LSU's new-look defense will be without one of its top players for the first 30 minutes of Saturday night's matchup against No. 4 Clemson. Starting safety AJ Haulcy, who transferred to LSU from Houston in the spring, was one of the top defensive players available in the transfer portal. Haulcy's move to Baton Rouge is a big get for Brian Kelly and the Tigers, as he is expected to play a big role in revamping LSU's defense in 2025.
Why is AJ Haulcy suspended?
The NCAA has suspended Haulcy for the first half of LSU's game at Clemson due to an incident in last season's finale. Playing for Houston, Haulcy was ejected for his role in a scrum against BYU on Nov. 30. Haulcy was originally ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct, which does not warrant further discpline. However, after the game, officials clarified that Haulcy had actually been ejected for fighting, which does come with an additional suspension of one half of the following game.
According to ESPN, LSU team officials weren't informed of Haulcy's suspension for the Clemson game until Wednesday, just days before the teams were set to take the field in the highly-anticipated top-10 matchup.
There appears to have been some major communication issues on Haulcy's status for Saturday's nights game. ESPN reported that Houston was informed by the Big 12 of Haulcy's suspension in December 2024, but that Haulcy himself was not informed. It took nearly nine months after the incident took place for LSU team officials and Haulcy to learn about it. Why it took that long is incomprehensible.
The new-look LSU defense will now have to take on Cade Klubnik and Clemson's vaunted passing attack without Haulcy for the first half of tonight's contest. He is eligible to return after halftime.