Noah Boyde is the tallest player on the LSU men’s basketball roster, standing 7 feet tall and weighing 245 pounds, but he has yet to establish a substantial presence on the court.
Boyde was sidelined for the first nine games of the season due to an ACL tear he suffered last season. He made his Tigers debut against Florida Gulf Coast, where he failed to record a stat in a minute of action as LSU flew by the Eagles, 80-71.
In his last appearance versus Mississippi Valley State, Boyde went 3-3 (100%) from the field for six points in just five minutes in the Tigers’ dominant 110-45 victory over the Delta Devils, but he hasn’t played since. Boyde has still yet to play in his first SEC contest.
Tigers head coach Matt McMahon gave an update on the missing-in-action forward after No. 1 Auburn walked LSU 87-74 on Wednesday night.
“Yeah, Noah’s clear now,” McMahon said. “He’s back from his ACL injury from last December [2023].”
McMahon provided an open-ended answer when asked if Boyde would see time in future rotations.
“Right now, it’s just a numbers game, where the rotation’s at, but I think it’s like anything, you know,” McMahon said. “It’s come to practice every day, come to compete, come to earn your role on the team and continue to encourage him to do so.”
Immediately after his response, McMahon didn’t shy away from having his player’s back.
“He’s been a great teammate, and I think he’ll just keep getting better and better as he makes his return here,” McMahon said.
Boyde has had over a year to fully recover from an ACL tear and get back into playing shape. Meanwhile, Trey’Dez Green’s only been practicing with the team over the past week and a half after opting to put on pads for the Tigers in the fall.
Green posted two points and three rebounds in nine minutes against No. 4 Alabama and No. 1 Auburn, while Boyde has yet to sniff the court in 2025.
Boyde, originally from Monchy in the island nation of St. Lucia, played his first two years of college basketball at McCook Community College in Nebraska.
During his two seasons with the Indians, he averaged 11.2 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 56.2% from the field. Boyde had 14 games with double-digit rebounds, including 23 double-figure games. He was the Region IX South rebound leader in only his freshman year.
Boyde tore his ACL during his sophomore season, his second and final season at McCook.
After a shortened second year, Boyde averaged 12.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 53.3% shooting from the floor before transferring to LSU in 2024.
While his size could help plant the seeds to fix the Tigers’ persistent problems under the basket, it sounds like we may not be seeing Boyde anytime soon.
