There was a lot of anger coming from LSU fans after the Tigers lost to Tennessee 40-13 in an embarrassing defeat.
Whether it’s the disappointing performance of the offense this season or the ineptitude of the special teams, LSU fans have had a lot to complain about this year. Even though this season is a building block year for new coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers, people still had high expectations because of the potential for success at LSU. However, there were warning signs that the Tigers were going to have an up and down season.
After the firing of former LSU Head Coach Ed Orgeron, a number of players entered the transfer portal, including starting quarterback Max Johnson and standout corner Eli Ricks. There was a number of recruits that decommitted from LSU due to having a close relationship with Orgeron and his staff as well.
Because of the mass exodus of players opting out due to injury or entering the transfer portal, LSU only had 38 scholarship players on the roster when they played Kansas State in a 42-20 loss.
The Tigers also did not have a quarterback on the roster as Johnson had already transferred out, Myles Brennan was out for the year with an injury suffered during a fishing trip and Garrett Nussmeier was redshirted after the Arkansas game. LSU installed wide receiver Jontre Kirklin to play quarterback as Kirklin was a quarterback in high school.
When Kelly took over, he had to replenish an LSU roster that had less than 40 scholarship players on the roster. However, it quickly replenished LSU’s roster by getting the 7th best recruiting class overall according to 247 Sports. Not only did he land five-star linebacker Harold Perkins on signing day, but he also landed current quarterback Jayden Daniels via the transfer portal to give the staff more time to develop Nussmeier and current freshman quarterback Walker Howard.
Kelly also had to rebuild a depleted defensive back room that had lost a number of players either to the NFL Draft or the transfer portal. Most of the defensive backs that are starting or are in the rotation are players who Kelly picked up in the transfer portal, which include Greg Brooks Jr., Colby Richardson, Mekhi Garner and Jarrick Bernard-Converse.
Even though you could blame some of LSU issues such as special teams on bad coaching, it also doesn’t help that there are not enough players to put on special teams. If LSU puts one of its starters on special teams and gets hurt, that player’s injury could affect any LSU position group’s depth. The more depth LSU keeps losing, the lack of rest could make LSU’s players very fatigued, which makes injuries more likely to happen.
Another area of concern is the offensive line. Like LSU’s defensive back room, LSU also had to retool their offensive line due to lack of depth. LSU lost three starters from the 2021 team and Kelly desperately hit the transfer portal, landing Miles Frazier and Tre’mond Shorts.
Another thing that isn’t ideal about the offensive line is that the Tigers have two true freshmen starting at both tackles’ spots, with Will Campbell starting at left tackle and Emery Jones starting at right tackle. Although they’ve both impressed as freshman linemen, having two freshmen start at those positions just shows you how depleted this roster really is.
One of the complaints about this year’s team is how much the receivers are underperforming. This could be tied to coaching, offensive game plans and Daniels’ unwillingness to be aggressive, although he was more aggressive throwing the ball against Tennessee. A lot of fans as well as analysts have said this is one of the most talented groups in the country.
However, the receivers are shooting themselves in the foot. LSU’s receivers have had bad drops in almost every single game this year. This is a problem that has carried over from last year. All-American receiver Kayshon Boutte has been a disappointment this year, as he is fourth in receiving yards and did not grab a touchdown catch until the Tennessee game this past Saturday.
He has also had the drop bug has he has had some really bad drops, including a dropped touchdown pass against Florida State. Although Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. have picked up the slack, LSU’s receivers have been one of the biggest disappointments in college football.
The talk about how much talent LSU has been a red herring. Of the 2019 and 2020 classes which would be LSU’s juniors and seniors, only five players start from both of those classes combined. Most of those players went into the transfer portal. Only two players from the 2019 recruiting class got drafted into the NFL.
The highest ranked player out of those two classes, John Emery Jr., has underperformed. John Emery was the No. 1 running back coming out of high school in 2019. However, he fell behind in the depth chart to fellow freshman Ty Davis-Price in 2019.
At this point, Davis-Price has had a better career than Emery as Davis-Price was a 1,000-yard rusher for LSU and broke the single-game rushing record against Florida in a 49-42 victory where he ran for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Davis-Price was later drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round.
While Davis-Price had a great year last year, Emery watched from the sidelines. Emery was suspended by the NCAA due to academic infractions. He played his first game in almost two years against Mississippi State.
Even with the shaky year the Tigers have had, LSU will be very good next year. LSU will have finally found its identity by spring and will have a full roster for the first time since 2019. LSU will have a sound offense and will improve its special team’s unit. All of LSU’s starting offensive line and most of the receivers are returning. LSU will also bring home another great recruiting class.
However, LSU fans will have to be patient with Kelly’s process. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in one day.
