It’s been a newsy start to the week for LSU athletics. Here’s a quick rundown.
LSU pitcher Cooper Moore: When LSU starting pitcher Cooper Moore left his start versus Oklahoma on March 20th, he was expected to miss two to three weeks with a triceps injury. Turns out it’s a season-ending injury.
During his radio show on Monday night, Coach Jay Johnson ruled Moore out for the rest of the season after a second opinion revealed a broken bone in his arm.
Moore’s season ends with a 3-3 record with a 3.38 ERA. Johnson said Moore is expected to return to LSU next season.
Expect to see freshman Marcos Paz possibly get a start on Sunday. Johnson has been encouraged by Paz’s recent outings.
Boot Up! Some people were starting to wonder, was Will Wade going to get a transfer portal commitment anytime soon? The portal opened on April 7th, and it’s been a quiet two weeks, other than players from last season’s team heading out the door. The Tigers have zero players on their roster.
Wade’s first transfer portal commitment is from 6-foot-7, 220-pound small forward Mouhamad Dioubate, from Kentucky.
Dioubate has also played at Alabama, and between the two schools, he’s averaged close to nine points and six rebounds a game.
The native of Queens, New York, is ranked as the 60th overall player in the current portal window.
He will be a senior next season.
LSU Football also gets a commitment: One of the state’s best high school athletes, Braylon Calais, has committed to LSU. In the 2024 season, Calais helped Cecilia win a state championship in football. He is a freak of an athlete.
He’s 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, and he chose the Tigers over Ole Miss. LSU receivers coach George McDonald recruited Calais when he was coaching at Ole Miss and that relationship only got stronger when McDonald and LSU offensive coordinator Charlie Weis got to Baton Rouge.
Ohio State, Texas A&M, Miami and Houston also offered him a scholarship.
At Ceclia, the four-star recruit plays running back, wide receiver, and the defensive secondary. LSU sees him playing receiver in college. He’s the fourth commitment for the 2027 Class and the second receiver.
The other receiver is 5-10, 170 pound, Ah’Mari Stevens, who decommitted last week from Miami and committed to LSU.
One of the nation’s top receivers in the Class of 2027 is Brother Martin’s Easton Royal and he’s currently committed to Texas. Royal is ranked as the 10th best player in the country.
Finally, some clarity on Nussmeier’s injury: NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reports that doctors at the NFL combine found a cyst on the spine of former LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier that caused his persistent oblique pain. Pelissero reports Nuss has been symptom-free since the Senior Bowl. If the issue returns, a minor surgery can fix it, and he would be back in two to three weeks.
Pelissero anticipates Nussmeier will be a mid-round pick in this week’s draft.
Some people question how LSU’s medical team did not know.
My non-medical expert reply is that these things are tricky and the human body does some interesting stuff.
Also, it’s interesting to think that a cyst on Nussmeier’s spine is what started the snowball, which led to Brian Kelly’s firing, Scott Woodward’s firing, the hiring of Lane Kiffin, Verge Ausberry, and now Will Wade.
