participate in spring ball at some point, but he is currently not practicing as he makes academics his priority with Kelly saying that he “has some marks to hit before football” and is focused on getting his degree. It’s been a tumultuous LSU career for Emery, a former five-star recruit who missed all of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 due to academic suspension. He’s a talented player who had some promising moments last fall, and hopefully, he’s in a position to return to the team soon.

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Story originally appeared on LSU Tigers Wire