The LSU Tigers’ misery just keeps piling up this season. First, their 25-49 loss against Texas A&M pulled the brakes on their championship hopes, and now their game against Alabama hit them with another setback. Their star WR, Aaron Anderson, left early in the second quarter of the game with an injury. Anderson remains a key piece of the Tigers’ offense as he entered the game leading with 382 yards on 29 catches. And losing at such a crucial time of the game, when they are already trailing with a 3-10 score in the 2nd quarter, is a big blow.

What Happened to Aaron Anderson?

With 12:47 left in the second quarter, Aaron Anderson seemed to injure his left arm while coming down from a catch, prompting him to head straight to the sideline in pain. He went straight into the LSU medical tent on the sideline for evaluation. The game’s broadcaster, Sean McDonough, confirmed the incident, saying, “He puts his left arm down and injures his elbow. He has gone off in obvious pain and has gone to the tent.”

At the time of his injury, Anderson was already turning heads with two catches for 16 yards on two targets. This makes his injury even more disappointing for LSU. Now, 104.5 ESPN hits X with the update: “From the sideline, LSU WR Aaron Anderson suffered a left elbow injury. He has a brace on and will return.”  After getting to the sideline, Anderson, the training staff put a brace on his left arm. Then he even did some pushups, putting weight on his arm without any difficulty. Which added more on his return.

This season, LSU’s offense has faced its share of struggles, but last year, Aaron Anderson stood out as one of the SEC’s top receivers. He ranked among the conference’s top 10 and led the Tigers in both receptions (61) and receiving yards (884). He started off his career at Edna Karr High School in New Orleans, then ended up at Alabama before he transferred to LSU ahead of the 2023 season, which made his exit against Alabama even more heartbreaking.

Known for his elite speed, Anderson was a track standout in high school, clocking a 10.77 in the 100-meter dash and returning 20 kicks for touchdowns. His athleticism quickly caught attention in Baton Rouge, with then–offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock openly praising his explosive potential. “He’s a guy who has to touch the football,” Denbrock said. “It’s on me and the rest of the offensive coaches to make sure we’re creative enough that we’re using the skills that he brings to the table the right way.”

But now injuries keep piling up and hampering Anderson’s bright future.

Aaron Anderson’s series of injuries

This isn’t the first time LSU has almost lost its key offensive weapon to injury. Back in September, while playing against Ole Miss, Anderson left the game with injuries to his elbow and his knee. Before leaving, Anderson was delivering a near-perfect performance, catching two passes for 12 yards. And what’s interesting is he entered the game against Ole Miss with a team-high 21 receptions for 293 yards.

He’s been dealing with a knee injury for quite some time and even sat out against South Carolina. He had a surgery on the same knee before he arrived at LSU in 2023 after sustaining a “cartilage injury” when he was in Alabama. Then in this year’s preseason, he was limited by his irritation in the same knee. At that time, former HC Brian Kelly addressed his situation as “arthritic,” saying, “He really has an arthritic knee, generally speaking,” Kelly said. “You wouldn’t call it arthritis, but it’s a cranky knee that we needed to calm down. We cut him back. He has gotten some medicine for it. He feels really good, and there was no need for us to have him be a habitual guy who has a sore knee.”

Now, let’s wait and see how well he returns to the field in LSU’s remaining games.