Besides the receiving core, the offense that will take the field in September for LSU is vastly different than the one it had last season. The projected starting quarterback, running back and most of the offensive linemen all have little-to-no experience on the field sporting purple & gold.
LSU’s offense last season was less than stellar, and they produced their lowest yardage per game total since 2014. However, the remnants of that offense contains plenty of promise.
Here is what the LSU offense is expected to look like in September:
Receiving Core
Of all LSU’s offensive position groups, none stayed as intact as their receiving room. In fact, of the five receivers that led their core in yardage last season, not one departed.
Three of those five—Jack Bech, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.—enter their sophomore seasons already attributing over 25 receptions and 350 receiving yards in their careers. They, now, have a year of competitive experience and a full offseason under their belts with plenty of room to improve.
Alongside that impressive core is one of the best receivers in the country.
Despite playing in just six contests last season, Kayshon Boutte led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns, catching nine touchdown passes before getting injured. In his last nine games, he has caught 65 passes for over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Jaray Jenkins, Chris Hilton Jr. and UL-Lafayette transfer Karen Lacy round out the expected depth for the Tigers, with Jenkins finishing each of the last two seasons as a top-three receiver on the team, and Lacy has been impressive in camp, so far.
With a star receiver exhibiting Biletnikoff-finalist potential and a deep room of talented receivers, this core could be one of the most dangerous receiving groups in the country, but it all depends on the man at the helm.
Quarterback(s)
The quarterback position remains LSU Football’s biggest talking point as we approach the middle of fall camp. Originally, there were three primary candidates competing for the starting job.
Jayden Daniels, Garrett Nussmeier and Myles Brennan split first team reps throughout the beginning of camp before Brennan opted to step away from football.
Nussmeier is a redshirt freshman with about five quarters of on-the-field experience. His most prominent performance against Arkansas featured an impressive touchdown pass to Jack Bech and a costly, game-losing interception in overtime, displaying both potential and inexperience.
Daniels has 30 starts with Arizona State, impressing in his first season before his play diminished slightly between his next two. He sports the most starting experience by far and another dimension to his game in his running ability.
It has been hinted by the coaching staff that this evaluation could take most of camp but expect the unexpected.
Offensive Line
When looking at the projected starters on the offensive line, one word comes to mind: Untested.
At center, sophomore Garrett Dellinger is expected to start. While he possesses just four starts with the Tigers, none of which came at center, he does not seem too worried about the transition.
Transfers Tre’Mond Shorts and Miles Frazier are the projected guards, sporting a solid amount of college experience but limited experience against the Power Five. The tackles are predicted to be Will Campbell and Anthony Bradford, a freshman and five-time starter respectively.
Cam Wire, Marlon Martinez, Xavier Hill, freshman Emery Jones and others are expected to fill the remaining depth.
This squad possesses talent, but there is no way of knowing how successful they will be until they man the field. Expect adjustments throughout the season, with this being the coaching staff’s greatest point of emphasis moving forward.
Running backs & tight ends
Regarding running backs and tight ends, expectations heading into camp have mostly been met.
The run game will feature a committee-style approach with Noah Cain and John Emery Jr. splitting first team responsibilities. Armoni Goodwin and Josh Williams expected to claim most of the remaining carries.
Emery was off the field all of last season, and Cain’s production with Penn State took a noticeable dip after he suffered a leg injury in 2021, making projections for this group difficult. Running the ball has been notoriously difficult for the Tigers since the departure of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, as they finished near the bottom in rushing yards per game the last two seasons.
On the tight end side, Freshman Mason Taylor has seen first team reps recently. Kole Taylor led last season’s tight ends in all receiving categories and has also featured along with Nick Storz and Jack Mashburn.
Although, both positions were considerably left out of the passing game last year with not one player from either side eclipsing 100 yards for the entire season. Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock claims that wll not be the case this season.
“They are going to be a big piece of what we do,” Denbrock said regarding the positions’ involvement in passing. “They’re going to make everybody around them better if they become a viable option in the passing game.”
Overall
Throughout fall camp, the offense has looked promising. There may be plenty of questions going into the season, but they have serious potential with the weapons they have.
Their receiving room could be one of the best in the country, and while the quarterback room has been competitive, they are working harder to develop their skills. Daniels has already proven he can be successful at quarterback in both the pass and the run, and Nussmeier has developed incredibly well, over the offseason.
However, it is all going to come down to the line, which has plagued LSU’s offense with its struggles over the past two seasons. They sport a talented room, but we will not be able to accurately gauge their effectiveness until they take the field in September.
There are still two weeks left to go before camp wraps up, so expect more to transpire as fall action continues.
