LSU Football vs. Clemson Tigers: Will Brian Kelly's Program Be Without Two Safeties?

Cooley spent his first season with the Maryland Terrapins in 2023 prior to heading to North Carolina State in 2024.

Fast forward to the spring window and the Tigers made another move in the safety room after signing Houston Cougars' A.J. Haulcy

The 6-foot, 215-pounder totaled 74 tackles, five interceptions and 13 pass breakups during the 2024 season with the Cougars on his way to First Team All-Big 12 honors.

The transfer tandem has locked down starting duties in the safety room with the current expectation being that the two will be LSU's first-team unit heading into Week 1 at Clemson.

But will the two be available for the first half against Dabo Swinney's squad on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium?

On Thursday, buzz started circulating that both safeties would be ineligible for the first half of the game after being ejected in their final games of the 2024 season.

After speaking with a source familiar with the situation, Cooley was ejected from the his final game with North Carolina State during a fight that occurred in the final minute.

The important piece to know - He was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct.

If Cooley had been ejected for "fighting," he would be out for the next game, but reports are circulating that he will be good to go.

As for Haulcy, he appears to be in the same boat.

In his final game with the Houston Cougars against BYU, a fight broke out in the last minute of the game where he was also ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct

Unsportsmanlike penalties do not carry over to the next game, but if the ruling had been changed to "fighting," then it changes the story.

According to multiple reports, it appears both safeties should be good to go given their ejections were due to unsportsmanlike penalties and not fighting, but will be a critical storyline to monitor heading into Week 1.

LSU will open the 2025 season at Clemson with kickoff set for 6:52 p.m. CT in Memorial Stadium.