This LSU senior class has seen it all
Safety Todd Harris committed to LSU on February 1, 2017.
It was national signing day — Ed Oregon’s first as LSU head coach. Harris was part of a defensive back class that included Grant Delpit, JaCoby Stevens and Kary Vincent.
On the other side of the ball, it was the class that gave LSU Justin Jefferson and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. If that feels like a long time ago, it’s because it was. Delpit, Jefferson, and Edwards-Helaire are now in their third year in the NFL.
Harris is the lone player from the 2017 recruiting class to remain with LSU.
When Harris got his offer in April 2015, Les Miles was head coach. The top-grossing movie that weekend was the second installment in the Avengers franchise, and Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s ‘See You Again’ was Billboard’s top song.
Barack Obama was still the president, and the most recent iPhone was the iPhone 6.
You get the point: Harris’ LSU journey began a long time ago.
Since he received that offer, he’s seen Miles fired and replaced by Ed Orgeron. He intercepted Tua Tagovailoa in what was just Tua’s first year as the starter.
He missed significant time with an ACL injury but was a member of LSU’s title team and watched 2020 get upended by a global pandemic. He remained with LSU through yet another coaching change, with Orgeron heading out and Brian Kelly coming in.
He hasn’t been a part of the secondary rotation this year, but he’s stuck around. He’s going to leave LSU with a championship ring and a degree. Harris has had what you could call a full career, seeing it all. Some good, some really good. Some bad, and some really bad.
Senior Night ceremonies will occur on Saturday night as LSU hosts UAB in its final home game. Senior Night is meant to honor the Todd Harrises of the world.
Harris will be joined by Micah Baskerville, another guy who’s seen it all but followed a more linear career path.
In Kelly’s first few months on the job, Baskerville’s role was unclear. Reports from spring practice and training camp highlighted the emergence of Greg Penn III and the eye-popping ability of Harold Perkins.
Baskerville was one of the best linebackers in the SEC in 2021. It was difficult to imagine him not being a key part of the defense in 2022, but for a moment in time, it looked like that would be the case.
Sometime in-between spring and the first few games of the fall, things turned around for Baskerville. He’s been the best coverage linebacker in the SEC while adding nine pressures and 23 stops.
Kelly took the time to highlight Baskerville at his press conference this week. Kelly said when his staff first arrived, the reports regarding Baskerville weren’t great.
“Everybody was like, ‘well, he doesn’t go to class, he doesn’t do this, he doesn’t do that,'” Kelly said. “And he’s been amazing, he’s gotten his degree, he’s been a great leader, he’s been inspirational in everything he’s done.”
Harris and Baskerville aren’t the only seniors who will be honored on Saturday night. Here are some other notable names and stories to reflect on during the festivities.
Note: This is not a comprehensive list, and some players going through the ceremony still have remaining eligibility. Likewise, Kelly said players may choose to leave who are not participating.
Jaray Jenkins
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Jenkins is the veteran leader of the receiver room. It’s a group that’s still young and the importance of having a guy like Jenkins can’t be overstated. He’s caught 83 passes and 12 touchdowns in his career. He’s never been the No. 1 target, but he’s always been a reliable contributor.
In Orgeron’s final game, Jenkins had a career night, catching 21 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner.
This year, he’s made big touchdown grabs in LSU’s wins over Florida and Ole Miss.
Jenkins will likely show up for LSU again down the stretch. Between his redshirt in 2018 and the extra year granted by COVID, Jenkins might have another year left if he so chooses.
DE Ali Gaye
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Gaye immigrated to the United States at the age of 12 and began his college career in the JUCO ranks. He arrived at LSU in 2020 and earned All-SEC honors in his first year.
An injury cut his 2021 short, but he returned in 2022 and was named a team captain. He’s in a slightly different role this year, lining up over the tackle more often than he previously has, but he’s been one of LSU’s best run defenders.
At 6-foot-6, Gaye has all the physical tools to attract NFL scouts, where he’ll likely end up as a 4-3 defensive end.
LB Mike Jones Jr
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Like Gaye, Jones was named team captain prior to the season. Jones began his career at Clemson but transferred to LSU for the 2021 season.
As Perkins and Baskerville have emerged, Jones’ playing time has decreased, but he’s a leader who’s made some critical contributions to LSU over the last couple of years.
His performance against Alabama in 2021 was a key reason LSU almost pulled the upset. He’s seen a lot of time on special teams this year too and recorded a sack in the opener.
Jones is a versatile player, and while he may have been factored out of recent rotations, I wouldn’t be surprised to see his name called in any special packages [autotag]Matt House[/autotag] draws up for Georgia or any other big game LSU finds itself in.
DB Jay Ward
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Ward will be honored on Saturday night and certainly has some NFL prospects, but he does have another year of eligibility.
Ward has played all-over in his time at LSU. Playing in the slot against Mississippi State this year, Ward had a career game. He recorded an interception to go along with nine tackles, seven stops and a pressure.
His performance was the highlight of LSU shutting down the air raid. He scoop and scored a fumble that kickstarted LSU’s comeback in Auburn and against Florida, he recorded three QB pressures and made four tackles.
In 2019, he appeared in the playoff win over Oklahoma, where he had two pass breakups. LSU’s secondary needs solid play from Ward down the stretch.
Transfers
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Again, this is not a comprehensive list of every LSU player who will be honored on Saturday, just some of the highlights.
These transfers have been here less than a year, but have been key pieces of LSU clinching the west in Brian Kelly’s first year.
Jarrick Bernard-Converse
Bernard-Converse has been one of LSU’s best corners this year. Much needed considering the state of the secondary when Kelly took the job. He was one of the top available transfers on the market after being one of the headliners of Oklahoma State’s elite defense in 2021. Bernard-Converse will certainly be on an NFL roster come next September.
Mekhi Garner
Like Bernard-Converse, Garner was key to rebuilding the secondary. He was targeted 10 times in the Alabama game, but allowed just three catches. He has another year available but is getting draft attention that might be too good to pass up.
Joe Foucha
Another transfer. Another secondary player. Foucha missed the first four games of the year due to some academic issues that appeared in the transfer process, but over the last few weeks, he’s emerged as one of LSU’s top defenders. Since the Ole Miss game, PFF has graded Foucha as the top safety in the SEC. His emergence has coincided with more consistent defense and LSU absolutely needs that play to continue these next few weeks.
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