LSU Football: Louisiana Newcomers Pushing For Expanded Roles

Brian Kelly has made it a point to build a wall around Louisiana on the recruiting trail and “keep the best in the boot” when it comes to the state’s top talent.

Whether it’s hitting the Transfer Portal with force in order to bring top players back to the Bayou State or utilizing high school recruiting classes, Kelly has made his intentions clear when it comes to Louisiana’s talent pool.

During the offseason, LSU went out and secured several players with newcomers already emerging as key pieces to what this program will do both now and in the future.

Headlined by Notre Dame transfer Logan Diggs, the Tigers are beginning to see what the first-year Tigers are all about.

Here are five Louisiana newcomers turning heads:

Logan Diggs - Running Back

Diggs is fresh off of his best season with Notre Dame in 2022. After rushing for 821 rushing yards on a team-high 165 carries, while scoring four touchdowns and averaging five yards per carry, Diggs quickly became a hot name on the market before Kelly and Co. secured the coveted running back.

The 6-foot, 214-pounder has been durable throughout his college career, and entering an LSU running back room that has battled the injury bug as of late, he has had the chance to come in and earn RB1 duties immediately.

Diggs proved what he’s capable of during his time with the Fighting Irish. Kelly has seen it. All of Louisiana has seen it. Now, he has the chance to prove it in the purple and gold that he can take his game to the next level in Baton Rouge.

On Saturday, he did just that after rushing for 115 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown in his debut.

Moving forward in SEC play, it’ll be key Diggs continues to shine in order for this rushing attack to be effective against top notch competition.

Kaleb Jackson - Running Back

True freshman running back Kaleb Jackson became a critical piece to the running back rotation on Saturday night against Grambling. It was certainly an inferior opponent, but to receive production from the youngster was a positive sign for LSU.

Jackson ended the night with 62 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries in his Tiger Stadium debut.

The LSU running back room is crowded with Noah Cain, Josh Williams, Tre Bradford and Diggs all fighting for significant snaps, and now throwing Jackson into the mix, it’ll be interesting to see how this coaching staff divides snaps in SEC play.

Zalance Heard - Offensive Tackle

The 6-foot-6, 340-pound freshman has been turning heads ever since Fall Camp and is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. Coach Kelly has praised his youngster and the development he’s had over the last few weeks.

Now, he’s fighting for starting duties in SEC play. Heard was thrown in the fire on Saturday against Grambling and Kelly tested his freshman early. The Tigers primarily ran the ball to the right side of the field, and with Heard playing right tackle, he handled business when called upon.

As SEC play arrives, Heard will be a key piece to the rotation. LSU will keep Miles Frazier as the starting right guard as it stands, but moving forward we could see Emery Jones slide to right guard and Heard move into the starting right tackle rotation.

Aaron Anderson - Wide Receiver/Return Specialist

It was a rocky start for Alabama transfer Aaron Anderson in Week 1 against Florida State. After muffing his first punt return in the purple and gold, it brought flashbacks of last year’s special teams woes, but Anderson remains a key component to what this program will do both now and in the future.

Anderson has worked in at the slot behind Kyren Lacy, and despite Lacy taking first-team reps, Anderson has an opportunity to receive significant snaps this season with Lacy’s drop history.

It’ll be interesting to monitor the role Anderson takes on as the season progresses, but LSU isn’t shy in putting the ball in their playmaker’s hands.

Look for Anderson to continue getting comfortable as both a return specialist and receiver in a new offense. The Louisiana native is electric in open space and the Tigers will rely on him to take that next step.

Ashton Stamps - Cornerback

True freshman cornerback Ashton Stamps was the big winner during Fall Camp. An LSU secondary that lacks depth, we saw the Metairie (La.) native seize the opportunity and fly up the depth chart.

Practice and in-game scenarios are different and this program is in no rush to throw Stamps into the fire. He took just one snap against Florida State in Week 1, but against Grambling, the Tigers put their youngster on the field to get his first taste of Death Valley.

Stamps came up with a pass breakup in the right corner of the end zone, and despite the small sample size, it’s clear this program will need Stamps to continue developing in order to make an impact sooner rather than later.

With a secondary rotation that’s wide open, LSU is looking for that next guy to emerge and Stamps certainly has the tools to do just that.