Another of LSU's talented offensive freshmen is expected among its players sidelined in Saturday's opener, Ed Orgeron confirmed Wednesday evening.
About nine hours after sharing that wide receiver Malik Nabers could miss multiple weeks, the coach added running back Armoni Goodwin to the latest injury report.
"Armoni Goodwin is hurt," Orgeron said. "He will not play. (Fellow freshman) Corey Kiner will get some plays. But, you know, Ty(rion Davis-Price) and John (Emery Jr.) are gonna get the majority of the reps. Josh (Williams) will get some reps. We'll put Corey Kiner in if we get a chance and give him a chance to go."
The news delays the increasingly anticipated debuts for two first-year players praised throughout fall camp as being some of LSU's top performers.
But, thankfully, Nabers and Goodwin may be among the few absences after the Tigers spent the past month of preparation with a large number of injuries and absences being arguably the team's biggest concern.
"Overall, we're the healthiest we've been at any point in camp," Orgeron said. "We knew that coming into game week. Like we said, they were camp lingering injuries we thought we would get back. Some guys we held out.
"Derek Stingley (Jr.) has practiced all week. He's looked fine. Eli Ricks has practiced all week. Cordale Flott has practiced all week. Our offensive line is back in tact. Chasen Hines is practicing. Everybody's back in tact. We also got Garrett Dellinger, who had been out. He's out here. So, you know, we're about as healthy as we've been."
Stingley, Ricks and Flott give defensive coordinator Daronte Jones and cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond their top three cornerbacks back to open the season.
Hines is the returning starter at right guard, although underclassmen have pushed for the position throughout his absence.
And Dellinger is a versatile first-year lineman that, prior to his own absence, had impressed Orgeron and offensive line coach Brad Davis in a position group of limited experienced depth.