BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU coach Les Miles on Tuesday declined to close the door completely on the possibility, however remote, of Tyrann Mathieu playing football for the Tigers in 2013.

“Tyrann can be a student at LSU,” Miles said after practice, adding that he is “not in any way speculating” about whether Mathieu could conceivably play for the Tigers again. “He will not be on this football team this year — I guarantee that’s a fact. So I have no idea beyond that.”

Miles indicated he was ready to put his emphasis back on preparing the Tigers for the upcoming season. He stressed that it was time to be concerned about getting the Tigers ready for the season-opener against North Texas on Sept. 1.

However, questions kept coming about the dismissal of Mathieu, an All-America cornerback and 2011 Heisman Trophy finalist.

“I certainly am rooting for Tyrann and whatever his future is. But I’m not focused on that,” Miles said.

Mathieu was dismissed from the LSU team last Friday for what reportedly was the latest of several failed drug tests.

If Mathieu joined a program at the FCS level, the second tier of Division I, he could play this season before becoming eligible for the 2013 NFL draft.

Mathieu has already visited McNeese State, an FCS school in Lake Charles, La., and is expected to make a decision by Wednesday.