LSU May Be Facing Another Defensive Shakeup Against Texas A&M

LSU and Texas A&M face uncertainties with key players' injuries potentially impacting the dynamics of their upcoming clash.

The first injury report for LSU-Texas A&M landed Wednesday evening, and while it didn’t deliver any headline-grabbing shockers, it still put a few key names in the spotlight.

For LSU, the biggest watch item is Tamarcus Cooley. He’s listed as questionable, and even though there haven’t been any signs he’s in danger of sitting, his status matters.

LSU needed to reshuffle things after Dashawn Spears went down in the first half against Ole Miss last week, with CJ Jimcoily stepping in and struggling. By the second half, Blake Baker moved Cooley down from safety into Spears’s STAR role and brought true sophomore Jhase Thomas onto the back end.

Thomas responded with a strong performance and finished as the highest graded defender, according to Pro Football Focus. Cooley fits that STAR spot well, so LSU needs him healthy with the Tigers already thin there.

The Tigers also have Ja’Keem Jackson listed as doubtful. LSU entered the season short at cornerback, and Jackson has been part of that depleted group even if he hasn’t played a ton since transferring from Florida for 2025. He also made a major play last week, picking off Trinidad Chambliss to help spark the comeback.

LSU’s out list includes Trey’Dez Green, Dashawn Spears and Phillip Wright III. There’s no surprise there.

Lane Kiffin said Monday that Wright is out for the season after the LA Tech game injury. Spears is done for the year with a torn ACL.

Green, meanwhile, appears to have avoided surgery after suffering a sprain and is expected to miss a few weeks before returning later in the season.

On the Texas A&M side, Jamarion Morrow and Ashton Bethel-Roman are both questionable. Morrow is listed as the No. 2 running back, but Bethel-Roman is the more important name to monitor.

He’s dealt with injuries through the first few games, and even though he has only two catches so far, he can become a major piece of the Aggies’ offense. Whether that starts this week remains uncertain.

The Aggies will definitely be without Terry Bussey. That one hurts.

His production hasn’t stood out yet, but he came into the year as a former five-star with plenty of upside, and he had a strong offseason and fall camp. Texas A&M was hoping this would be the year he finally started showing that talent.

He also brings a rare skill set, able to line up out wide at receiver or even take a handoff from the backfield.

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