Breaking: LSU WR Kyle Parker out for season
On Thursday night, LSU head coach Brian Kelly said on his radio show that redshirt freshman wide receiver Kyle Parker was out for the season with a torn tendon in his tricep. Parker suffered an elbow injury against USC on the first possession of the season, but recovered well enough to play against South Carolina, UCLA, and South Alabama, before sustaining another injury.
Now, Parker is sidelined for the season, shortening the Tigers’ receiver depth.
Parker appeared to be in good spirits meeting with the media before the South Alabama game, reflecting on the injury and what it took to get back on the field.
“I tried bracing myself as I was falling down and I ended up hurting my arm,” Parker said of his injury in late September. “I tried staying in the game, but it just got worse. Stuff happens, it’s football so just have to take that time to try to get back healthy and get back on the field. Since I wasn’t playing, I had to emphasize taking the mental reps and making sure I’m staying on top of the plays and everything because if I didn’t do that, I would be lost in the offense and I wouldn’t be ready to go. I just had to make the best out of every day I had when I was hurt.”
What’s next for LSU?
Parker’s production won’t stand out on paper, playing 43 snaps in four games, but against UCLA, he played 21 snaps and had a his first career touchdown. He’s been someone this coaching staff trusted throughout the fall and into the season, but injuries held him out early and now his absence puts a lot more pressure on the rest of the Tigers’ receivers to step up and stay healthy. Kyren Lacy, Aaron Anderson, and CJ Daniels have been the three most consistent players on the perimeter, while Chris Hilton has yet to play this season and Zavion Thomas has just 12 catches for 100 yards so far. On Wednesday’s injury report, CJ Daniels and Chris Hilton were both listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against Ole miss.
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the Tigers are in a challenging spot as the wide receiver depth stretches thin. Any more injuries would certainly put pressure on redshirt freshman Shelton Sampson to be ready to contribute in some capacity moving forward. Kelly also named Trey’Dez Green, Ka’Morreun Pimpton, and Jelani Watkins as potential players to step in this season. We’ll see how Cortez Hankton handles the receiver rotations moving forward in SEC play with Parker sidelined.
LSU faces Ole Miss at 6:30 p.m. CT in the first SEC home game of the season, looking to remain perfect in conference play coming off of a bye week.
