Why LSU Fans Are Eyeing No 57 A Little Closer This Year

With LSU's offensive line in transition, new JUCO transfer Ja'Kolby Jones dons the notable No. 57, aiming to make his mark ahead of the season opener against Clemson.

With LSU’s kickoff against Clemson now 57 days away, the Tigers’ countdown has reached the number attached to a new face in the offensive line room: JUCO transfer tackle Ja’Kolby Jones.

Jones arrives in Baton Rouge after two seasons starting at Copiah-Lincoln CC, where he helped power a title behind a dominant running game. That background matters for LSU, which has spent the past few seasons looking for more force in the run game. The Tigers’ current tackles are better known for pass protection, so Jones gives them a different kind of body on the depth chart.

He may not crack the lineup ahead of Jordan Seaton or Weston Davis, but LSU is clearly counting on him to deepen a rebuilt offensive line. The Tigers had to reload up front this offseason, and they reached into the JUCO ranks to do it. Jones, a former standout at Many, has already logged plenty of football before getting to Baton Rouge.

247Sports ranked him No. 138 overall, No. 19 among offensive tackles and No. 42 in Louisiana in the JUCO cycle.

No. 57 has also been worn recently by Carius Curne, a major 2025 offensive line recruit whose first season in Baton Rouge went sideways. He was forced into action at right tackle before making several starts at left tackle, then transferred to Ole Miss after the coaching change.

Another notable former No. 57 for LSU was defensive lineman Davon Godchaux, who played from 2014 to 2016. Godchaux made an immediate impact, piling up more than 12 sacks and 17 tackles for loss across his sophomore and junior seasons. He left early for the draft, went in the fifth round, and is now entering his 10th NFL season with the New Orleans Saints.

In Other News...

Paul Finebaum Just Summed Up How Bad Brian Kelly Got At LSU

Paul Finebaum did not exactly hide his feelings about Brian Kellys time at LSU, saying he is relieved to be done with the weekly Monday interviews that came with the job. For three straight college football seasons, those live segments were part of the routine, and Finebaum made it clear the experience was anything but enjoyable.

The backdrop, of course, is Kellys uneven run in Baton Rouge, which ended with a 34-14 record before LSU moved on last fall. Lane Kiffin now holds the job, and Finebaum has already suggested the new arrangement is a far more pleasant one, which says plenty about how low the bar had gotten by the end of Kellys tenure. [Read more 🡒]

LSU's Title Hopes May Come Down To One SEC Reality

LSU spent the offseason building the kind of roster that can survive the long grind of an SEC season, loading up at receiver, quarterback, running back and across a defense that already had plenty of pieces in place. The Tigers brought in transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt to steer the offense, added more help at the skill spots and fortified a defensive front and secondary that now look deeper and more versatile than they did a year ago.

For a program chasing championship-level consistency, the bigger question may not be whether LSU has enough headline talent. It is whether the Tigers have enough quality across the board to keep rolling when injuries, fatigue and the usual SEC attrition start to hit. Blake Bakers defense is expected to carry a major share of that burden, and the way LSU manages its depth in the coming months could end up telling the real story of how far this team can go. [Read more 🡒]