By james art LSU true freshman Trey’Dez Green has proven to Brian Kelly and the coaching staff that he deserves meaningful snaps in his first year with the program.
A former No. 1 prospect in America coming out of high school, Green brought the five-star hype with him to Baton Rouge.
He’s an elite-level pass rusher, and his prospect is quickly becoming a receiving tight end in the future with the purple and gold.
Now, Kelly and Co. have opted to move Green into a slot/receiver role for the remainder of the season to get him on the field more.
Green had averaged roughly six snaps per game through the first seven weeks of the season, but the move to receiver changed his role dramatically.
Despite just one pass for eight yards in Week 8 against the Arkansas Razorbacks, Green played 42 snaps for the Tigers’ offense along with Kyren Lacy and Aaron Anderson for most of them.
He earned the start at receiver, with the coaching staff pleased with his overall development.
“I thought for his first game that he was in a lot of games, because he averaged about six games before that, he did really well,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said Monday.
“There are some things we have to work on outside of the numbers in terms of releases and stuff, but inside the numbers and the hash, he’s a tough target. He’s tough to deal with inside. He blocked well for us, blocked on the perimeter. He was task correct for the most part.”
#LSU TE Trey’Dez Green will play the slot/receiver role for the Tigers moving forward.
The former No. 1 TE in America gives the Bayou Bengals more versatility in the passing game.
The tools: 6’7, 245 pounds.
“We made this decision. This has to happen.” pic.twitter.com/BUpzeyWrFy
— Zach Nagy (@znagy20) October 14, 2024
Green is a mismatch nightmare for opponents. Before Week 8, he had three receptions, two of which were touchdowns.
The 6-foot-7, 245-pounder from Louisiana is a versatile weapon that Kelly and Co. believe can be a game-changer in one play, but his usage has been unique in his first year in Baton Rouge.
It was clear Kelly and the staff needed to make a move to get him on the field for more snaps, with the receiver role becoming the one to do.
“Honestly, I think that’s what we have to do,” Kelly said last week. “[Trey’Dez] is a talented player. We saw on the touchdown how easy it is for him to shine with his hands. [The ability] to catch the football; it just gives us more flexibility.”
Moving forward, it’s about keeping it simple while giving signal caller Garrett Nussmeier another weapon in the receiving game.
“We’re going to keep it minimal in terms of what we do, but we’re going to make it impactful,” Kelly said. “I think it’s important that he gets on the field. I think it’s important that he’s part of the game plan and when you leave, you’re like, ‘Who is this guy?’
“But we can’t get him out and have him make mental mistakes and not line up and put us in a position where we slow down the attack. So we think we’ve found that (sweet) spot and I think he’s done really well.”
With redshirt freshman Kyle Parker out for the rest of the 2024 season after suffering a torn triceps tendon, along with veteran Chris Hilton out for all seven games so far this season, Green is the next player up.
No. 8 LSU will head to College Station this weekend for a matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies in a battle for the top of the Southeastern Conference.
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