The expectations are sky-high for LSU this season. The oddsmakers have the Tigers pegged a double-digit win team and the preseason rankings suggest that anything short of SEC West title contention will be a disappointment.
So it's not great that the biggest headlines from LSU camp have been tied to the loss of potentially significant contributors. Presumed starting defensive end Christian LaCouture and reserve linebacker Isaiah Washington both went down with knee injuries on Sunday. According to the Associated Press and The Advocate, the injuries are expected to keep both players out for the entire 2016 season.
On Wednesday, senior outside linebacker Corey Thompson sustained a lower leg injury that, according to The Advocate, will likely cost him a few games, but not the entire season. Thompson, like LaCouture, was expected to be a starter in 2016.
Then on Thursday, wide receiver Tyron Johnson announced on Twitter that he had been granted his release and will transfer out of the program.
"I would like to thank LSU and the great coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to play for them at the highest level of college football and I would like to thank my family and fans for supporting me during my time at LSU," Johnson said in a message posted to his Twitter account. "I will miss my brothers and playing in Death Valley. I have been granted my release and I will be transferring."
Johnson was the top-ranked, in-state prospect from LSU's 2015 recruiting class, reportedly expected to compete for the third or fourth wide receiver spot in the lineup. Johnson's father told The Advocate that his son is seeking a "more wide open" offense and is expected to make a decision in the next week.
One of the reasons for LSU's expected jump after a third place finish in the division a year ago is the incredible amount of experienced talent that returned for 2016. The Tigers brought 18 returning starters into fall camp and Football Study Hall (which calculates production returning) had LSU tied for first in the country with 92 percent of its 2015 production returning for this season.
While the early headlines from fall camp are unsettling for an LSU fan, the team's position as an SEC West title contender is unchanged. This just makes the margin for error, particularly on defense, even thinner as the Tigers navigate the road of bumps and bruises sure to come on the 2016 slate.