Player Profiles
TIGERS
58 KARDELL THOMAS Offensive Line 6-3 • 329 • Fr. • HS Baton Rouge, La. Southern Lab High School Another highly-touted local product for LSU’s 2019 signing class … One of the best offensive line prospects to come out of the Baton Rouge in many years … Considered to be one of the nation’s top offensive guard prospects … Huge offensive lineman with elite upper and lower body strength … Rated as a five-star prospect by 247Sports and rated a four-star recruit by both Rivals and ESPN … Member of the ESPN 300 at No. 26 … Parents are Karl and Janice Thomas … Has two sisters … Coached by Darrell Asberry.
43 RAY THORNTON Linebacker 6-4 • 226 • Jr. • 2L Killeen, Texas Shoemaker High School Outside linebacker/edge rusher for the Tigers with tremendous quickness … Has yet to reach his potential due to a series of minor injuries that have limited him at times … Expected to be at full strength for fall camp … With his speed and strength, gives LSU another pass rush specialist on the edge … More than just a pass rusher, is good against the run as well … Has played in 18 games with four starts during his career … 31 career tackles along with 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2018) Played in 12 games with two starts … Starts came in the Fiesta Bowl win over UCF and in the home-opener against Southeastern Louisiana … Had career-best five tackles against Southeastern Louisiana and Ole Miss … First career sack came in win over Southeastern … Added four tackles against Florida and Alabama. REDSHIRT FRESHMAN SEASON (2017) Played six games and started the final two games at outside linebacker … Finished the season with 10 tackles … Recorded a season-high three tackles against Texas A&M and in the Citrus Bowl against Notre Dame … Also finished with two tackles against Tennessee and one tackle against both BYU and Chattanooga. FRESHMAN SEASON (2016) Redshirted as a true freshman in 2016. HIGH SCHOOL Rated as the nation’s 61st-best overall prospect by ESPN ... Four-star rating from ESPN, Scout, and 247Sports ... Ranked No. 195 by 247Sports and No. 259 by Scout ... Invited to the Under Armour All-American Game ... Listed as the nation’s 13th-best weak side defensive end prospect and rated as the 31st-best player in the state of Texas for the class of 2016 ... Helped team to a 9-3 overall mark as a senior and the school’s first-ever playoff victory ... Key contributor on a Shoemaker High defense that allowed only 15 points a game in 2015 ... Had 57 tackles and 10 sacks in 2015 ... Recorded 61 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and five sacks as a junior ... Named District 12-6A Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 ... Named 2015 Killeen Daily Herald All-Area Most Valuable Player ... Coached by Channon Hall. PERSONAL Parents are Danielle and Rahssan Thornton Sr. ... Born Nov. 17, 1997 ... Majoring in sport administration. RAY THORNTON’S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 5, 2x (Last: vs. Ole Miss, 2018) Tackles for Loss: 1.5 vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 2018 Sacks: 1.0 vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 2018 RAY THORNTON’S CAREER STATISTICS TT TFL SACKS PBU QBH INT FF FR YEAR G-GS UT AT 2017 6-2 2 8 10 1.0-3 0.0-0 1 1 0 0 0-0 2018 12-2 7 14 21 2.5-15 1.0-7 0 1 0 0 0-0 Total 18-4 9 22 31 3.5-18 1.0-7 1 2 0 0 0-0
74 BADARA TRAORE Offensive Tackle 6-7 • 323 • Sr. • 1L Boston, Mass. Matignon High School/ASA College Massive offensive tackle that has positioned himself for increased playing time in 2019 … Can play either tackle position and is coming off an outstanding spring … Joined the Tigers in 2018 after a stellar junior college career at ASA College in Brooklyn, N.Y. … Considered the nation’s top junior college offensive line prospect for the 2018 class … During spring practice in 2019, Coach Orgeron called Badara, “one of the most improved players on the team” … In high school, commuted two hours to Matignon High each day, taking two trains and two buses to get to school … In first year at LSU, played in all 13 games, starting twice … On pace to graduate in December and will become the first person in his family to graduate from college … Parents are from Africa … He grew up in Hyde Park, a neighborhood in Boston … Badara along with his younger brother Mohammed spent a month in Africa the summer before he started seventh grade. JUNIOR SEASON (2018) Played in 13 games with two starts … First start came in week 3 at right tackle against Southeastern Louisiana … Started at left tackle in week 4 against Louisiana Tech … Saw extensive action at right tackle in the season-opening win over Miami when starter Adrian Magee went down with an injury … Played 53 snaps in win over Miami and followed that with 58 snaps against Southeastern Louisiana … Played season-high 79 snaps in win over Louisiana Tech and 34 the following week in win over Auburn … In all, played a total of 228 offensive snaps and finished with seven knockdown blocks … Saw action on field goal and PAT protection units. PRIOR TO LSU The top-rated junior college offensive line prospect in 2018 … Rated as the nation’s No. 6 overall junior college player … Played two years as ASA College in Brooklyn, N.Y., earning first team All-Offense for the Northeast Football Conference … His junior college games were played at a high school stadium three blocks from Coney Island … His junior college team averaged 41.9 points per game, posted a 9-1 overall record and won the Valley of the Sun Bowl … A four-star recruit according to ESPN and Scout.com ranked No. 17 in ESPN’s JUCO Top 50 … Prepped at Matignon High School in Cambridge, Massachusetts … Standout in both football and basketball in high school … Coached by Joe Osovet at ASA College. PERSONAL Dad is Bakary Traore and mom is Rouguiatou Kaba … His dad was born in Bamako, the capital and largest city in Mali, which is a country in Africa … His mom grew up in Conakry, Guinea … His parents now live in Hyde Park, a neighborhood in Boston … Majoring in interdisciplinary studies.
2019 FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
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