By Hunt Palmer
Traditions are part of what make college football great.
At LSU, it’s Saturday Night in Death Valley. It’s The Golden Band From Tigerland. It’s the H-style uprights, the white jerseys at home, the chance of rain. Never.
And more recently, it’s the No. 18.
What started with Matt Mauck and will continue later this week, according to Brian Kelly, has woven itself through LSU’s golden era of football. The number symbolizes leadership. It symbolizes strong work ethic.
The player chosen to wear No. 18 embodies the human qualities coaches and players look for in the backbone of a team.
Entering the 2024 season, 18 Tigers have donned the jersey.
Matt Mauck (2003)
Jacob Hester (2004-07)
Richard Dickson (2008-09)
Richard Murphy (2010)
Brandon Taylor (2011)
Bennie Logan (2012)
Lamin Barrow (2013)
Terrence Magee (2014)
Tre’Davious White (2015-16)
Christian LaCouture (2017)
John David Moore (2017)
Foster Moreau (2018)
K’Lavon Chaisson (2019)
Lloyd Cushenberry III (2019)
Chris Curry (2020)
Damone Clark (2020-21)
BJ Ojulari (2022)
Mekhi Wingo (2023)
Let’s explore some options for the upcoming announcement.
Josh Williams: The senior running back’s story and credentials ooze No. 18. He turned down multiple Division 1 scholarship offers to walk on at LSU. On the field he’s earned his role as the starting running back all the way from the 2019 scout team. He’s run for 1012 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s played special teams. He was named LSU’s Percy E. Roberts Offensive Player of the Year.
Off the field, he’s been even more impressive. Williams has earned academic All-SEC honors three times. He’s earned a Bachelor’s Degree in marketing, a Master’s degree in business, been named to the Hampshire’s National Honor Society and delivered the keynote speech and LSU’s “Tribute”, a gathering of LSU student-athletes on the eve of graduation. He also represented LSU at 2023 SEC Media Days in Birmingham.
Williams checks every box along the way. For his sixth and final season, a change in jersey number feels appropriate.
Garrett Nussmeier: Matt Mauck started this tradition. More than two decades later he’s still the only quarterback to have been a part of the lineage. That means no quarterback has ever earned the honor. Nussmeier is something of a unicorn in this era of college football. The quarterback spot has been a revolving door of transfers. Just this season nine of the 16 starting quarterbacks in the SEC will transfers. Last year 10 of the top 14 passers in the SEC were or have become transfers.
Nussmeier has waited his turn. Now that he’s become the face of the offense, he’s said and done all the right things. Emerging from the shadow of the best player in college football is a tough thing for a 21-year-old. While Nussmeier doesn’t have the athletic gifts Jayden Daniels possesses, he appears to have the makeup to understand that and lead the Tiger offense.
Greg Penn: Penn’s first year at LSU was difficult. Midway through, a coaching change shook the foundation of the program. LSU’s offense has fully recovered. On the contrary, Penn’s side of the ball is still in the midst of some dark days. Statistically speaking, last season was the worst defensive effort in LSU history. Penn was right in the middle of it. It would have been easy for any member of the LSU defense to relax last December. The consequential games were in the rearview. The nightmare was about over. Instead, Penn worked hard enough during Reliaquest Bowl prep to earn the “Make It Happen Award”, given to the player who exemplifies leadership. That’s loud. Penn has started 27 of the last 28 games for the Tigers.
Jacobian Guillory: Perhaps no player has enjoyed a better Fall Camp than Jacobian Guillory. On the offensive side, Kyren Lacy may have a claim, but on defense, Guillory has shined. Brian Kelly minced no words when he talked about LSU’s search for defensive tackles in the offseason transfer window. LSU was looking for help. Guillory returns as the only defensive tackle with appreciable experience. Gone are the top three at that position from last year. What a statement it would make if the most questioned position group on the roster produced the player with the highest preseason honor. Guillory spoke last week about his lifelong dream of putting on the purple and gold. He’s done that for four years, often in the background. Maybe he steps into the spotlight in a new number.
