LSU Football: Four players named to ESPN top 100 list

ESPN released their top 100 college football players for 2023 on Tuesday. LSU football was well-represented with four veteran players making the list.

The LSU Football players included in ESPN’s top 100 college football players for 2023 are no surprise. However, some fans might be staggered by where the Tigers rack and stack. The good news is that the number of LSU players receiving preseason top 100 recognition has doubled from a year ago.

Such is good news because it reinforces the opinion that LSU Football is a more talented team in year two of Brian Kelly’s tenure.

Regardless, the first Bayou Bengal fans will find when scrolling through ESPN’s list is the potential comeback player of the year.

79 – Maason Smith, DT, sophomore

Maason Smith is going to be a problem for opposing offenses this season. The 6’6, 315-pounder is an athletic freak hungry to make up for lost time.

Smith emerged as a disruptor during his freshman season with LSU Football. He posted 13 solo tackles and four sacks and earned freshman All-SEC honors in 2021. Unfortunately, Smith tore his ACL while celebrating a stop during the first quarter of 2022’s opener against the Florida State Seminoles.

Reports from LSU’s fall camp indicate that Smith looks fantastic. Indeed, I expect him to lead a defensive line that will compete as one of college football’s best this season.

37 – Malik Nabers, WR, junior

After not making the cut last year, Malik Nabers joins Maason Smith as an LSU Football player on the 2023 ESPN top 100 list.

2022 was a liberation for Nabers, a 6’0, 200-pound target from Youngsville (La.). Nabers emerged as the most dominant wide receiver in Baton Rouge at a time when Kayshon Boutte was underwhelming. Nabers caught 72 passes for 1,017 yards and was a favorite of quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Few LSU Football fans will forget Nabers’ 59-yard touchdown reception in the 2022 SEC Championship Game.

15 – Jayden Daniels, QB, senior

The stakes cannot get any higher for Jayden Daniels in Death Valley this season.

Daniels was a Godsend from Arizona State before the 2022 season. The shifty signal-caller amassed 3,798 total yards and 28 total touchdowns while leading LSU Football to an SEC West title. This season, the expectations are that Daniels will lead the Tigers to the College Football Playoff while competing for the Heisman Trophy.

ESPN ranked Daniels No. 97 on their final 2022 top 100 list. His jump to No. 15 speaks volumes regarding his fit in Baton Rouge, performance, and potential.

4 – Harold Perkins, LB, sophomore

For good reasons, Harold Perkins climbed 50 spots on ESPN’s top 100 list. Simply put, the New Orleans (La.) native is already one of the best players in college football.

Perkins put the SEC on notice last season while emerging from the EDGE position, where he accumulated 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception. The sophomore is primed for a bigger 2023 in which he will move to inside linebacker and be enabled to make plays on both sides of the field.

I could not be more excited for year two of Harold Perkins in Baton Rouge. He is a generational talent that has the potential to end up in New York City for the Heisman Trophy presentation.

Nevertheless, more LSU Football players deserve ESPN’s top 100 honors. I think that Mason Taylor, WIl Campbell, Emery Jones, Sai’vion Jones, and Mekhi Wingo are names to consider.

Regardless, preseason lists mean nothing if the players do not live up to the hype.