While it’s been over a month since the LSU football team last took the field, we still had four alumni playing as recently as last Sunday in Super Bowl LX. Before we recap the season as a whole, let’s break down the final game.
Super Bowl LX: Seahawks 29 vs Patriots 13
Not much went right for the Patriots on the biggest stage, and that was sadly true of our LSU representatives. Kayshon Boutte only caught one passes on five targets, but it at least went for 21 yards. K’Lavon Chaisson only had one tackle.
Will Campbell struggled mightily, as he has ever since coming back from an MCL injury. A full offseason getting healthy with access to an NFL facility will do wonders for him.
While we wish them the best, we turn our attention to now Anthony Bradford, LSU’s lone Super Bowl champion. From a solid but not flashy guy on some turbulent LSU offensive lines, Bradford has become a a lynchpin in Seattle. He started all 20 games and only missed snaps due to light injury and garbage time. He was a key part of this run and is incredibly deserving of this honor.
Bradford makes it ten straight Super Bowl champions with a Tiger on the roster. He also joins an exclusive club of players who won national championships at LSU AND a Super Bowl.
With a complete picture of the season, let’s recap the whole thing, starting with individual awards.
2025 NFLSU MVP: Derek Stingley Jr.
2025 stats: 36 tackles, 4 INTs, 15 PDs
Typically when a lockdown corner truly reaches the ranks of the elite, he never gets interceptions anymore because QBs just stop throwing in his direction. That is true for Derek Stingley Jr. except he still managed to snag four picks which put him top ten in the league. The Houston defense was maybe the best unit in the entire league, and Sting’s presence was a game-changer on the back end. As the only LSU alumni selected as a First Team All-Pro, he was an easy call for MVP.
Offensive Player of the Year: Ja’Marr Chase
2025 Stats: 125 receptions, 1,412 yards, 8 TDs
For the second time in three years, Chase was forced to play a chunk of his season without the elite quarterback he’s seemed to share a hive-mind with for the last 8 years. Despite that, he continued to pace the league with his numbers. He has made the Pro Bowl in all five seasons and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.
Defensive Player of the Year: Danielle Hunter
2025 Stats: 54 tackles, 15 sacks, 3 FFs
Since this award clearly belongs to Stingley (who won it last year) I’m gonna do the thing where OPOY basically goes to MVP runner-up every year but for defense because Hunter deserves a shoutout. Finishing third in the league in sacks in his 11th season is absurd. For guy who’s LSU career never really lived up to the hype (which was mostly unfairly high due to one workout photo) it’s awesome to see him turn in an elite pro career after that.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Will Campbell
Yes, the playoffs were rough. But for the first offensive lineman taken in the draft, playing every down at left tackle is an impressive feat. He has enough talent to have a real future, and it’s good to know he has a smart coaching staff behind him.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: uhhhh… Sai’vion Jones?
2025 Stats: 1 fumble recovery
Our options were Jones who had one fumble recovery and Bradyn Swinson, who had one tackle. Sorry Bradyn, but a turnover is more impressive. I blame this lack of options on Matt House.
Now, it’s time for the 2025 All-NFLSU Team. As with last year, some special exceptions will be made due to gaps in positions. I will justify them below!
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK: Joe Burrow (CIN)
Despite yet another freak injury taking out half his season and ruining any hopes of contention just two games into the season, Joe Burrow still played like one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks. A 17-5 TD:INT ratio is impressive for eight games, and his 63.0 QBR is a career-best. The most promising statistic is his lower sack rate. If only his toe didn’t explode on one of those sacks…
RUNNING BACK: Jayden Daniels (WAS)
If this is a shock to you, then you missed when I did this exact thing last year. Even in a disappointing, injury-riddled second season, Jayden Daniels was far and away LSU’s best rusher in the NFL with 278 yards and 2 TDs on 58 carries. The only LSU RBs who got carries this year were Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Josh Williams, who ran for 13 and 11 yards, respectively. This is Jayden’s spot.
WIDE RECEIVER: Ja’Marr Chase (CIN), Justin Jefferson (MIN), Kayshon Boutte (NE)
Chase was elite again, but Jefferson had a down year statistically, missing the Pro Bowl for the first time in a season in which he was completely healthy. However, anyone with eyes knows the Vikings QB play is the main culprit here. Jefferson still managed to top 1,000 yards, now having done so in each of his six professional seasons. Boutte had an explosive season, doubling his TD total despite 10 fewer catches and 38 fewer yards than 2024. Hopefully he can emerge as a true No. 1 target for Drake Maye as they continue to develop a young core.
TIGHT END: Mason Taylor (NYJ)
The Obligatory Foster Moreau slot is no more. Thank you for your service. Taylor caught 44 passes for 369 yards a 1 TD. Those numbers don’t jump off the page until you factor in the Jets running a 1954 passing game and Taylor missing the last four games.
TACKLE: Anthony Bradford (SEA), Will Campbell (NE)
The Super Bowl duo! Bradford is a guard, but we are low on options here. He kicks out to tackle more than the two who will get this guard slot in a moment. Campbell, however, is a true every-down left tackle……… for now!
GUARD: Damien Lewis (CAR), Ed Ingram (HOU)
These two were also the selections last year, but it should be noted that both were even better in 2025. Lewis was a veteran leader for a Panthers offense that did just enough each week to snag a division title. He missed one game, but played every single snap in the remaining 16. Ingram was traded to Houston after losing his starting spot in Minnesota and assisted in transforming a once moribund Houston OL into a physical group. He was spotlighted for pancake blocks on a weekly basis and was one of the Texans’ more reliable starters.
CENTER: Ethan Pocic (CLE)
Before a torn achilles ended his season, Pocic was a steady leader for a turbulent offense behind him.
DEFENSE
EDGE: Danielle Hunter (HOU), K’Lavon Chaisson (NE)
You already know all about Hunter, but Chaisson similarly has lived up to his billing as a freak edge rusher. The former first-round pick was resurgent with 7.5 sacks and a defensive TD on a fumble return.
INTERIOR DL: Davon Godchaux (NO), Maason Smith (JAX)
Godchaux’s 43 tackles were a dropoff from his Patriots days, but he did force a fumble. Maason Smith also slightly regressed from his rookie year with two fewer tackles and no sacks.
LINEBACKER: Devin White (LV) Patrick Queen (PIT), Omar Speights (LAR)
Not much went right for the Raiders, but Devin White was there to clean up some of what went wrong! His 174 tackles is a Raiders franchise record, while he added 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and an interception. Queen had another very solid year with 120 tackles with a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery. Speights built on his promising rookie year with 85 tackles as an every down starter.
CORNERBACK: Derek Stingley Jr. (HOU), Donte Jackson (LAC)
Stingley: duh. D-Jax is on his third different team of the last three years, but he continues to make plays with 24 tackles, 4 INTs and 12 PDs. I couldn’t justify putting him above these two, but shoutout to Tre’Davious White for having a solid year in his return to Buffalo.
SAEFTY: Grant Delpit (CLE), Jamal Adams (LV)
Delpit has established himself as the all-over-the-field game-wrecker he was in 2018. He had 89 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 4 pass breakups and 1 interception. Adams’ 45 tackles were the most he’s had since his last year in Seattle.
SPECIAL TEAMS
KICKER: Cade York (?)
York was briefly on the Saints’ practice squad, but never attempted a field goal in a game. Perfect on the season, baby!
LONG SNAPPER: Blake Ferguson (BUF)
The longest-tenured Bill still hasn’t been to a Super Bowl. Devastating stuff.
PUNTER: N/A
KICK/PUNT RETURNER: N/A
No Tigers returned any kicks this year. That’s honestly a travesty. What happened to the Trindon Hollidays of the world?
2025 NFLSU GAME OF THE YEAR
Texans 16 at Patriots 28 (Divisional Round)
For the first time since I started handing out this award, it doesn’t go to a Bengals game! That said, I was fairly certain going in this would win the award just due to the sheer number of Tigers playing. They included:
Texans: Derek Stingley Jr., Danielle Hunter, Damone Clark, Ed Ingram
Patriots: Kayshon Boutte, Will Campbell, K’Lavon Chaisson
That doesn’t even include three rostered Tigers in this game in Jalen Mills, Bradyn Swinson and Jaquelin Roy. All these players on the field would’ve been enough to give this game a high score, but of course they all balled out. Hunter was a freak, registering 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.
The two linemen blocked. Clark made three tackles and Chaisson terrorized CJ Stroud, forcing bad throws and sacking him once. But the real highlight were Kayshon Boutte and Derek Stingley Jr. going head-to-head. This cemented it as one of the all-time great NFLSU games. Esepcially when it ended with this…
2025 NFLSU Player of the Year: Kayshon Boutte’s One-Handed TD Catch vs Derek Stingley Jr.
Two former No. 7s going head to head in the snow in the Divisional Round. This is what it’s all about. For a disappointing season that robbed us of watching some of the most electrifying Tigers… getting this at the end was pretty awesome.
So there you have it, the 2025 NFLSU Season is in the books. Please, for the love of God… let 2026 be healthier. It certainly has a lot to look forward to. We will be adding a new shutdown CB and possibly a third starting QB depending on where Nussmeier goes. Joe Brady is now the head coach of a Super Bowl contender, Malik Nabers has a QB, and there is another baseball season starting this Friday. I know that has nothing to do with NFLSU but come on, we’re all looking forward to it.
However, there is one more thing the 2026 NFL season will give us that you should circle on your calendar the moment it gets announced…
Bengals vs Commanders is on the schedule again. Please, Roger, please schedule that game Week 1 so Joe and Jayden are both healthy.
