Trey’Dez Green arrived at LSU as one of the most physically gifted prospects in Louisiana. Two years later, he has become one of the best tight ends in college football and already owns LSU receiving records at his position.

Now he is getting the jersey traditionally associated with the Tigers’ biggest playmakers.

Green will wear No. 7 for LSU during the 2026 season, sharing the honor with linebacker Whit Weeks. Green will represent the offense in No. 7 while Weeks wears the number on defense.

For Green, the move from No. 14 to No. 7 is much more than a uniform change. It places him in a tradition that includes Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu, Leonard Fournette, Grant Delpit, Derek Stingley Jr. and several of the most dynamic players in LSU history.

If No. 7 is supposed to identify a player who can create a matchup an opponent struggles to solve, Green is an obvious choice.

A Louisiana Star Before He Reached LSU

Green is from Jackson, Louisiana, and finished his high school career at Zachary High School. He developed into one of the best football prospects in the state while also becoming an outstanding basketball player.

LSU listed Green as a four star prospect and the No. 1 tight end in the nation in the On3 Composite for the 2024 recruiting class. He was ranked No. 35 overall nationally and was considered the top prospect in Louisiana.

His high school production showed why he was so highly regarded. As a junior in 2022, Green caught 45 passes for 864 yards and 11 touchdowns. As a senior, he improved to 53 receptions for 960 yards and 12 touchdowns.

In the 2023 state championship game, Green caught eight passes for 97 yards and a touchdown.

Green was also a major basketball prospect. He averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds as a junior and earned First Team All State recognition while playing at East Feliciana before finishing his high school career at Zachary.

At 6 foot 7, Green brought LSU a combination of size, speed and athletic ability that made him different from a traditional tight end. He could line up as a conventional tight end, move into the slot or split wide against defensive backs.

That versatility gave LSU plenty of ways to use him.

An Immediate Role as a Freshman

Green played in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2024 and made two starts. He caught 13 passes for 101 yards, with four of those receptions going for touchdowns.

His first college reception was a one yard touchdown against Nicholls in his Tiger Stadium debut. Green later caught a 12 yard touchdown against Ole Miss in LSU’s overtime victory.

His biggest performance came in the Texas Bowl against Baylor. Green caught six passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns, setting career highs at the time in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches.

That performance offered a preview of what LSU might have once Green became a bigger part of the offense.

Green also did something unusual for a major college football player after his freshman season. He joined the LSU basketball team.

He appeared in six basketball games during the 2024 to 2025 season. Green made his debut at Alabama, playing nine minutes while scoring two points, grabbing three rebounds and blocking a shot. He later scored a career high four points against Texas.

Green eventually left the basketball team in February so he could concentrate on academics and prepare for spring football. His ability to compete in both SEC football and basketball showed just how unusual an athlete LSU had on its roster.

The Breakout Came in 2025

Green moved from promising young player to one of the SEC’s top tight ends during his sophomore season.

He appeared in 11 games with six starts and caught 33 passes for 433 yards and seven touchdowns. He ranked third on LSU in receptions and receiving yards and led the Tigers in touchdown catches.

His seven touchdown receptions established an LSU single season record for a tight end.

Green also became more than a red zone target. He produced 176 yards after the catch, showing that he could create yardage after making the reception instead of simply using his size near the goal line.

His best performance came against South Carolina. Green caught eight passes for 119 yards and a touchdown in an LSU victory and was named the John Mackey Award National Tight End of the Week.

He followed that performance with five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown against Vanderbilt, then caught six passes for 54 yards and another touchdown against Texas A&M.

Green also made an important play in LSU’s season opening road victory over Clemson. He caught an eight yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter that gave LSU a 17 to 10 lead.

He finished his sophomore season with another strong bowl performance. Against Houston in the Texas Bowl, Green caught four passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns.

Those scores allowed Green to establish LSU records for both career and single season touchdown receptions by a tight end.

Already in the LSU Record Book

Green enters the 2026 season with 46 career receptions for 534 yards and 11 touchdowns in 24 games. He has made eight career starts.

His 11 touchdown receptions are already the most by a tight end in LSU history, passing the previous record of 10 held by Richard Dickson. Green’s seven touchdown catches in 2025 also established the LSU single season record at the position.

Those are significant accomplishments for a player entering only his third college season.

Green earned Second Team All SEC honors from the conference coaches following the 2025 season. Expectations have risen even higher entering 2026.

The Associated Press selected Green as a First Team preseason All American. He was also named First Team preseason All SEC by the media and earned a place on the John Mackey Award watch list.

Green was also selected to the Walter Camp Foundation’s 2026 Player of the Year watch list. He was the only tight end among the 50 players selected.

With Lane Kiffin leading LSU in 2026, Green has a chance to become an even larger part of the Tigers’ passing game.

Now he will do it wearing No. 7.

What Does It Take to Wear No. 7 at LSU?

There is no statistical formula that automatically earns a player No. 7. A player does not receive the number simply because he leads LSU in tackles, receptions, rushing yards or touchdowns.

The idea behind the number is much simpler.

No. 7 is supposed to represent a playmaker.

LSU has described the number as being passed among dynamic players who can change football games. Over time, leadership, character and the ability to improve the players around them have also become important parts of the honor.

When Grant Delpit received No. 7 in 2019, LSU emphasized both his performance on the field and how he represented the program away from it. When Ja’Marr Chase was selected to wear No. 7 before the 2020 season, his character, work ethic and leadership were discussed along with his remarkable production.

Brian Kelly later expanded the standard. LSU placed greater emphasis on leadership and Louisiana connections while also recognizing that the best player does not always play a traditional skill position.

Green fits the original concept of No. 7 especially well.

He creates matchup problems.

A 6 foot 7 tight end with his catch radius can win contested passes against defensive backs. His athletic ability makes him difficult for linebackers to cover. His size allows LSU to move him around formations without making it obvious what the offense plans to do.

That is exactly the type of player No. 7 has traditionally represented.

The Louisiana Connection

Green also fits another part of the tradition that became more important in recent years.

In 2023, LSU selected Louisiana native Will Campbell for the No. 7 honor. Campbell could not actually wear the jersey because college football numbering rules prevented an offensive lineman from wearing a single digit number. He continued wearing No. 66 and carried a No. 7 patch instead.

Campbell received the honor again in 2024 while Harold Perkins Jr. wore the actual No. 7 jersey.

Green returns the honor to an offensive skill position while also bringing a strong Louisiana connection.

He grew up in Jackson, finished his high school career at Zachary and was rated the top prospect in Louisiana before signing with LSU.

Weeks, who will share the number with Green in 2026, is from Georgia. That makes it clear that Louisiana roots are not a requirement for No. 7 under Kiffin.

For Green, however, the connection adds another layer to the honor. One of Louisiana’s best high school athletes stayed home, became one of LSU’s best offensive players and will now wear the number associated with the Tigers’ premier playmakers.

What No. 7 Means at LSU

The history of No. 7 reaches back long before LSU began treating it as a yearly honor.

Quarterback Bert Jones wore No. 7 from 1970 through 1972. The Ruston Rifle became LSU’s first consensus All America quarterback in 1972, passing for what was then a school record 1,446 yards and 14 touchdowns. He finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

LSU will retire Jones’ No. 7 jersey on November 14, 2026, when the Tigers host Texas in Tiger Stadium. LSU distinguishes between retiring a jersey and retiring a number, so No. 7 can continue to be worn.

Linebacker Ali Highsmith later wore No. 7 from 2004 through 2007. He finished his LSU career with 260 tackles, 26 tackles for loss and 11 sacks and helped LSU win the 2007 national championship.

The modern No. 7 lineage began with Patrick Peterson in 2008.

Peterson wore the number from 2008 through 2010 and became one of the greatest defensive backs in LSU history. In 2010, he became a consensus First Team All American and won both the Jim Thorpe Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award.

The tradition of deliberately passing No. 7 from one elite playmaker to another took hold in 2011 when Tyrann Mathieu followed Peterson.

Mathieu became a unanimous All American, won the Bednarik Award and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting. In only two seasons at LSU, he created 14 turnovers and set the school record with 11 forced fumbles.

Leonard Fournette later brought No. 7 to the offensive backfield. His 2015 season included 1,953 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns.

DJ Chark later carried the number as a receiver and return specialist. Grant Delpit wore No. 7 during LSU’s perfect 15 and 0 national championship season in 2019 and won the Jim Thorpe Award.

Ja’Marr Chase was selected next after catching 84 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns during LSU’s 2019 national championship season. Chase opted out of the 2020 season before playing a game in No. 7, and safety JaCoby Stevens later wore the number that season.

Derek Stingley Jr. followed in 2021 after earning First Team All America honors during each of his first two seasons.

Different positions have worn the number. Different coaching staffs have selected the players. The exact criteria have changed.

The central idea has remained the same.

No. 7 belongs to a player LSU believes can change the game.

LSU’s No. 7s Since 2000

The list below updates LSU Football Report’s previous No. 7 article. Jonathan Giles was awarded No. 7 in 2018 and wore it during the early part of the season before later changing to No. 12.

2000 to 2003: No modern No. 7 honoree

2004 to 2007: Ali Highsmith, LB

2008 to 2010: Patrick Peterson, CB

2011: Tyrann Mathieu, DB

2012: No designated No. 7

2013: No designated No. 7

2014 to 2016: Leonard Fournette, RB

2017: DJ Chark, WR

2018: Jonathan Giles, WR, awarded No. 7 and later changed to No. 12

2019: Grant Delpit, S

2020: Ja’Marr Chase, WR, awarded No. 7 but opted out before the season

2020: JaCoby Stevens, S, wore No. 7 during the season

2021: Derek Stingley Jr., CB

2022: Kayshon Boutte, WR

2023: Will Campbell, OT, No. 7 honoree who wore a No. 7 patch on his No. 66 jersey

2024: Will Campbell, OT, No. 7 patch

2024: Harold Perkins Jr., LB, No. 7 jersey

2025: Harold Perkins Jr., LB, No. 7 jersey

2026: Trey’Dez Green, TE, No. 7 jersey

2026: Whit Weeks, LB, No. 7 jersey

Ali Highsmith belongs in the history of LSU players who wore No. 7, but the modern lineage begins with Peterson in 2008. The tradition of deliberately handing the jersey from one elite playmaker to another took hold when Mathieu followed Peterson in 2011.

Green Has the Chance to Add Something New

Trey’Dez Green will bring something different to the No. 7 tradition.

LSU has given the number to cornerbacks, safeties, linebackers, running backs and wide receivers. Will Campbell received the honor as an offensive tackle without actually changing his jersey.

Now a tight end joins the group.

That seems appropriate because Green does not play the position like a traditional tight end. LSU can use him on the line, in the slot or split wide. He can catch touchdowns in traffic, create yards after the catch and use the basketball skills that are obvious when the football is in the air.

Green does not need No. 7 to prove he is a playmaker. Eleven touchdown catches and two LSU tight end records have already done that.

The number represents something different. It tells Green that LSU expects even more from him.

Patrick Peterson received that expectation. Tyrann Mathieu received it. Leonard Fournette received it. Grant Delpit received it.

Now Trey’Dez Green gets his opportunity.

For one of the most unusual athletes LSU has ever had at tight end, No. 7 feels like a natural fit.

Sources

LSU Athletics, Trey’Dez Green football biography and career statistics
https://lsusports.net/sports/fb/roster/player/treydez-green

LSU Athletics, Trey’Dez Green 2024 season and high school biography
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LSU Athletics, Trey’Dez Green 2025 season statistics and honors
https://lsusports.net/sports/fb/roster/season/2025/player/treydez-green

LSU Athletics, Trey’Dez Green basketball biography and statistics
https://lsusports.net/sports/mb/roster/player/treydez-green-mens-basketball

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https://lsusports.net/news/2026/08/17/footballs-treydex-green-named-to-player-of-the-year-watch-list

LSU Athletics, Trey’Dez Green named to John Mackey Award watch list
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https://lsusports.net/news/2026/08/18/three-tigers-on-ap-preseason-all-america-teams

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https://lsusports.net/sports/fb/roster/player/patrick-peterson

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