Rising junior quarterback Andrew Hatch has left the LSU football team, team officials said Tuesday.”I don’t know what his plans are but I know he is leaving LSU,” said LSU sports information director Michael Bonnette.Hatch started the Tigers’ first three games this past season before suffering a concussion midway through the second quarter of the Tigers’ 26-21 victory at Auburn. Hatch saw very little playing time following his return from the injury.
LSU junior defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois will enter the 2009 NFL Draft, coach Les Miles announced Wednesday, while LSU offensive lineman Ciron Black and running back Charles Scott said today they’re staying at LSU.ESPN reported Wednesday morning LSU junior wide receiver Brandon LaFell will declare for the draft. But Miles and LSU sports information director Michael Bonnette both said LaFell had not made up his mind about his future with the TigersJean-Francois was the Defensive Most Outstanding Player in the 2007 BCS National Championship game after playing in just two games as a sophomore. As a junior, he started six games, but he battled a groin injury and missed the Florida and South Carolina games.NFL draft analyst Mike Detillier said he projects Jean-Francois will be an early third-round pick.”You have to base your assessment on what happened in the latter part of 2007,” Detillier said. “You have seen some erratic play based on the fact that he was hurt. I think he’s a very talented athlete – he can rush the quarterback extremely well, and he’s a very disruptive player. He’s also played defensive end, and he’s probably one of the best athletes on LSU’s team.”Detillier said LaFell probably had the toughest decision to make because of the low crop of senior wide receivers in the draft.”I do not have a senior wide receiver as a first-round pick,” Detillier said. “He’s a big physical receiver, and he has become more consistent catching the football even though he’s had some tendencies to drop some easy catches. If he runs well, he could put himself into being a first round pick. I think he would end up going in the second round if he came out early.”Read more about the players’ draft stock in Thursday’s edition of The Daily Reveille.
 
 
Sports contributor Amos Morale contributed to this report.