The LSU Tigers were hit hard this week as head coach Brian Kelly revealed that sophomore edge rusher Gabriel Reliford will undergo a season-ending surgery for a torn rotator cuff. The announcement came just days after Kelly said it could be managed without surgery.
Brian Kelly announced that DE Gabriel Reliford is out for the season with a torn rotator cuff. pic.twitter.com/HmnZMrnlMW
— The Bengal Tiger (@BengalTigerOn3) September 26, 2025
The announcement triggered immediate concern among Tiger fans on X.
“Depending on the severity of the tear, his career could be over,” stated a fan.
“Dangggg that sucks. He was playing good ball!! Medical redshirt?” commented a fan.
“Tough loss. Gonna be THE guy next year tho,” said a fan.
“He was a one-time A&M commit that I really, really liked. Prayers for a full and speedy recovery,” prayed a fan for Reliford’s recovery.
“Big blow to the defense man f*ck, we ride tho,” remarked a fan.
“Sorry to the dude. I want to play LSU at full strength,” stated another fan.
Reliford suffered a shoulder injury during Week 4, and it was initially designated as a day-to-day knock. After further evaluation, doctors saw the extent of the injury, and the coaches made the decision to rest Reliford for the remainder of the season.
LSU Tigers’ Gabriel Reliford To Undergo Surgery As Depth Chart Questions Arise With His Absence
Unfortunately for LSU, Gabriel Reliford’s injury could not have come at a worse time. Reliford had been a significant piece of the defensive front’s pass rush throughout the course of the spring and fall camp preparations.
The picture painted at Coach Kelly’s press conference was reasonably pleasant on Monday. The longtime head coach claimed that Reliford had suffered a shoulder subluxation, and surgery continued to remain on the table.
“Reliford has a subluxation of his shoulder, so he is out this week, then we will determine if surgery is necessary or if he can play with it,” Kelly said on Monday.
“We certainly want to respect the fact that in this situation, you want to make sure he’s capable in pass rush, and if he can’t compete at the level he needs to, then we’ll look at the options in front of us, and surgery may be an option,” he further explained the situation.
In less than 72 hours, doctors determined that surgery was the only option for Reliford. Coach Kelly was big on Reliford’s development and praised the young defender’s ability to step up physically and take on challenges in the offseason. These quality traits had increased his recruiter’s stock before the season.
There are now big unanswered questions in the depth chart of LSU’s defensive ends. Kelly did mention Patrick Payton, Jack Pyburn, and Jimari Butler as contributors while Reliford is out.
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