Kevin Jairaj
LSU starting safety A.J. Haulcy will miss the first half of Saturday’s top 10 clash against Clemson because of an ejection for fighting last season, an NCAA official told CBS Sports.
Haulcy, while playing for Houston last season, was ejected late in the fourth quarter of the Cougars’ regular-season finale against BYU. While the ejection was initially listed as unsportsmanlike conduct — which would not come with any additional penalty — it was later changed after the game to fighting. With that designation comes a required first-half suspension of the next game which just so happens to be in a different season with a different team.
LSU coach Brian Kelly said Thursday that LSU wasn’t aware of the situation until Wednesday, though an NCAA official told CBS Sports that Houston’s “coaching staff was made aware of the suspension and clarification of the fighting foul in a formal letter from the Big 12 conference in early December 2024.” It appears that message wasn’t passed along to the LSU coaching staff after Haulcy left for the Tigers.
“We were informed of his situation on Wednesday,” Kelly told reporters before the news broke. “We’re practicing him, preparing to play him and we’ll wait for further guidance. It’s a little bit of conference and certainly NCAA rulings in terms of what the circumstances are at the end of the game. Our conference has been great, providing the support and we’ll wait for a decision and plan accordingly.”
NCAA rules do not permit appeals for fighting so LSU and Haulcy have no recourse less than 48 hours away from Saturday’s game at No. 4 Clemson.
Haulcy’s first half suspension is a significant blow for LSU against what should be a high-potent Clemson offense. Haulcy is expected to be a big part of LSU’s rebuilt defense and has earned rave reviews from the coaching staff this fall. An LSU source told CBS Sports earlier this week, “Haulcy has really stabilized the (safety) group.” Haulcy was rated as a four-star and the No. 3 safety in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.
Clemson was a 3.5-point favorite at home against LSU, and the line has already moved to Clemson -4 as of this article’s publication, according to DrafKings.
