LSU football is one of the best programs in terms of producing NFL players who headline the league.
LSU also had many players who headlined the team but didn’t quite make that impact at the next level, or maybe their impact at LSU has been lost over time.
Some names like Kendall Beckwith, Kevin Mawae and Dwayne Bowe went on to have more established careers beyond LSU, but here are some who you may have forgotten about.
Ali Highsmith
Highsmith was a linebacker from Miami, Florida, who committed to play football at LSU from 2004 through 2007.
He played in 62 games with 38 starts as a Tiger, and he racked up 260 total tackles, 26 tackles for losses and 11 sacks. He also recorded three fumble recoveries, 13 pass breakups and an interception.
Highsmith’s legacy was cemented in 2007 during LSU’s national championship season, where he recorded a team-high 101 total tackles, nine tackles for losses, three sacks, nine quarterback pressures, eight pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
He capped off that season in the BCS National Championship Game with a team-best eight tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
He left LSU as a first-team All-American and All-SEC player in 2007, but he went undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played for the Arizona Cardinals in 2008 and 2009 and the Los Angeles Chargers in 2010.
Terrace Marshall Jr.
Marshall is a more recent name, having played at LSU from 2018 through 2020, but his production was overlooked behind other receivers like Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.
Marshall was a five-star recruit and the No. 1 player in Louisiana in the class of 2018 who went on and played in 32 games during his LSU career. He recorded 106 career receptions for 1,594 yards and 23 touchdowns.
He is ranked No. 4 in career touchdown receptions in program history and is one of only six LSU players with at least 1,500 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.
Marshall caught 46 passes for 671 yards and 13 touchdowns in the 2019 season.
Before, his 13 touchdowns would have set the school record for receiving touchdowns in a single season, but he ranks No. 3 in program history, trailing Chase, with 20 in 2019, and Jefferson, with 18.
Marshall went on to be drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. He spent three seasons with the Panthers, one with the Las Vegas Raiders, and is now playing for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Chad Jones
Jones was a safety for LSU from 2007 through 2009 and was a dual-sport athlete, playing football and baseball.
He was the second player in LSU history to win a national championship in both football and baseball, joining Jared Mitchell.
Jones tallied 158 total tackles, five interceptions, 16 pass breakups and four forced fumbles on the football field.
On the diamond, Jones was a left-handed pitcher and an outfielder because he wasn’t able to pitch until after spring football practice ended. When he hit the mound, he worked three innings and did not allow a run or a hit in three appearances at the 2009 College World Series.
He came on in relief in Game 3 of the CWS Championship Series against Texas and didn’t allow a run in 1.2 innings of work while walking none and striking out two.
Jones slashed a .343 batting average with a home run, six RBIs and eight runs scored in 2009. He also hit a home run over 450 feet to right centerfield and completely out of the old Rosenblatt Stadium in batting practice at the CWS.
As football season approaches, LSU has one of the best teams in the years since Brian Kelly arrived on campus, and it’ll be interesting to see who could become an LSU legend.
