LSU Football Awards Coveted No. 18 & No. 7 Jerseys to Trio of Tiger Stars

In Baton Rouge, it's common these days to hear everyone go on about the LSU program and how it’s "just different."

While that saying is new, the phrase has been true for LSU football long before Lane Kiffin landed in Louisiana as LSU's prized head coach.

Recently, LSU has been in the spotlight for some talk around numbers and retiring them. That’s actually an area where LSU has stood out from other programs.

LSU has stood out because of its unique tradition of passing down the No. 7 and No. 18 jerseys.

No. 18 - C Braelin Moore

Braelin Moore is entering his fifth college football season, and his second at LSU after 3 seasons at Virginia Tech.

The veteran center has recorded over 2,045 career snaps, and for 2026, he has taken on a role he's never had in his career.

After LSU lost nearly every offensive lineman to the transfer portal, Moore and a small handful of others decided to stay and be a part of Kiffin's team.

For Moore, he was the only every-game starter returning, and that meant he was the leader. He knew LSU and how to lead, and the staff never looked back.

For Moore, this number has been well-earned, as he exemplifies every characteristic of a No 18 at LSU.

Moore is only the second offensive lineman to wear the No. 18, or the number's patch, because NCAA number rules don't allow offensive linemen to wear that number.

No. 18's History

LSU Football — Sep 20, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (18) during warmups before the game against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Both of LSU's number traditions date back to the early 2000s.

For No. 18, the first player to wear the number was quarterback Matt Mauck, who started the tradition in 2003 after wearing No. 18 while leading the Tigers to their first national title in almost 50 years.

In the following spring, LSU equipment manager Greg Stringfellow, sports information director Michael Bonnette and head trainer Jack Marucci were talking with Mauck when they all decided it was a good idea to pass down the No. 18 jersey in his honor.

It wasn't just about being the quarterback for a championship. It was about Mauck's character.

Mauck was a walk-on who joined the team in 2000 and later earned the starting quarterback position in 2002. After suffering a season-ending foot injury halfway through his first season at the helm of the offense, he recovered and came back to earn his spot the next year.

It was then that he led LSU to the pinnacle of college football.

The tradition was started to honor Mauck's unteachable traits: immense focus, attention to detail and leadership.

No. 7 - TE Trey'Dez Green and LB Whit Weeks

Whit Weeks and Trey'Dez Green are easily LSU's biggest returning pieces this season, with both holding realistic hope that they hear their names called on Day 1 of the NFL Draft in April.

Green is the first tight end to wear the number, but his game and stats speak for themselves as to why he's the first.

The 6-foot-7 athletic freak makes every matchup a mismatch. His height, speed and vertical range combine to make the most versatile tight end LSU has had in its history.

The junior has the receiving part of his game under his belt, holding the school’s tight end touchdown record through just two seasons, while chasing the most yards by a tight end in their LSU career.

But he shows his unique character every single season by continuing to get better at pass protection and run blocking, a part of the game that a receiving threat like himself could get drafted without.

For Weeks, it's a similar story.

The Georgia native flys on the field, no matter how he's feeling or how his team is performing.

Weeks last season fought through a bone bruise on his ankle and multiple spells of sickness to push and play every game that the LSU medical and coaching staff would allow him to.

He ultimately missed half the season, but the senior worked this offseason to be back at LSU healthy. He was rewarded for his offseason work with a new partner in the middle of the field, the SEC’s leading tackler a season ago TJ Dottery.

No. 7's History

When LSU puts a No. 7 out on the field, it's a clear sign to any opponent that that player is the biggest playmaker on the team. And history has proved that to be true.

The tradition started in 2008 after cornerback Patrick Peterson wore the number. A younger defensive back who looked up to him took an interest in the number after Peterson was drafted fifth overall in 2011.

That defensive back was three-star Tyrann Mathieu. He was the next Peterson, both an electric defensive back and kick returner.

After Mathieu’s stint in the number, there were no bearers of the number until Leonard Fournette arrived at LSU. He chose the number for a different reason: to represent his neighborhood, the Seventh Ward in New Orleans.

But he was just as electric for LSU and the other players who wore No. 7 before him.

However, the history goes back further. The jersey was held by a College Football Hall of Fame player before Peterson.

That player was quarterback Bert Jones.

Jones was the first player to wear the number in 1970 as a sophomore quarterback. Jones went on to be named the Sporting News Player of the Year in 1972 after passing for 1,446 yards and 14 touchdowns.

After Jones left for the NFL after his award-winning 1972 season, the No. 7 jersey remained unworn until 1979. From 1979 to 2007, a total of 13 players, ranging from freshman quarterbacks to junior linebackers, wore the jersey.

Jones' legacy still lasts to this day, as his jersey is set to be immortalized in the South Stadium rafters on Nov. 14, when LSU plays Texas this season.

The tradition resumed after Fournette left, when Mathieu passed the number off to DJ Chark, a young receiver who was just breaking onto the scene. Chark then passed down the number like those before him, officially resuming the tradition.

Now, the number is handed out by the coaching staff to the biggest playmaker on the field.

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