# 2012 LSU Tigers football team

The 2012 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University as a member of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Les Miles, the Tigers finished the season with an overall record of 10–3 and mark of 6–2 in conference play, tying for second place in the SEC's Western Division. LSU was invited to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where the Tigers lost to Clemson. They played home games Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
In 2023, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) vacated all of LSU's wins from the 2012 through 2015 seasons due to an ineligible player.

## Recruits

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Kwon Alexander OLB | Oxford, AL | Oxford HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 4.5 | Feb 1, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Vadal Alexander OG | Buford, GA | Buford HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 310 lb (140 kg) | N/A | Oct 10, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Travin Dural WR | Breaux Bridge, LA | Breaux Bridge HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 4.5 | Apr 5, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Derek Edinburgh OT | New Orleans, LA | Edna Karr HS | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 337 lb (153 kg) | N/A | Jul 19, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Ronnie Feist OLB | Edgard, LA | West Saint John HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 4.6 | Feb 5, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Reid Ferguson LS | Buford, GA | Buford HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | N/A | Jun 20, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Dillon Gordon TE | River Ridge, LA | John Curtis Christian HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | N/A | Feb 5, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Trey Granier ILB | Thibodaux, LA | Thibodaux HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 4.6 | Nov 11, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Jerald Hawkins DE | Baldwin, LA | West Saint Mary HS | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | N/A | May 28, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Jeremy Hill RB | Baton Rouge, LA | Redemptorist HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 4.6 | Jan 18, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: LQ |||||||
| Kavahra Holmes WR | Breaux Bridge, LA | Breaux Bridge HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 4.4 | Jun 7, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Danielle Hunter DE | Katy, TX | Morton Ranch HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | 4.6 | Jul 20, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Avery Johnson WR | Pompano Beach, FL | Ely HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | N/A | Sep 1, 2010 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Deion Jones ILB | New Orleans, LA | Jesuit HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 4.4 | Dec 2, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Jeremy Liggins QB | Oxford, MS | Lafayette HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | N/A | Jan 30, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Lamar Louis ATH | Breaux Bridge, LA | Breaux Bridge HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 4.5 | Apr 5, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Jalen Mills CB | DeSoto, TX | DeSoto HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 4.5 | Jul 20, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Lorenzo Phillips OLB | Patterson, LA | Patterson HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | N/A | Jan 21, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Derrick Raymond S | Metairie, LA | East Jefferson HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 4.4 | May 28, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Jerquinick Sandolph CB | Boutte, LA | Hahnville HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 4.5 | May 28, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| John Thomas TE | Bossier City, LA | Airline HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | N/A | Mar 30, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Dwayne Thomas CB | New Orleans, LA | O. Perry Walker HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | N/A | Apr 9, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Corey Thompson S | Missouri City, TX | Lawrence E. Elkins HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 4.55 | Jan 30, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 6 Rivals: 18 |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "LSU 2012 Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 13, 2012. "2012 Player Commitments - LSU". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2012. "2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 13, 2012. |||||||

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 6:00 p.m. | North Texas* | No. 3 | Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA | ESPNU | W 41–14 (vacated) | 92,059 |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | Washington* | No. 3 | Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA | ESPN | W 41–3 (vacated) | 92,804 |
| September 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Idaho* | No. 3 | Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA | TigerVision PPV | W 63–14 (vacated) | 92,177 |
| September 22 | 6:00 p.m. | at Auburn | No. 2 | Jordan–Hare StadiumAuburn, AL (Tiger Bowl) | ESPN | W 12–10 (vacated) | 86,721 |
| September 29 | 6:00 p.m. | Towson* | No. 3 | Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA | ESPNU | W 38–22 (vacated) | 92,154 |
| October 6 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 10 Florida | No. 4 | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL (rivalry) | CBS | L 6–14 | 90,824 |
| October 13 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 3 South Carolina | No. 9 | Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA | ESPN | W 23–21 (vacated) | 92,734 |
| October 20 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 20 Texas A&M | No. 6 | Kyle FieldCollege Station, TX (rivalry) | ESPN | W 24–19 (vacated) | 87,429 |
| November 3 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 1 Alabama | No. 5 | Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA (rivalry) (College GameDay) | CBS | L 17–21 | 93,374 |
| November 10 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 22 Mississippi State | No. 9 | Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | ESPN | W 37–17 (vacated) | 92,831 |
| November 17 | 2:30 p.m. | Ole Miss | No. 8 | Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA (Magnolia Bowl) | CBS | W 41–35 (vacated) | 92,872 |
| November 23 | 1:30 p.m. | at Arkansas | No. 8 | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR (Battle for the Golden Boot) | CBS | W 20–13 (vacated) | 71,117 |
| December 31 | 6:30 p.m. | vs. No. 15 Clemson* | No. 9 | Georgia DomeAtlanta, GA (Chick-fil-A Bowl) | ESPN | L 24–25 | 68,027 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Seasons at LSU | Alma mater |
| Les Miles | Head coach | 8 | Michigan (1976) |
| John Chavis | Defensive coordinator | 4 | Tennessee (1979) |
| Greg Studrawa | Offensive coordinator, Offensive Line Coach | 6 | Bowling Green (1987) |
| Steve Kragthorpe | Quarterbacks | 2 | Jacksonville State (1983) |
| Frank Wilson | Running backs, Recruiting Coordinator | 3 | Nicholls State (1997) |
| Corey Raymond | Defensive backs | 1 | LSU (1992) |
| Steve Ensminger | Tight ends | 3 | LSU (1982) |
| Adam Henry | Wide receivers, Passing Game Coordinator | 1 | McNeese State (1993) |
| Brick Haley | Defensive line | 4 | Alabama A&M (1989) |
| Thomas McGaughey | Special teams | 2 | Houston (1995) |
| Reference: ||||

### Roster
## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 3 (16) | 3 (4) | 3 (4) | 2 (2) | 3 (1) | 4 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 14 |
| Coaches | 1 (18) | 3 (7) | 2 (5) | 2 (5) | 3 (1) | 3 (1) | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 12 |
| Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | Not released |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | Not released |
Source: