WATCH: LSU football QBs during team’s first preseason practice
LSU football quarterbacks Garrett Nussmeier (13), Rickie Collins (10), A.J. Swann (15) and Colin Hurley (16) work during the first fall practice.
BATON ROUGE — LSU football is working through spring drills without another one of its top returning tacklers from a season ago.
Senior safety Jardin Gilbert is out for the duration of spring, LSU coach Brian Kelly told reporters after the team’s fifth practice Saturday morning. Gilbert had surgery on his shoulder in the offseason. Through the first handful of practices, Gilbert has been seen off to the side, navigating some individual workouts with trainers.
LSU added safety Tamarcus Cooley from North Carolina State in the transfer portal and Javien Toviano has shifted back to deep safety, which was a move he made prior to LSU’s appearance in the Texas Bowl.
There’s some youth on the backend of LSU’s defense this spring and while Gilbert hasn’t been able to work through drills with his fellow safeties, Kelly commended the senior on how he’s handled his situation and stepped up into more of a leadership role.
“He’s there every day. He’s been a great leader. He’s actually been the veteran guy that you want,” Kelly said. “He’s been around those young guys and he’s been accountable.”
Gilbert is a fourth defensive starter to miss this spring due to injury, along with linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., who is out due to an ACL tear, linebacker Whit Weeks, who broke his fibula in the Texas Bowl and defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon early last season.
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