LSU has selected its latest No. 18, while two other Tigers will wear the program's iconic No. 7 jersey this season.
Center Braelin Moore will wear the No. 18 patch on his jersey, an honor awarded to one of the top leaders on the LSU football team.
Because offensive linemen are limited to jersey numbers between 50 and 79, Moore will wear a No. 18 patch rather than the traditional jersey number. He is the second LSU offensive lineman to receive the distinction, joining former Tigers center Lloyd Cushenberry, who wore the No. 18 patch during LSU's 2019 national championship season.
Meanwhile, linebacker Whit Weeks and tight end Trey'Dez Green will wear LSU's coveted No. 7 jerseys. The number is traditionally awarded to players considered among the Tigers' top playmakers.
The jersey announcements come as LSU faces continued uncertainty surrounding the eligibility of athletes impacted by a new SEC policy involving former professional athletes.
The potential penalties for an SEC school that allows an athlete to compete after signing a contract with an NFL, NBA or WNBA team could be severe. Sources say a head coach could face a suspension of up to half a season, while a program could be fined an amount equal to half of its operating budget and lose its voting privileges within the conference.
Sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel that SEC leadership voted 15-0 to approve the penalties, with LSU abstaining.
LSU appears to be awaiting further direction from the courts.
A preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for Monday before Baton Rouge Judge William Jorden. Several players who participated in NFL training camps are seeking a ruling that would allow them to receive a fifth year of college eligibility.
Jorden has previously issued a temporary restraining order allowing several athletes from the high school graduating class of 2022 to continue competing at the college level while the case proceeds.
If Jorden grants the preliminary injunction and rules that former NFL players Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris can return to college, LSU's position is expected to be that a court order supersedes the SEC policy prohibiting former professional athletes from competing in college athletics.
Gov. Jeff Landry has also weighed in, supporting LSU's position in a statement provided to Front Office Sports.
"This whole thing is ridiculous. Don't hate the player, hate the game," Landry said. "I've been saying for a year that college sports need to be fixed. The NCAA could have done it. Congress could have done it. Neither did.
"Now the SEC is creating a legal mess over athletes it told were out of eligibility, only to change the rules afterward. The SEC accepted the courts' decisions on Diego Pavia and Trinidad Chambliss. Why is this different? You can't tell athletes their college careers are over, watch them move on, change the rules later, and then punish them for not predicting the future."
