A blossoming superstar is ready for his moment
In all the years we’ve been doing these football position previews, I don’t think tight end has ever gotten it’s solo feature. Normally I lump tight ends in with the wide receiver preview but I’m doing things differently this year because 1) yesterday’s WR preview ran long and 2) maybe for the first time ever, LSU tight ends might warrant the spotlight.
*At Oklahoma
**At Texas A&M
LSU heads into 2025 with the unenviable task of trying to replace Mason Taylor who is, quite literally, the most productive tight end in program history. It looks like two will be tasked with doing the job of one: incoming Oklahoma transfer Bauer Sharp and rising sophomore Trey’Dez Green.
Sharp ended up being Oklahoma’s No. 1 receiver last season, though. Oklahoma’s wide receiver room was absolutely devastated by injury last season so Sharp ended up having his number called more than anyone probably would have expected.
Listed at 6’5” and 246, Sharp is practically the same exact size as Mason Taylor but for a few pounds. I wouldn’t expect much, if any drop-off between the two. Sharp is a better blocker than Taylor, while Taylor’s a better receiver. Also my dad says Sharp’s more fun to play with than Taylor in this year’s EA Game than last year’s, so take that for what it’s worth.
LSU probably won’t need Sharp to catch 40 balls again, not while they have Trey’Dez Green entering year two with the program.
Green, last year’s No. 1 tight end prospect in America, didn’t win the Mackey Award as a true freshman, but LSU made an effort to get him involved. LSU went so far as to line Green up at wide receiver just to get his 6’7” frame on the field. Green’s path to the field as a tight end was blocked by Taylor, but when Taylor opted out of the Texas Bowl, Green had his coming out party: five catches, 50 yards, and a pair of red zone touchdowns. All five of those catches either moved the chains on third or fourth down, or ended in points.
“You saw a true freshman in Trey’Dez Green, who in many ways, how do you put it in perspective that he made you forget about Mason Taylor, who is an incredible player, because of the plays he made on fourth down and third down,” Brian Kelly said following the win over Baylor. “I think the presence of Trey’Dez Green at the tight end positions gave Garrett Nussmeier the opportunity to convert third and fourth down situations.”
Tight ends as big as Green with a basketball background—remember he played sparingly last season for Matt McMahon and the LSU men’s basketball team—get stereotyped as just “big receivers” like Jimmy Graham was back in his heyday. But to Green’s credit all throughout bowl prep, spring practice, and now fall camp, we’re hearing that he’s not afraid to mix it up as an in-line blocker. Green’s open to learning how to become a better blocker, and that will be so valuable for LSU this season and next (and also likely lead to him getting paid by an NFL team down the line). If Green becomes a willing blocker, that means LSU won’t be as predictable when he’s on the field, compared to last season when someone like Ka’Morreun Pimpton was taking snaps. Max is the biggest champion of the tight end position, and he’ll love it if Sharp and Green allow LSU to play more 12-personnel this fall.
To give the room some more veteran depth, LSU added a second tight end out of the portal: Donovan Green formerly of Texas A&M. Green had a really nice freshman season in 2023, but for whatever reason didn’t record any stats in 2024 and primarily played as a special teamer last year. Green caught 22 passes for 233 yards and a pair of scores in ‘23. That’s not nothing, and if something were to happen to Sharp, I’m comfortable with Green getting his number called.
The future of the tight end room lies in an LSU legacy: JD LaFleur, the son of David LaFleur. Listed at 6’7”/253 the kid’s massive, he’s as tall as Green and about 10 pounds heavier than Sharp. JD was a three-star tight end coming out of Sulphur, and if he’s anything close to what David was at LSU (two-time All-SEC selection, first round pick), then Brian Kelly should be able to keep his reputation as a coach that gets tight ends into the NFL.