Top SEC Program Loses Former 4-Star Tight End Before 2024 Season

The LSU Tigers received a blow to the offensive depth chart on Tuesday with only weeks before kicking off the 2024 college football season versus the USC Trojans in Death Valley.

According to head coach Brian Kelly, sophomore tight end Mac Markway has decided not to play for the Tigers. He informed the LSU staff of his decision on Monday night.

“He’s made the decision that he’s not going to play," Kelly said to media members on Tuesday. "I don’t know what his plans are, whether he’s going to transfer, but he informed us last night that he was not going to play at LSU anymore.”

Markway (6-foot-4, 258 pounds) appeared in 12 games for LSU last season, including one start. He caught three passes for 16 yards and a touchdown as a freshman, primarily backing up starter Mason Taylor.

Markway officially announced his decision to transfer shortly after the news of his exit from LSU broke.

Markway signed with the Tigers as a four-star recruit in the class of 2023. The Saint Louis, Missouri, native was rated as the No. 18 player at the position in the cycle, per 247Sports.

With Taylor returning as a junior, Markway was expected to serve in a complimentary role in LSU's new-look offense behind first-year starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.

With Markway gone, more pressure is on sophomore Ka'Morreun Pimpton and true freshman Trey'Dez Green. The pair's growth with be pivotal over the next few weeks as the Tigers, ranked No. 12 in the recently released coaches poll by USA TODAY Sports, prepare to welcome No. 23 USC to Baton Rouge on Sept. 1.

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