Brian Kelly provides update about LSU DL Ali Gaye prior to Citrus Bowl

The LSU Tigers got some bad news on Wednesday night, when head coach Brian Kelly made his radio appearance to update fans on a number of topics before their Citrus Bowl matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers. Kelly revealed that LSU star pass rusher Ali Gaye will not play in the Citrus Bowl, which means that Mekhi Wingo will be the only starting defensive lineman playing in the game for the Tigers, per Wilson Alexander of The Advocate.

Gaye is one of LSU’s most talented defensive linemen, so not having him in the contest is a brutal blow. This year, he racked up 36 tackles, six tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. During his entire LSU career thus far, Gaye has tallied 87 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 10 pass deflections, seven sacks, and one interception.

In 2021, Gaye suffered a season-ending injury against the Kentucky Wildcats. In four games that year, he tallied 19 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. He had his best season at LSU in 2020, when he earned second-team All-SEC honors from the SEC Coaches and Associated Press. Gaye finished the year with 32 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks. He tied for the team lead in pass breakups with six and quarterback hurries with five.

Before he arrived at LSU–Gaye was one of the nation’s top junior college prospects coming out of Garden City Community College (Garden City, Kansas). The state of Kansas is well known for having some of the nation’s top junior college football programs. He was touted as the No. 2 JUCO defensive end prospect in America in the 2019 cycle. Gaye racked up 44 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, a pass breakup, and two blocked kicks during the 2019 season there.

The 2023 Citrus Bowl will be played at Camping World Stadium located in Orlando, Florida. Purdue and LSU will face off on Monday, January 2nd. Kickoff is slated for noon EST.