LSU Football

HEIGHT: 6'6"

WEIGHT: 319

HAND: 9½"

ARM: 32⅝"

WINGSPAN: 77⅜"

40-YARD DASH: 4.98

3-CONE: NA

SHUTTLE: NA

VERTICAL: 32"

BROAD: 9'5"

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POSITIVES

— Plays with excellent balance, weight distribution and leverage.

— Very good play strength with a consistently strong base to absorb and dish out force on command.

— Quickly and efficiently transitions into his anchor to brace and dissipate the bull-rush.

— Fluidly navigates combo blocks and double-teams to feed/secure the first-level and timely release to intersect second-level targets.

— Outstanding blend of body control and physicality to sustain, drive and finish blocks at a high level.

— Renowned leadership skills and football character.

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NEGATIVES

— Will occasionally drift and overset when on an island and threatened with speed to the corner.

— Mediocre arm length coupled with a tendency to strike down the middle of high-side rushes creates short corners.

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NOTES

— Born Jan. 6, 2004

— 4-star tackle recruit from 2022 class, per 247Sports

— Top-rated high school player in the state of Louisiana

— Was awarded the Number 7 patch (given to the team's top playmaker from Louisiana) prior to 2023 and retained it for the 2024 season. He is the first offensive lineman to receive the distinction since the team began assigning the number in 2008.

— 2023: AP Second-Team All-SEC

— 2024: Consensus All-American (first OL at LSU since Ben Wilkerson in 2004), Co-winner of the SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy with Texas LT Kelvin Banks Jr.

— Trained under Duke Manyweather at OL Masterminds in preparation for the combine

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OVERALL

Will Campbell is a three-year starter and two-time team captain inside LSU's pass-first (60-40 pass-run split), multiple-run scheme with 31 career starts at left tackle. He is the first offensive lineman in school history to be named the team's top playmaker and awarded the number seven, which he wears as a patch on his jersey (due to the inability for linemen to wear single digits). Campbell has a tall, sawed-off frame and sturdy build with very good athletic ability.

Campbell is a smooth operator with a polished, well-rounded skill set and a natural feel for the position due to very good footwork, hand placement, play strength, and competitive toughness. He is an adept run blocker who can secure and create immediate displacement on angle-drive and base blocks with the body control and balance to recover, sustain and finish at a high level. He doesn't bring a ton of mass, girth or length but has very good core strength and strong hands to torque and control defenders away from the ball.

In pass protection, Campbell is a fluid mover to the spot with excellent strike timing and hand placement to latch inside the frame of his target and efficiently transition into his anchor when rushers use power. He can expand and protect the corner against speed off of the edge while remaining balanced through the top of the quarterback's drop. Campbell can get over-aggressive in his set against widely-aligned, high-side rushes, which results in drifting and oversetting, leaving room for inside counters to gain access to his inside half.

Overall, Campbell is a prime candidate to move inside as a pro. He has the makeup, movement skills, play strength, and competitive toughness to make a smooth transition to guard or center and be an impact starter with Pro Bowl potential during his rookie contract.

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GRADE: 8.4 (Year 1 Starter — 1st Round)

OVERALL RANK: 7

POSITION RANK: IOL1

PRO COMPARISON: David DeCastro

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

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Prospect workout numbers, measurables (40-yard dash, hand size, etc.) and 2024 statistics will be added at a later date.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly was proud to see two former Tigers quarterbacks face off when the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow and Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels competed on Monday Night Football.

"I didn't get a chance to see, but I saw a number of clips as we were preparing for South Alabama," Kelly said during a Wednesday teleconference between SEC coaches (h/t Tiger Droppings.) "Certainly, when you have two Heisman trophy winners that are currently in the NFL, which is unprecedented, going against each other and playing at such a high level, it speaks to what can happen in the development at the quarterback position at LSU.

"Then you add Ja'Marr Chase, and Malik Nabers had a great day. There's so many great things happening in terms of the development of the players that can come in and compete right away. Joe did it, Jayden's doing, Malik's doing it... there are so many players."

Kelly concluded: "It just speaks to the player development piece here at LSU relative to coming in and playing for championships but also preparing yourself for the NFL. It helps us a great deal and resonates in recruiting."

The Commanders won over Burrow and the Bengals, 38-33, as Daniels recorded three total touchdowns on Monday.

Daniels threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-23 passing, while adding 39 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

Jayden Daniels had a historic MNF debut: 293 total yards, 91.3 comp%, 3 total TDs 🔥@JayD__5 | @Commanders pic.twitter.com/TMUHGzUjsw

— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024

Burrow meanwhile threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns. Former LSU star wideout Ja'Marr Chase made six receptions, including two touchdown catches, for 118 receiving yards in the loss.

BURROW TO CHASE. 41-YARD TD.

📺: #WASvsCIN on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/DJW1LY5mdS

— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024

The day prior, Nabers was in action on Sunday during the New York Giants' 21-15 win over the Cleveland Browns. The former Tigers star made eight catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns.

Malik Nabers has a touchdown!

📺: #NYGvsCLE on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/4XDd73juH1

— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024

Burrow and Chase both starred for LSU prior to the announcement of Kelly's hiring in November 2021, both playing two seasons together with the Tigers prior to entering the 2019 NFL draft.

Daniels and Nabers both played under Kelly prior to entering the NFL. Before he was selected with the No. 2 pick by the Washington Commanders, Daniels became the first LSU quarterback since Burrow to win the Heisman with his 40-touchdown 2023 campaign for the Tigers.

Those weren't the only former LSU stars selected during the first round of the 2024 draft. The Jacksonville Jaguars used the No. 23 pick to draft wideout Brian Thomas Jr., who made a touchdown catch in his Sept. 8 NFL debut, a Week 1 loss at the Miami Dolphins.

Kelly has previously said he isn't interested in "going to go out and buy players" in the NCAA transfer portal. Although NIL deals will undoubtedly play a key role in the Tigers' roster construction, it seems the third-year LSU head coach is also hoping his program's history of turning college stars into first-round NFL draft picks will also help in drawing talent to Baton Rouge.

LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. will miss the remainder of the 2024 season after tearing his ACL, according to 247Sports' Matt Zenitz and ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

The injury occurred in the fourth quarter of the Tigers' 34-17 win over UCLA.

Perkins was the crown jewel of head coach Brian Kelly's first recruiting class in 2022. He ranked eighth nationally in 247Sports' composite rankings that year.

The New Orleans native lived up to the hype as a true freshman, finishing with 72 tackles, 7.5 sacks and four forced fumbles to earn first-team All-SEC honors.

Harold Perkins. Again.

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/0KZbc9ihfT

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) November 12, 2022

Perkins' sophomore year brought a positional change as he lined up more as an off-ball linebacker rather than an edge-rusher. The move had an accompanying effect on his production as his sack tally fell to 5.5, though his tackling output climbed slightly to 75 despite appearing in one fewer game.

Kelly kept Perkins in the off-ball role heading into this season. Through four starts, the junior had 17 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

While Perkins isn't impacting games in so noticeable a way as he did in 2022, he remains a key defender for LSU. His absence will be felt when the team pivots to its SEC slate of games.

The injury could affect his future in Baton Rouge as well.

Perkins was the No. 27 overall pick in Bleacher Report's most recent 2025 NFL mock draft.

"Perkins is a natural pass-rusher with the movement skills of an off-ball linebacker and the build of a safety (6'1", 225 lbs)," his scouting report read. "There's no reason to pigeonhole him into a specific position. Instead, he should be viewed as a defensive weapon who can be deployed in various manners."

Whereas he looked like a sure bet to leave, it might now be in Perkins' best interest to spend another season with the Tigers.

LSU running back John Emery Jr. is expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL during Tuesday's practice, Wilson Alexander and Koki Riley reported for the New Orleans Advocate.

The injury occurred two days after Emery made his return to the field following a torn ACL in November 2023.

He recorded 10 carries for 61 yards on Sunday in LSU's season-opening loss to USC.

Emery, who made his LSU debut in 2019, is in his final season of college eligibility.

Emery's biggest campaigns for LSU came in 2020 and 2022, when he twice eclipsed 75 carries and 370 rushing yards for the Tigers.

He sat out the 2021 campaign for academic reasons, then was sidelined after seven games in 2023 due to his previous ACL injury. He finished last season with 121 rushing yards on 23 carries.

The sixth-year senior entered the transfer portal following the 2023 season before announcing in June he would return to LSU amid running back Trey Holly's indefinite suspension from the team.

At the time, LSU head coach Brian Kelly praised Emery's "incredible" efforts to rehab from last November's torn ACL.

Emery was one of four running backs competing for playing time this season with sixth-year senior Josh Williams, sophomore Kaleb Jackson and freshman Caden Durham.

Williams, who started against the Trojans, combined with Jackson for 14 carries and 47 yards. They will likely get a larger workload in Emery's expected absence.

Durham, who did not receive any carries against USC, is likely to also receive a boost in playing time as a backup.

The former four-star prospect could record his first college carry on Saturday when LSU continues the season with a home game against Nicholls.

In six years and five seasons at LSU Emery has recorded 223 carries for 1,123 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, while adding 36 catches for 320 receiving yards and two scores. He and Williams were the last players remaining on the roster from LSU's 2019 championship team.

While Brian Kelly slamming his fist on the table in his postgame press conference grabbed the headlines, a comment the LSU coach made about his quarterback might rankle fans more.

Following a 27-20 loss to USC, Kelly said Trojans quarterback Miller Moss "outplayed our quarterback" while giving broad praise of the Trojans signal-caller.

Moss went 27-of-36 for 378 yards and one touchdown while LSU's Garrett Nussmeier was 29-of-38 for 304 yards, two touchdowns and a late interception. There wasn't much to separate the two.

It would be one thing if Kelly had simply said Moss played well and was an integral part of USC's victory. Saying he performed better than Nussmeier, however, might come off as overly negative of his own player. Nussmeier would be far down on the list of reasons for LSU's defeat.

The expansion of the College Football Playoff has given the top teams an even larger margin for error. There's no question LSU can still earn a top-12 seed down the line despite coming up short Sunday.

Still, it sounds as though Kelly is feeling the heat only one week into the campaign.

In his postgame press conference, he at one point hit the table in front of him and expressed his frustration with how "we're sitting here again talking about the same things." He specifically cited "not finishing when you have an opponent in a position to put them away."

"I'm not doing a good enough job as a coach ... it's unacceptable for us not to have found a way to win this football game."

Brian Kelly says he's "angry" with his team after the loss to USC. pic.twitter.com/vloYGyKDh2

— ESPN (@espn) September 2, 2024

The Tigers were up 17-13 entering the fourth quarter but watched touchdowns from Ja'Kobi Lane and Woody Marks lift the Trojans to a win.

"I'm so angry about it that I've got to do something about it," Kelly told reporters. "I'm not doing a good enough job as a coach. I've got to coach them better because it's unacceptable for us not to have found a way to win this football game. It's ridiculous. It's crazy."

LSU doesn't play another ranked opponent until it hosts Ole Miss on Oct. 12. That gives the Tigers some time to iron out their issues before they enter the meat of their SEC schedule.

After No. 13 LSU opened the 2024 season with a 27-20 upset loss to No. 23 USC on Sunday night, head coach Brian Kelly admitted that he was not pleased with the Tigers' performance.

Kelly told reporters that for the first time in his tenure at LSU, he's "pretty angry at our football team."

Brian Kelly is here for postgame.

Says for the first time since he’s been at #LSU, he’s “angry” with his team.

He mentioned the penalties.
The team didn’t play complementary football.
LSU had chances to put USC away and it didn’t. pic.twitter.com/1AGMUoq3RU

— Cory Diaz (@ByCoryDiaz) September 2, 2024

The Tigers held a 17-13 lead entering the fourth quarter but fell behind after a touchdown by the Trojans. A nine-play drive stalled and ended with a game-tying field goal for LSU, and it looked like the game could've been headed into overtime.

However, USC marched down the field and made it into field-goal range, but a targeting penalty by Tigers safety Jardin Gilbert pushed the ball into the red zone. Trojans running back Woody Marks punched in a 13-yard touchdown to send the Tigers home from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas unhappy.

Kelly noted that he was displeased with LSU's lack of discipline to open the season.

"We take pride in running a disciplined program, but we have clearly not done a good enough job, because it impacted the game," Kelly said.

LSU star left tackle Will Campbell is expecting an intense battle when the Tigers take on USC at Allegiant Stadium in the season opener for both teams on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Campbell said the showdown between the two top-25 teams is going to be a "fistfight."

LSU LT Will Campbell was candid about what to expect heading into Week 1.

The Tigers will hop on a flight to Las Vegas later this week to take on the USC Trojans, but it’s all business.

“We know what we’re there for. It’s not to go to Caesars Palace. It’s to be in a fistfight.” pic.twitter.com/q0OBcDWmYf

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) August 27, 2024

Intense physical battles aren't synonymous with USC football. They haven't finished higher than 91st in FBS in points allowed per game since 2020.

The Trojans allowed at least 28 points in each of their final 10 games last season. That included an eight-game stretch in which the opposing team averaged 42.4 points per contest.

LSU was hardly a defensive juggernaut in 2023. The 28.0 points allowed per game was the second-highest in a single season for the program since 1994 (34.9 in 2020).

This game may not resemble the type of slugfest that would historically be associated with LSU football, but it could be a close matchup between two very intriguing teams that are replacing Heisman-winning quarterbacks.

Garrett Nussmeier will be tasked with taking over for Jayden Daniels. The junior quarterback has appeared in 18 games over the past three seasons. He has thrown for 1,720 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Miller Moss will get the call for USC after Caleb Williams' stellar two-season run with the program. Moss showed a lot of promise in the Trojans' Holiday Bowl win over Louisville in December. He finished 23-of-33 for 372 yards with six touchdowns and one interception.

LSU is entering this season ranked No. 13 in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll. USC also cracked the list at No. 23.

Even with an expanded 12-team playoff this season, one of these teams will be at a steep disadvantage to make the field with a loss right out of the gate.

USC and LSU will play on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Oklahoma State announced last week that it intends to use QR codes on helmets this season to allow fans to contribute to the team's general name, image and likeness fund, but LSU head coach Brian Kelly doesn't agree with the addition.

Per Ryan Aber of The Oklahoman, Kelly told reporters during an SEC teleconference that Oklahoma State's idea for the QR codes "just doesn't feel collegiate for me."

Kelly explained that he understands NIL rules aren't going anywhere, but he believes things related to NIL should be kept apart from typical gameplay.

"For us, we can keep NIL off the field," Kelly said. "I think we can generate the things that we need here at LSU separate from the game-day atmosphere, the collegiate kind of feel that you have. This is just my personal feeling, putting a QR code on your helmet just doesn't feel collegiate for me. As much as we can continue to keep this game when the band and college-aged kids playing the game, [we should]. I get it, right? NIL is here to stay and that's great, but I think we can be separate from that and still, at the end of the game, go to work on NIL."

Oklahoma State is hoping the addition of QR codes for the general NIL fund can help benefit the players who don't have the benefit of multiple lucrative deals like some of their peers.

"This is a revolutionary step forward to help keep Oklahoma State football ahead of the game," head coach Mike Gundy said when the QR codes were announced. "It gives a chance for everyday fans across the world to have a real impact when it comes to supporting the NIL efforts for Cowboy football. I'm thrilled about this opportunity for our players."

Despite Kelly's gripe, Oklahoma State's venture shows the university's commitment to adapting to the ever-changing landscape of college sports. If the players benefit from it, there won't be much for Kelly or other coaches to complain about.

After Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin went viral for criticizing Coca-Cola, LSU football coach Brian Kelly took a different approach to speaking about the company on Wednesday.

"Just a shout out to our sponsor, Coke," Kelly said as he took the podium for his press conference. "Smartwater, great Coke product. Minerals, vitamins, it's just great for you. It's refreshing, healthy. Coke provides you all the products that you need."

Lane Kiffin’s press conference: “Does anybody drink Coke? You realize 130% of your sugar for the entire day is in this one bottle?”

Brian Kelly’s press conference: “Hold my Smartwater…” pic.twitter.com/3mPxJhAIic

— The Bengal Tiger (@BengalTigerOn3) August 21, 2024

Kelly's remarks came two days after Kiffin went on a tangent after seeing a bottle of Coca-Cola on his own podium.

"Does anybody drink Coke?" Kiffin asked reporters, adding, "130 percent of your sugar for the entire day is in this one bottle."

How long before Coca-Cola pulls its endorsement of Lane Kiffin's press conferences?

😂 pic.twitter.com/f0001dVNA3

— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) August 19, 2024

Kiffin took the helm at Ole Miss in 2020 after three seasons spent coaching Florida Atlantic, while Kelly spent 12 seasons with Notre Dame before joining LSU on a 10-year contract in 2022.

This is not the first time the rival head coaches have appeared to troll one another in public comments since first joining the SEC.

Kiffin poked fun at a TikTok of Kelly posing for a Glambot photo with tight end recruit Danny Lewis Jr. in 2022.

Did you lose a bet or something @CoachBrianKelly ?? This can’t be real. Photoshopped? Account hacked?? I mean …. https://t.co/HvhOo2AcIZ

— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) January 29, 2022

The LSU football account responded, but only after Kelly and the Tigers had beaten Ole Miss during the 2022-23 season:

🚫🐀☠️ https://t.co/Gcf7FKHtDS pic.twitter.com/SkH0RzKTRv

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) October 22, 2022

Kiffin brought up the 2022 video again while also trolling Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz on X in June:

Just when I thought BK’s couldn’t be beat …….. 🤦‍♂️ @CoachDrinkwitz 🤘 https://t.co/3NJw8kq7YZ

— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) June 12, 2024

After the tangent at the end of Kiffin's press conference went viral for its apparent randomness, it seems Kelly could not resist poking his longtime rival once more.

The two coaches will meet again on Oct. 12 when Ole Miss travels to Baton Rouge for a Saturday night matchup against LSU.

Ole Miss is currently ranked No. 6, the program's highest preseason ranking in decades, by the Associated Press. The LSU matchup will be a must-watch game this fall, both because it is arguably the toughest matchup on the Tigers' schedule, and because of the always-entertaining rivalry between the teams' coaches.