Not surprisingly, LSU football has felt the sting of a couple of additional early-entry pinches.
Late this afternoon, the number of LSU football players leaving early for the 2020 NFL Draft was at two. Early in the evening, that number moved to five. At this point in the process, the number has moved to seven as running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire and offensive tackle Saahdiq Charles confirmed on social media that they too will leave eligibility on the table and enter the NFL draft.
Proverbs 1:7 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/D2F7U1gSSP
— GLYDE (@Clydro_22) January 16, 2020
Edwards-Helaire was easily the Tigers’ leading rusher in the run to the 2019 national championship. The junior accounted for 1,414 of LSU’s 2,502 yards as a team. The team’s second-leading rusher was... departing Heisman-winning quarterback Joe Burrow with 368 yards. Freshman Tyrion Davis-Price‘s 295 yards will make him LSU’s leading returning rusher in 2020.
The departure of Edwards-Helaire will also leave a hole in the passing game as the back was third on the team with 55 receptions.
During his time at LSU, Charles started 28 games at left tackle. Charles did, though, miss a handful of games this season due to what was only described as a coach’s decision.
For what it’s worth, it had been expected that Charles would return for his senior season.
One final note: LSU could lose at least two more players before the Jan. 20 deadline. So there’s that.