Top 101 LSU football players of all time: What current players could make the list?
In the summer, I began counting down the top 101 players in the history of LSU Football.
We now have just 10 players to go
But before the final 10 is revealed, it’s worth taking a look at who could join the list in the future. It can be a fool’s game to predict who is going to be an all-time great and who isn’t.
There’s only 101 spots on that list. Just by math alone, when looking at if a player will join the list or not, the smart bet is always no. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun with it.
There’s plenty of talent on LSU’s roster and the expectations will be high entering 2023. All it takes is one great year paired with team success to become a program great. Here are some current players who have a chance to become some of the best to ever do it at LSU.
Jayden Daniels
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Daniels is here because he’s a quarterback. He already has one solid year under his belt and has a chance to move LSU to 10 wins on Monday. He’s already top 20 in program history when it comes to quarterback total yardage.
If he puts up the same numbers next year that he did in 2022, Daniels would rank third all-time in program history in total yards, with only [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] and [autotag]Tommy Hodson[/autotag] ahead of him.
He’ll also have an opportunity to quarterback LSU to back-to-back 10-win seasons pending the result of Monday’s bowl game. Daniels also helped stabilize a chaotic period at LSU. That combined with numbers and wins is the type of thing that gets you on the list.
Daniels has the easiest path of any current player.
Malik Nabers
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
[autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] would have been on this list had he opted to return, but instead, [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] projects to be LSU’s top receiver again in 2023. Nabers has had a productive first two years as a Tiger, giving him the chance to rocket up the all-time receiving yardage list next year. A 1,000-yard season would put him in the top 10.
Everyone in the top 10 made the cut for the top 101 list.
If he catches 60 passes, he’ll be in the top 10 on the receptions list, too. Nabers has caught just six touchdowns in his time at LSU and likely needs to beef up that number next year.
If Nabers is the top playmaker on a good LSU team after being LSU’s top receiver in 2022, he’ll have a good case.
Harold Perkins
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Perkins is just a true-freshmen but is on a record setting pace at LSU.
Listing numbers doesn’t do it justice, you have to watch Perkins to really grasp his talent, but Perkins was one of the best pass-rushing linebackers in the country this year.
The only P5 LBs with more pressures were NC State’s Drake Thomas and Arkansas’ Drew Sanders. PFF gave Perkins the top pass-rush grade in the P5 among LBs.
Perkins has a chance to be one of college football’s top players in the next couple of years. If he continues this emergence, he’s well on his way to being one of the best to ever do it at LSU.
With Perkins, it’s not so much projecting, either. He could play at the same level as this year for the rest of his LSU career and still make the list.
Mekhi Wingo
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Wingo was a portal addition last year. After a strong freshman year at Missouri, Wingo had a breakout campaign and received All-American honors.
I gave significant weight to All-American recognition when putting the list together, and if Wingo was to do it again next year, he’d be a serious contender.
Among SEC defensive tackles, Wingo was top-10 in stops and pressures.
Wingo has two years of eligibility left but could leave after next year. He has a long way to go before being up there with the greats, but it can’t be ruled out after a productive first year.
Maason Smith
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I think if Smith was healthy this year, he’d be well on his way. Few defensive tackles in the country were projected to perform at the level Smith was, but an ACL tear on the opening drive of the season took away his sophomore year.
Smith’s talent level is off the charts and if recovery goes as planned, and it sounds like it is, there’s no reason for Smith not to be a star next year. He’s a good candidate to declare early, which could make it tough for him to produce at the level needed to join previous greats LSU has had on the defensive front, but one monster year could be enough.
Josh Williams or John Emery
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At this point, these are longshots. One of them would have to emerge as LSU’s feature back next year, which would come at the expense of the other. Even if that did happen, they’d have to have a monster year to be near the top of any of LSU’s all-time rushing lists.
Considering LSU will be solid in the passing game with Daniels and a few receivers returning, along with how divided LSU’s rushing production is, it’s hard to see a scenario where an LSU rusher has over 1,400 yards, or something in that neighborhood of production.
But both will have the chance to stake their claim, though, so it’s worth mentioning.
Will Campbell
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Like Perkins, Campbell was just a true freshman, but the early returns couldn’t have been better. LSU doesn’t have a ton of great left tackles in its history. Because of that, I gave more weight to good offensive linemen when putting the list togother.
If Campbell progresses at the level expected and is a three-year starter, he could end up as one of the best OL in LSU’s history, making him an easy candidate for the top 101 list. He already looks on his way to being one of the SEC’s top linemen next year.
Emery Jones
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Jones was the true-freshman starting opposite of Campbell. He took over the right tackle job against Mississippi State and didn’t look back. Jones had his struggles, but the fact he started in the SEC at tackle as a true freshmen says enough.
The same that can be said for Campbell can be said for Jones. If he turns into one of the SEC’s best tackles for a multi-year span, he’s an easy candidate. He’ll have to take a few steps forward next year and there are a few more growing pains to get through, but LSU has to like what it has in Jones.
Mason Taylor
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Taylor is yet another true freshman that excelled in 2022.
There’s a lack of great tight ends in LSU’s history. [autotag]David LaFleur[/autotag] was the only tight end in the modern era to make the top 101 list. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] raves about Taylor and thinks he can be a star.
His legacy has already been boosted by his two-point conversion catch to beat Alabama. If he can emerge as a true weapon in the passing game to go along with his ability as a blocker, he’ll be one of the best tight ends in LSU history.
Does BJ Ojulari have a case?
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[autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] is off to the NFL after a productive three years at LSU. According to PFF, he has 127 career pressures and 21 sacks. He was named All-SEC first-team this fall and could be a first-rounder in the NFL draft.
Considering the defenders I put in the 90s, Ojulari is up there, but it’s a tough call.
Eric Reid began the list at No. 101. Is Ojulari better than a safety who got some All-American recognition and helped lead some of the best defenses in LSU history? Probably not.
But Ojulari has some things working in his favor. He had three defensive coordinators in his three years at LSU and continued to be one of LSU’s top players in one of the program’s most chaotic periods.
He wore No. 18 and was a team captain, too.
We’ll see how his career ages at LSU, but there’s certainly a case to be made for Ojulari.
Top 101 all-time players so far
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