LSU suffered its second major season-ending injury during spring football as backup sophomore cornerback Aidan Anding tore his Achilles in Saturday’s scrimmage.
Disappointing news for the former Ruston High star, who suffered the injury while intercepting his second pass of the scrimmage.
“He was playing great, he was actually one of the two players of the game defensively Saturday, so really unfortunate for him,” head coach Lane Kiffin said.
Anding was running with the second team, behind starters DJ Pickett and PJ Woodland. But the former four-star recruit was set to get a lot of playing time.
It’s a position group that LSU could not afford to suffer a season-ending injury.
“Can’t put him on IR (injured reserve) and pick someone off from waivers like you can in the NFL, so that’s a concern, but we got to deal with it,” Kiffin said.
The main backup to Pickett and Woodland is Ja’Keem Jackson. He made a couple of starts at Florida and appeared in 11 games in his first year at LSU.
The rest of the players on LSU’s roster who can play corner include redshirt sophomore Michael Turner, Southern transfer Treylan James, and three freshmen Emari Peterson, Havon Finney, and Dez Ellis.
There are still players in the portal who entered in January that LSU could sign, but they are in the portal at this point for a reason.
Redshirt sophomore edge rusher Gabriel Reliford is also out for the season after tearing his ACL.
On the other side of the ball, Kiffin said the offense’s performance in Saturday’s scrimmaging was discouraging, but Kiffin is pleased with the development of his offensive line.
“I think offensively that position has probably developed the best,” he said. “Through a couple of weeks, they’ve played well together, and in my opinion has dramatically improved from when we got here. So, that’s probably been one bright spot. The offensive line has come along really well.”
One of the best stories has been the emergence of fifth-year senior Bo Bordelon, who is taking snaps with the starters at left guard.
“He’s just done a really good job,” Kiffin said of Bordelon. “We moved him into guard and had a competition going there, and as of Saturday, he won it, even though obviously we’re not playing a game. But we don’t just make a depth chart, and you stay there. I think a lot of people do that. If you get outplayed, we move the depth chart, you know, daily. And he’s been doing a great job and deserved the right to go in there and start, and did a good job.”
But overall, the offense must improve. Kiffin knew it would not look pretty with starting quarterback Sam Leavitt on the sidelines rehabbing from foot surgery.
“Charlie (Weis) reminds me that we made the decision to sign Sam (while injured), and that this was going to be part of it,” Kiffin said. “That I wasn’t going to feel as good in the spring because he wasn’t going to be available. But there’s a lot of work to do there. Doesn’t happen overnight.”
There are five more practices left in spring football.
