Since the LSU Tigers moved on from former head coach Will Wade in 2022, they have not made the NCAA Tournament. This will be the fourth season with Matt McMahon at the helm for the Tigers, where they will be looking to improve on last season’s 14-18 record. LSU will open the 2025-26 season next week against Tarleton State, and they are hoping for good news regarding forward Jalen Reed’s ACL injury.
While nothing is official yet, Matt McMahon said that Jalen Reed is ahead of schedule in his injury recovery, and it is expected that he will be available for next week’s season opener, as per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Reed was off to a breakout junior season, but had his year cut short due to said ACL injury. He is expected to play a major role for the Tigers this year.
Reed was limited to only eight games last season, at a little over 23 minutes per game, as he moved into a full-time starting role. He was averaging 11.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists with splits of 60.4 percent shooting from the field, 50 percent shooting from the three-point line and 67.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line before the injury.
Reed was a standout at SoCal Academy in Southern California before committing to LSU. He was regular in the Tigers’ rotation as a freshman in 2022-23, then saw an increase in playing time as a sophomore in 2023-24.
In addition to getting Reed back from injury, LSU is also bringing in seven new players via the transfer portal, including guard Dedan Thomas Jr., guard Rashad King, guard Max Mackinnon, forward Marquel Sutton, center Mike Nwoko, guard PJ Carter and forward Pablo Tamba.
In addition to the transfer players, LSU also has four incoming freshman in Mazi Mosley, Jalen Reece, Matt Gilhool and Ron Zipper. They are all considered four-star recruits.
