Former LSU cornerback Colby Richardson signs as UDFA after 2023 NFL Draft

The Carolina Panthers are adding former LSU and McNeese State cornerback Colby Richardson to the organization as an undrafted free agent, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He secured a $10,000 signing bonus by inking a deal with the Panthers.

Richardson spent six years playing college football, redshirting as a true freshman and getting a sixth year via the Covid-19 year of eligibility. After spending five years at McNeese State, he transferred to LSU ahead of the 2022 season.

He was a player that new head coach Brian Kelly was excited about prior to the season.

“Well there’s a couple things, one I think I mentioned this about Colby Richardson, physically he came in and put on about 20 pounds and I think that really has allowed him to compete at a high level. He was somewhere in the 170 range, 168 – 172, and he’s over 190 pounds, so I think coming in and really taking advantage of the nutrition and in the weight training and the conditioning. He’s obviously a very gifted athlete, but then putting on the strength and taking our nutrition program to a new level for him, one that he probably never had before,” Kelly said.

However, an early season injury altered the course of Richardson’s season and he wasn’t as effective in the latter half of the season.

At LSU, Richardson played in 12 games and made five starts, including starting the season opener against Florida State. In his college career, he has 14 passes defended and three interceptions.

LSU EDGE Ali Gaye signs deal following NFL Draft

Former LSU defensive end Ali Gaye made it all the way from the Gambia, Africa’s smallest mainland country, to Baton Rouge. And now the next stop of his football journey is in Houston, as the Texans signed him as an undrafted free agent, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Gaye moved from Gambia to the United States when he was 12 years old, playing high school football at Edmonds Woodway in Washington. He was an under-recruited prospect out of high school attending two junior colleges (Arizona Western College and Garden City Community College) before making his way to Baton Rouge. Out of junior college, he was a three-star prospect, ranked the No. 42 overall player and the No. 5 defensive end at the junior college level according to On3’s Industry Rankings.

Gaye wreaked havoc on offenses once he arrived at LSU. He stuffed the stat sheet in his first season with the Tigers, ending the 2020 season with 32 tackles, six passes defended (tied for a team lead), two sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and an interception. He earned second-team All-SEC honors from both the SEC Coaches and the Associated Press that season.