However, with the team losing a lot of its pieces from last season, there are also position groups that are unpredictable in terms of competition and success. Here are the position groups that sport the most mystery heading into the 2022-23 season. 

4. Defensive Backs 

Jarrick Bernard-Converse and Colby Richardson expected to man the outside corner positions, with Greg Brooks Jr. at nickel, Major Burns and Jay Ward at safety and Joe Foucha, Mekhi Garner and Sevyn Banks within the rotation. While the rotation is mostly figured out, it’s difficult to gauge this group’s potential for multiple reasons. 

For one, apart from Greg Brooks Jr. and Jay Foucha, none of these players have had competitive action together. With Bernard-Converse being out for most of the spring, this group hasn’t had much time to build chemistry.  

Two, while most of LSU’s defensive back transfers have come from Power 5 schools, Mekhi Garner and Colby Richardson, who are each candidates to claim the second outside corner position, transferred from lower-level schools in UL-Lafayette and McNeese State, respectively. They’ve looked great during camp, but there’s still reason to believe they will have tough times adjusting to SEC play. 

However, this group sports plenty of promise on paper, with each prominent candidate sporting starting experience and skillful ability. Expect them to cause endless problems for opposing quarterbacks if they live up to their potential. 

3. Running backs 

LSU’s plan regarding running backs isn’t much of a mystery. The offense will likely use a four-person committee to run the ball, with John Emery Jr. and Noah Cain earning most of the carries. 

The questions lie in how the carries will be split and how much success they’ll have.  

Cain and Emery have shown potential throughout their careers, averaging five yards per carry in their best respective seasons. But Emery hasn’t played competitively since 2020 and Cain suffered a devastating leg injury in the 2020-21 season that he claims impacted his sophomore performances.  

We can only speculate Emery’s level of improvement since 2020 and the same applies to whether Cain will bounce back from a shaky sophomore season or not. 

Other than those two, Armoni Goodwin and Josh Williams will likely round out the committee. Williams has a similar playstyle to Emery and Cain, and Goodwin is more of a speed back, posing danger in the open field and potentially giving himself a solid role within the offense. 

Expect the split of carries to fluctuate throughout the first few games of the season.  

2. Quarterbacks 

One of the biggest points of speculation regarding LSU football is who the starting quarterback will be in September. There are three prime candidates in Myles Brennan, Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier.  

Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock referred to the decision-making process regarding the position as a “complete evaluation,” citing factors such as leadership, knowledge of the offense, playmaking, clutch factor and protecting the ball as points of emphasis in the coaching staff’s assessment. He also emphasized being able to take command of the offense, along with complementing their strengths. 

Another factor expected to play a role in the decision is eligibility. Unless an older candidate has a clear edge, it would be impractical to choose them because they have less time to develop than the younger candidates.  

The only competitor I suspect of having that edge is Jayden Daniels, whose athleticism and running ability provides another dimension to his game and thereby, the entire unit. He could develop into the player he was expected to become with Arizona State, providing the Tigers with their best chance of reaching the next level immediately. 

But if that edge isn’t enough, the best option is Garrett Nussmeier. The redshirt freshman has already developed enough to compete with Brennan and Daniels, and he would have 2-3 years to evolve into a championship-caliber signal caller. 

Whoever wins the job will have plenty of strong weapons to throw the ball to, but how well those weapons will be used will remain a question until week one of the regular season. 

1. Offensive Line 

As it stands, LSU’s offensive line room has potential, but not much starting experience, particularly at the SEC level. Even with the acquisitions of Miles Frazier and Tre’Mond Shorts, who impressed during their times at Florida International and East Tennessee State respectively, it’s unclear how they will transition to the highest level of play in college football. 

The only projected starters that have already started against the SEC are junior Anthony Bradford and sophomore Garrett Dellinger. Dellinger is expected to start at center, a position he’s never played, with Shorts and Frazier at guard and Bradford and freshman Will Campbell at tackle. 

Other contenders include Cam Wire, Kardell Thomas, Emery Jones, Charles Thomas and others.  

On one hand, that leaves LSU with a huge shortage of experience and could potentially cause huge problems for the offense if it doesn’t pan out. On the other hand, there are two beneficial factors this creates in development and competition.  

Four of those five projected starters have multiple years of eligibility remaining, which gives them multiple years to develop their chemistry and overall skill. Competition accelerates development as well, with Dellinger citing that as one of the reasons this situation has been beneficial. 

“When you have competition, people push each other, and nothing is given to anyone,” Dellinger said. “It’s actually kind of nice that no one was given a ‘oh he’s got a spot because he was here.’” 

Whether or not this group has success this season is difficult to imagine, but if this group sticks together, expect them to develop into a line that’s compared to the award-winning one the Tigers produced in 2019. 

This team sports tremendous potential, but how successful they are will depend on these position groups. A lackluster offensive line, secondary or quarterback can turn a team with championship potential into one that struggles to become bowl eligible. 

But if they get these position groups right, the sky’s the limit.