LSU Coach Ed Orgeron Says Defensive End Justin Thomas Has Left the Team

LSU coach Ed Orgeron told media members on Tuesday via a zoom call that junior defensive end Justin Thomas has left the team.

"He left the team, we will not be with us, it's unfortunate but he will not be with us," Orgeron said.

The loss of Thomas is the second big blow to the defensive line that, over the offseason, was expected to run four deep across the board. Last week, senior defensive end Neil Farrell announced his intentions to sit out the 2020 season due to COVID-19 related reasons. Orgeron did not go into specifics about what led to Thomas' departure.

The loss of Thomas is significant as he was one of the players who Orgeron mentioned would carry a starting spot with the team this season. After not seeing much playing time in 2018 or 2019, Thomas had reportedly made great strides in the spring.

With Thomas no longer on board, Orgeron mentioned TK McLendon and Ali Gaye as guys that will now compete for a starting spot on the defensive line. Orgeron said that McLendon had taken some time off and needs to get back into shape before the team just throws him back out there.

"I think eventually he can be a tremendous pass rusher but for right now he's just getting back into shape," Orgeron said. "I do believe that having a 4-3 defense and the way we're going to attack, the guy that I'm really impressed with is Ali Gaye. He had a great summer, he had a great day yesterday."

Thomas and Farrell are just two of the three LSU players that have either opted out or left the team in the last week. Senior cornerback Kary Vincent also announced via Twitter that he'd not be playing out the 2020 season, electing to instead focus on the NFL Draft.

“We wish him the best. He had very legit reasons, some of them were medical. He went out the right way," Orgeron said on Off the Bench.