The Frank Wilson era for the LSU Football program is set to begin this Saturday night. Taking over as LSU's interim head coach following the firing of Brian Kelly 2 weeks ago, Wilson will lead the Tigers for the rest of the 2025 season. His first game as interim coach presents a tough challenge, as LSU hits the road to face Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide are riding a 7-game win streak and were ranked as the No. 4 team in the country in the initial College Football Playoff rankings that were released earlier this week.
LSU should target this 4-star recruit who just decommitted from another SEC school
As 10.5-point underdogs, the Tigers are looking to pull a major upset against the Crimson Tide. LSU hasn't beaten Alabama since Kelly's first season in 2022. It will be all hands on deck as LSU looks to play spoiler in Tuscaloosa.
Fresh faces expected to contribute for LSU against Alabama
According to Wilson, a pair of freshmen are in line to see increased roles against the Crimson Tide. On his radio show, Wilson stated that freshman safety Jhase Thomas and freshman WR TaRon Francis are expected to earn some playing time.
Thomas was a 4-star recruit from Destrehan who was listed as one of the top 2 safeties in Louisiana. According to ESPN, he was ranked as high as No. 9 overall in the state of Louisiana and No. 21 among all safeties in the country. He's appeared in 2 games so far this season in limited playing time.
Francis was rated as a consensus 4-star prospect from Edna Karr High School in New Orleans. He was listed as the top wide receiver in Louisiana by 247Sports, and was ranked as the No. 9 overall player in the state as well as the No. 28 receiver in the country in the On3 composite. He's seen the field in one game this season but does not have any stats.
It will be interesting to see how much time Thomas and Francis see against the Tide. They have both seen extremely limited action this season, and going into Bryant-Denny Stadium against the No. 4 Crimson Tide presents a tough challenge. But, it's all hands on deck as LSU tries to pull of a big upset. Kick-off is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday night.