As the LSU football season quickly comes to an end with only two games remaining, players have decided to opt out and coaches have shown their disgust with one another.
Last week, it was announced that Terrace Marshall Jr. made the decision to opt out of the remainder of the 2020 season to get ready for the NFL Draft. He does have a lot to prepare for if he wants to make his way to the NFL, but he is already a missing piece to this puzzle.
It seems as though the 2020 LSU football program has only gone downhill more and more each week. If the Tigers had a championship season like they did in 2019, then they would be golden and they probably would not have as many complaints. However, this is not the case.
How Coach Ed Orgeron feels
Clearly, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron has not had his best season as the Tigers are currently 3-5. He even seems to show some regret about the hire of defensive coordinator Bo Pelini because in LSU’s game against Alabama, Orgeron was very upset during the second quarter.
After Alabama scored a touchdown, Orgeron showed this anger when he ripped off his headset because LSU’s defense failed to get a stop. This certainly reflects Pelini’s coaching skills, especially since his defense has been ranked at the bottom of the SEC all season long.
Conflict is a common thing and it oftentimes cannot be ignored, but there seems to be a lot of mishaps for the Tigers this season. Some could even speculate that this is why players are choosing to opt out of the remainder of the season. While this may not be the case, it definitely does not look good for LSU.
Tight end Arik Gilbert
On Wednesday Dec. 9, freshman tight end Arik Gilbert announced that he has decided to opt out of the rest of the 2020 season. He is considering transferring out of the program completely after missing practice on Monday because he has been homesick.
Now that Gilbert has decided to leave LSU, this is a huge loss for the team due to the talent he brings to the table. In just his first year of playing college ball, Gilbert has started in every game, he has caught 35 receptions for 368 yards and has made two touchdowns.
For a freshman, these stats are incredible, and it would be a shame to see this talent leave the field but Gilbert does have plans to return home to Marietta, Georgia for the rest of the semester.
In an interview with 247Sports, Orgeron said, “I think if Gilbert opts out and wants to come back I would definitely take him back. He’s a great young man and we treat him like family.”
Regardless of everything that has happened in LSU’s season, things can be fixed but Orgeron will have to make some changes. He may need to find a better coaching staff and he needs to take more time to consider new players if he wants to have a winning season in 2021.
Hello! My name is Janelle and I’m a senior at The University of Central Florida studying Human Communications and Event Management. My two favorite teams are the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Penn State Nittany Lions.
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