Link Gumbo: 1-18-18

It seems the news surrounding LSU Football is beginning to relatively slow down. The coordinators are in place, 22 of 25 signees have signed, and the juniors have either decided to stay or leave. That being said, there is still one thing to make a note of today, and that is that former LSU standout Kevin Faulk has reportedly accepted a role with the program. Will Wade’s Tigers dropped their second straight as they lost a nail-biter to Georgia Tuesday night. D.D. Breaux’s Gym Squad will look to keep rolling as they host Alabama in the PMAC Friday night. You wouldn’t be able to tell by the weather this past week, but believe it or not, baseball at The Box returns in less than a month and preseason rankings for LSU have begun to roll out. So let’s take a closer look at the news.

LSU legend Kevin Faulk is reportedly in the process of joining LSU’s support staff. It is suspected that Faulk will be in some sort of player development role. Faulk is an LSU great who still holds the school record for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. On top of that, Faulk has three super bowl rings from his eleven years in the Patriot’s dynasty. It is always great to have someone like Faulk around your program. Faulk loves LSU, and LSU loves him. Faulk has been very successful and would be able to bring his knowledge and experience back to LSU.

Before the whole deal can be finalized, however, compliance must confirm that Faulk has no ties to any current players from his last job as the OC at Carencro High School, or any other potential recruits.

In other recruiting news, the Tigers have extended a preferred walk-on spot to Valdosta, Ga. kicker Tyson Shaw:

While it’s not yet clear whether Shaw will join the team or not, he does appear to be a kick-off specialist:

SEC Country also has the following update on oft-discussed quarterback prospect James Foster, who will reportedly visit Alabama this weekend. There’s also this update regarding a mass visit to key 2019 cornerback prospect Derek Stingley Jr.

LSU lost their second in a row on the hardwood Tuesday night. LSU battled all game before losing 61-60 to UGA in the final minutes. It felt similar to the UK and Bama games in which they were also in control for the first half just to watch it slip away in the second. Brandon Sampson had a solid night as he scored 17 points and sunk three three-pointers. This was LSU’s third home loss in a row. Further down the road, LSU might look back at these three games and really wished they had won a couple. Nonetheless, LSU has still exceeded expectations for a team that was picked to finish last in the SEC. LSU will travel to Vanderbilt for a noon game on Saturday.

LSU’s Gymnastics team has roared out of the gate to a 2-0 start and will look to continue that tomorrow against a good Alabama squad. After winning the SEC last year, it looks as if the Tigers are on their way to a repeat. After losing gymnast like Ashleigh Gnat to graduation and McKenna Kelley to injury, Senior Myia Hambrick has stepped up and even earned SEC Gymnast of the week.

Baseball at the Box returns in less than a month. There are a lot of question marks surrounding LSU after they lost a lot of production from a national runner-up team. LSU’s first full practice is next Friday. The biggest question is the pitching staff. Presumably, Caleb Gilbert and Zack Hess will be the first two starters with Eric Walker still recovering from surgery. The third and final spot on the starting staff is still up for grabs. Two names to watch for that spot are Todd Peterson and Nick Bush. So far in preseason polls, LSU has checked in at 10, 12, and 16. The Tigers will open against Notre Dame on February 16th.

A few closing notes here, Christian Lacouture and Darrell Williams will both be participating in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. We talked about baseball, but don’t forget softball will being their season on February 8th. Despite LSU being closed today, Women’s basketball will still be hosting Auburn tonight in the PMAC tonight.