LSU Has to Replace More Than Production Against Texas A&M

The numbers LSU will be missing against Texas A&M aren't difficult to find.

Trey'Dez Green has 14 catches for 222 yards and a touchdown through three games.

Dashawn Spears had seven tackles, a sack and a pass breakup before suffering a season-ending ACL injury against Ole Miss.

But replacing catches and tackles may be the easier part.

What LSU lost in Oxford goes beyond the stat sheet. The Tigers lost two players Lane Kiffin trusted with unique responsibilities on the field, but perhaps more importantly, two players who had become important pieces of the identity LSU was trying to build in his first season.

Green's place in that equation was made clear before LSU ever played a game.

When Kiffin had to choose three players to accompany him to his first SEC Media Days as LSU's head coach, Green was one of them.

He joined Whit Weeks and TJ Dottery in Tampa as three players chosen to represent a program entering a new era.

Then, just over a month later, LSU gave Green another distinction.

No. 7

LSU tight end Trey'Dez Green (7) carries the ball during a college football game between Ole Miss and LSU at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Green and Weeks were selected to share one of the most recognizable numbers in LSU football history, one previously worn by players such as Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu, Leonard Fournette, Grant Delpit and Ja'Marr Chase.

LSU's own description of the honor goes beyond production. The program says No. 7 represents a playmaker and relentless competitor, but also someone other players look toward when the Tigers need somebody to respond — a player who leads by example.

That makes Green's absence different from simply losing LSU's starting tight end.

He had become one of the faces of Kiffin's first LSU team.

And Green made it clear at SEC Media Days that he understood that responsibility.

When asked about his individual goals for the season, Green didn't start talking about receptions, touchdowns or postseason awards.

"I just want to be that guy that my teammates can count on," Green said.

He talked about wanting to be an outlet for teammates when they were going through something, needed energy or simply needed somebody in their ear.

Now LSU has to find some of that elsewhere.

That's part of what makes the timing difficult.

LSU is coming off its first loss of the season and preparing for another major SEC game against Texas A&M. It's exactly the kind of week when veteran voices and established leaders become particularly valuable.

Green isn't the only absence that changes that dynamic

Spears' season-ending injury takes another experienced presence out of LSU's defense, along with a player whose responsibilities were difficult to replicate.

Kiffin described both players as "extremely unique" because of the number of things LSU asked them to do.

On the field, those responsibilities can at least be redistributed.

Zach Grace and Malachi Thomas can absorb snaps at tight end. Roman Mothershed can give LSU another receiving option when Kiffin wants to create mismatches from that position.

Defensively, Tamarcus Cooley, Jhase Thomas and CJ Jimcoily give LSU options for redistributing Spears' responsibilities in the secondary.

Leadership doesn't work quite as cleanly.

There isn't a depth chart for the player who speaks up after a loss. There isn't a substitution LSU can make for the teammate others naturally look toward when momentum starts moving the wrong direction.

That's particularly important now.

Kiffin's first LSU team is only three games into its season. The Tigers are still establishing what this version of the program looks like under a new coaching staff, and Saturday's response to the Ole Miss loss will be one of its earliest tests.

Green was selected to represent that program on a national stage before the season. Weeks later, he was handed a number specifically associated with leadership and making plays when LSU needs them.

Now he won't be available against Texas A&M.

LSU can redistribute his routes.

It can redistribute Spears' coverage assignments.

It can find players to replace their snaps.

What the Tigers have to find out Saturday is who replaces their voices.

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