2022 All-SEC teams loaded with LSU players after SEC West Championship season
The 2022 season was bookended by some frustration as the Tigers lost their opener against Florida State and dropped the final two games against Texas A&M and Georgia.
Still, that shouldn’t take away from what happened in between, as coach Brian Kelly had a massively successful first year on the bayou. LSU finished 9-4 with upset wins over Alabama and Ole Miss that clinched an SEC West title, the program’s first since it won the national championship in 2019.
As one of the top teams in the conference this season, it shouldn’t be a surprise that LSU players littered the All-SEC lists this season, particularly the All-Freshman team, which featured six Tigers.
Here’s everyone who was honored for their efforts in 2022 by the league.
DL BJ Ojulari (First Team)
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One of the on and off-field leaders of this team, Ojulari had a bit of a quieter season than some expected with his tackles for loss (8.5) and sacks (5.5) numbers dropping off a bit from a year ago, though he did play in one fewer game. That was mostly due to the emergence of Harold Perkins as a nuisance off the edge, but Ojulari still totaled a career-high 34 solo tackles, and he earns First Team honors for his efforts.
OL Will Campbell (Second Team, All-Freshman)
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Becoming a Day 1 starter in the SEC as an offensive lineman is almost unheard of, and that only holds more true when talking about the left tackle spot. What an impressive season it was for Campbell holding down Jayden Daniels’ blindside as he earns Second Team All-SEC and All-Freshman honors. Between him and Emery Jones, LSU’s future at the tackle spots are bright.
DL Mekhi Wingo (Second Team)
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[autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] was supposed to be just a rotational player this season, but the Missouri transfer was thrust into a starting role after [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] tore his ACL on the first drive of the season. He turned into one of LSU’s top defensive players and one of the best in the entire conference, totaling 44 tackles (four for loss) and two sacks. He also forced two fumbles and recovered one.
LB Harold Perkins (Second Team, All-Freshman)
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You’d be hard-pressed to find a more impressive player on this roster in 2022 than Perkins, a five-star true freshman who made a massive impact in his first season. He’s raw and a bit rough around the edges, but that didn’t keep him from having an absurdly productive season. He had 69 tackles, a team-high 6.5 sacks, an interception and three forced fumbles. Perkins should be set to be one of the best defensive players in all of college football next season.
TE Mason Taylor (All-Freshman)
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Tight ends feature prominently in both [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and Mike Denbrock’s offenses, historically, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] had such a big true freshman season. The son of NFL Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, Mason finished with 33 catches for 326 yards and two touchdowns this season, leading the way among LSU tight ends. The most impactful of those catches came in the win over Alabama, sealing the win with a two-point conversion.
OL Emery Jones (All-Freshman)
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Jones didn’t begin the year as a starter, but he emerged as the right tackle, playing opposite Campbell to give LSU an almost unheard of true freshman offensive tackle duo. He struggled a bit more than Campbell, but he still had a very good season and should inspire optimism that this will be one of the nation’s best offensive lines next season.
PK Damian Ramos (All-Freshman)
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LSU had well-publicized special teams issues this season, including several blocks on extra points and field goals. Those were rarely the fault of redshirt freshman placekicker Damian Ramos, who had a good first season as the starter. He was just 10 of 14 on field goals with a long of 47. He struggled a bit on shorter field goals but was two of three between 40 and 49 yards. He also hit 48 of 50 extra points.
KOS Nathan Dibert (All-Freshman)
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One of the top high school kickers in the country, Nathan Dibert couldn’t quite lock down the place-kicking job as a true freshman, though he did become the team’s kickoff specialist. His strong leg made him one of the SEC’s better kickoff guys, and he has the accuracy to one day kick field goals, as well.
