As fall camp closed, LSU added a pair of fifth-year players.
Junior Tuihalamaka and Dea’Quan Wright joined the Tigers over the weekend which sent the internet into a tizzy. Wright was with the Cleveland Browns on Saturday for an NFL preseason game. Tuihalamaka played four years at Notre Dame but never signed with an NFL team.
The moves make sense. LSU is light on defensive ends with Gabriel Reliford out for the season and Damien Shanklin away from the team. Trey’Dez Green is an elite pass catcher at tight end, but he doesn’t play the role traditionally. Wright gives LSU a little bit of a different look.
Both players offer a wealth of experience and should take on roles rather quickly. They’ll have to with kickoff less than two weeks away.
JUNIOR TUIHALAMAKA
Tuihalamaka played in 54 games at Notre Dame with three of seven career starts last season. Three of his four career sacks came as a junior when the Irish advanced to the national title game.
He made nine tackles for loss at Notre Dame and finished with 61 tackles.
Without Reliford and Shanklin, LSU needed reinforcements at defensive end. Princewill Umanmielen, Jordan Ross and Dylan Carpenter are upperclassmen with experience. Lamar Brown has missed a little time with injury, and Kolaj Cobbins hasn’t played much.
Tuihalamaka graded a 73.6 against the run last year with the Irish according to Pro Football Focus with 17 quarterback hurries.
At 6-foot-2 and 255 pounds, Tuihalamaka is a little bit undersized, but has a ton of game reps under his belt and offers badly needed depth.
DAE’QUAN WRIGHT
Wright was on the sideline during Buffalo’s 31-7 win over Cleveland on Saturday. According to Pro Football Focus, he didn’t play a snap. Now, he’s headed back to the college ranks.
Wright played two years at Virginia Tech and two at Ole Miss. He was signed as an undrafted free agent with the Eagles, waived and picked up by Cleveland. It’s a winding path to LSU and one that has sparked debate on the worldwide web.
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin saw a chance to add to his offense and did so.
Wright excelled in Ole Miss’s offense a season ago in part designed by Kiffin. He made 39 catches for 635 yards and five touchdowns. One of those scores came in the College Football Playoff semifinal versus Miami. He’s 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds and offers a veteran option at the traditional tight end spot.
Behind Green, who is purely a receiving option at tight end, LSU has some numbers but none as accomplished as Wright. Malachi Thomas didn’t start at Pittsburgh last season. JD LaFluer redshirted last fall, JC Anderson is a true freshman, and Zach Grace didn’t record a statistic at Baylor a year ago.
Wright is a proven SEC playmaker who knows LSU’s offense having spent two seasons in it. He’ll play with Green in two tight end sets and can block as well as catch passes.
