With No. 10 and No. 9 occupied by Logan Diggs and Emery Jones, we now move to our No. 8 LSU Football player from the 2023 season, Mekhi Wingo.

Before the season started, Mekhi Wingo was given the honor of wearing No. 18 for the LSU Tigers, a number worn by a player who "represents that traits and spirit associated with a successful program," according to Brian Kelly.

Wingo, a junior defensive tackle who transferred to LSU from Missouri in 2022, was expected to be one of the best players on this Tigers defense, and he did just that in his seven games of action.

In the season opening loss to Florida State, Wingo was one of the few bright spots on defense. In that game, he totaled four pressures, two QB hits and two pressures on top of two tackles. He earned the highest defensive grade on the team with a 77.9 and was the Tigers leading pass rusher with a 75.0 grade.

The next week against Grambling, Wingo's grade slipped a little bit, recording a 74.1 defensive grade. He earned his season high 78.9 pass rush grade, but his 26.5 tackle grade brought his grade down a lot. He only played 39 snaps in the Tigers blowout win, so that one missed tackle really hurt his overall grade.

In week three, Wingo would record his first sack of the season against Mississippi State and would turn in a 70.8 defensive grade, which was third on the team. His 76.8 run defense grade was best on the team as the Tigers slowed down one of the best running backs in the SEC, Jo'Quavious Marks.

In his next four games, Wingo would record 1.5 more sacks, eight more pressures and eight more tackles. At the time of his injury, Wingo led the team at sacks while playing on the interior of the defensive line.

It's unfortunate that Wingo needed surgery and missed the rest of the season because, even though he was injured, Wingo was one of the best defensive players for the Tigers during their first seven games. His 79.3 defensive grade was the second highest recorded by a Tiger defender this season, behind a guy who will be on this list later.

Wingo finished the season with 2.5 sacks, 14 pressures, nine hurries, 13 tackles and just two missed tackles.

Now, Wingo has a decision to make. Will he return to LSU for his senior season? Or does he feel he put a good enough product on the field this season that he'll be drafted early in the NFL Draft?

Brian Kelly told us a few weeks ago that the retention of Mekhi Wingo will be super important for this team. He feels the interior of their defensive line is one of the weaker positions on this team, so whether Wingo comes back or not, expect them to make a lot of noise in the portal at the defensive tackle position.

Wingo was one of the few bright spots on this team in his seven games, so that's why he earned the eighth spot on this list.