LSU injury updates, opt-outs set roster for Texas Bowl

By Matt Moscona

December brings decisions in college football.

At LSU, those decisions are being made for the upcoming Texas Bowl against Houston.

Junior center Braelin Moore has returned to practice and is expected to play Saturday. He missed the final game of the regular season against Oklahoma with a foot injury.

Nic Anderson is also expected to return from injury at wide receiver. The Oklahoma transfer has not played since the loss at Alabama on November 8. His return is timely with the departure of Aaron Anderson for the NFL Draft.

Defensively, All-SEC safety AJ Haulcy’s status for the Texas Bowl is in doubt. He has not been participating in practice this week while healing from a shoulder injury that has bothered him for much of the season. Haulcy announced Friday that he will play in the Senior Bowl on January 31 in Mobile.

Officially Accepted!

S A.J. Haulcy (@Atwice_) from @LSUfootball is headed to the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl 🔥#TheDraftStartsInMobile #WherePlayersPlay pic.twitter.com/HIy9qL338r

— Panini Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) December 19, 2025

Without Haulcy, sophomore safety Dashawn Spears should see an increased role in the Tiger secondary alongside Tamarcus Cooley.

Interim head coach Frank Wilson announced earlier this month that team captains Garrett Nussmeier and Whit Weeks would not be available in the game. He also suggested LSU could be without senior defensive end Jack Pyburn who was considering opting out.

Though sophomores Ahmad Breaux and Ju’Juan Johnson have both announced they’ll enter the transfer portal in January, both will participate in the bowl game.

The Tigers will have the weekend off before returning to work Monday. The team will depart for Houston on Christmas Eve.