Offense 

Quarterback: No. 15 Myles Brennan Redshirt Senior 

Running back: No. 4 John Emery Jr. Senior 

Wide Receiver-X: No. 1 Kayshon Boutte Junior 

Wide Receiver-Z: No. 8 Malik Nabers Sophomore 

Wide Receiver-Y: No. 80 Jack Bech Sophomore 

Tight End: No. 82 Jack Mashburn Redshirt Junior 

Left tackle: No. 74 Marcus Dumervil Redshirt Sophomore/ No. 66 Will Cambell Freshman  

Left Guard: No. 52 Tre’Mond Shorts Redshirt Senior/Transfer 

Center: No. 69 Charles Turner Redshirt Junior 

Right Guard: No. 70 Miles Frazier Sophomore/Transfer  

Right Tackle: No. 61 Cameron Wire Redshirt Senior 

Analysis 

Undoubtedly, it will be huge for LSU to have Myles Brennan back under center. Brennan has proven to coaches and fans alike that he has the best chance out of the four quarterbacks on the roster to lead this team into postseason play again. Junior transfer Jayden Daniels will likely be used as a run threat out of the option, but Brennan will be the guy trusted to put the ball into the hands of the playmakers.  

Playmakers are something LSU should have no problem finding this season. LSU has four running backs that each offer their own potential to do damage out of the backfield. John Emery Jr., Noah Cain, Armoni Goodwin and Tre Bradford. Emery should have fresh legs after being suspended for the 2021 season and Cain should be motivated to prove to Brian Kelly that he can find success against SEC defenses.  

You cannot mention playmakers and not bring up Kayshon Boutte and Jack Bech. How these two performed in the 2021 season is one of the few positives. Boutte will be the number one target again this season and Bech will finally be able to focus strictly on catching and making plays after being moved to wide receiver.

Also, Malik Nabers, Jaray Jenkins, Brian Thomas Jr., and Chris Hilton Jr. fill out a very deep and explosive wide receiver core. Jack Mashburn and Kole Taylor will fill in for Bech at tight end and have the builds to find similar success.  

Another positive from the 2021 season was the success of Tyrion Davis-Price and the run game thanks in large part to the offensive line. If the Tigers’ running game can get close to the numbers that they put up last season, this team should be a winning team again. However, the offensive line struggled at times to protect the quarterback.

Brian Kelly hopes that highly recruited transfers Tre’Mond Shorts and Miles Frazier at the guard spots will help change that. Starters Cameron Wire and Charles Turner are returning to Baton Rouge and Marcus Dumervil should improve from last season now that he is no longer a freshman. Speaking of freshmen, Will Campbell has impressed in spring ball and there is noise that he could start or see significant playing time wherever he is needed.  

Defense  

Free Safety No. 5 Jay Ward Senior 

Strong Safety No. 13 Joe Foucha Senior/Transfer 

Cornerback No. 22 Mekhi Garner Redshirt Junior/Transfer  

Cornerback No. 24 Jarrick Bernard-Converse Senior/Transfer  

Nickelback No. 12 Greg Brooks Jr. Senior/Transfer  

Linebacker No. 19 Mike Jones Jr. Redshirt Junior/Transfer 

Linebacker No. 30 Greg Penn III Sophomore 

JACK No. 8 BJ Ojulari Junior 

Defensive Tackle No. 99 Jaquelin Roy Junior  

Defensive Tackle No. 0 Maason Smith Sophomore 

Defensive End No. 11 Ali Gaye Senior/Transfer 

Analysis 

An unusual weak spot last year for LSU was the defensive secondary and arguably the whole defense. At times, opposing teams moved the ball down the field with ease and put-up points LSU fans are just not accustomed to seeing. The squad was still recovering from losing multiple starters to the NFL draft and dealt with injuries. The starters they had were starting for the first time in the SEC and were relatively young.  

This year there will be no excuses. Senior Ali Gaye, who missed most of the 2021 season with an injury, will lead the front six who have all had time to see what an SEC defense is supposed to look like. All four defensive linemen and the two linebackers are not new to LSU and have had a full offseason to learn the defense.  

The lone returning starter in the defensive secondary is Jay Ward. Ward had a solid junior season, but he will be looking to prove to NFL scouts that he can build on it and be consistent. Ward will be playing with four new transfers; Jarrick Bernard-Converse, Joe Foucha, Mehki Garner, and Greg Brooks Jr.All these transfers were highly recruited and want to revitalize the tradition of DBU.

Foucha and Brooks are coming from Arkansas and know what it takes play in an SEC defense. Bernard-Converse and Garner turned heads during spring ball with their NFL-ready athleticism and both have impressive college highlight tapes already. Rounding out an already deep secondary is Sage Ryan, Sevyn Banks and Major Burns.