There is a lot of hope for this coming LSU football season with a new head coach, returning stars and some new faces. There are also uncertainties.
The most common uncertainties are how Head Coach Brian Kelly will adjust to the SEC football landscape, how the players will respond and how the new transfers will acclimate and fit into the system. There was a lot of “new” thrown at LSU fans this offseason, but with the season opener against Florida State just days away, here is what to expect from every part of the LSU football team this season.
What to expect from the offense
The common question about the LSU offense is who will start at quarterback. Unfortunately, we still don’t know. But we do know it’s now a two-man race, after veteran quarterback, Myles Brennan, decided to step away from football.
With the race now between Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier, the favorite remains Daniels, as experience is in his favor in three years as the starter at Arizona State. But Nussmeier has proved to be a playmaker. He kept LSU in the game as a freshman in an overtime matchup with Arkansas last season, and he performed beyond expectations in the Spring Game.
John Emery Jr. missed the entire season last year due to academic ineligibility. While he was back in the purple and gold for the Spring Game this year, he’s suspended for the first two games of this season also due to academic issues. It’s now expected that both Noah Cain and Armoni Goodwin will take the majority of the carries, at least for the first two games. Redshirt junior, Josh Williams, could also receive some reps in the backfield.
What is guaranteed for the start of the season is that Kayshon Boutte is back at wide receiver after suffering an ankle injury. Boutte is projected to be one of the best wide receivers in college football and has the potential to be a first-round draft pick next year.
While he is most definitely a force in the receiving core, the dynamic-duo of Malik Nabers and Jack Bech, who both made impacts as freshmen last season, is back and ready to go for this season. Redshirt senior, Jaray Jenkins, will also make a frequent impact for the Tigers, along with junior transfer, Kyren Lacy, and sophomores, Brian Thomas Jr. and Chris Hilton Jr.
Kole Taylor will most likely get the bulk of the reps at tight end along with Mason Taylor but redshirt junior Jack Mashburn will also receive consistent playing time there as well. Mason Taylor, a freshman, emerged in fall camp, and is someone who could make a big impact earlier than many expected.
“Well, probably the No. 1 surprise of camp is that we hit a home run with Mason Taylor, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Jason Taylor,” Kelly said during his weekly radio show “He’s been outstanding. I’ve been blessed. I’ve had some great tight ends. I’ve had some great tight ends. I’ve got seven of them right now who are active in the NFL. And Mason Taylor is as good as any freshman tight end that I’ve had.”
The name to know for the offensive line for LSU is freshman Will Campbell. Campbell was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and came to Baton Rouge as one of LSU’s top-ranked freshmen for the class. He showed in the spring and in fall camp that the transition from high school to college came with ease.
Kelly announced he will be starting at left tackle for LSU in their season opener. Along with Campbell, Florida International transfer, Miles Frazier, will make his first start in his first game as a Tiger. Anthony Bradford will start at right guard, Cam Wire will start at right tackle and Garrett Dellinger will start at center.
What to expect from the defense
LSU’s defensive line looks to be the centerpiece of not only the defense, but the entire team this season. Junior, BJ Ojulari and sophomore, Maason Smith, will be the leaders for the front lines this season, and Ali Gaye and Jaquelin Roy will be right alongside them making an impact. Missouri transfer, Mekhi Wingo, will also receive consistent playing time, and the added experience there will also help the defensive line this season.
At the linebacker position, Mike Jones Jr. and Greg Penn III will lead the way after both players showed potential last year. But all eyes are pointed to freshman phenom, Harold Perkins, who the Tigers managed to land on National Signing Day in the last recruiting cycle.
Perkins has impressed in practice so far and could get considerable playing time from the start of the season. Micah Baskerville will add his experience into the rotation throughout the season, and transfers West Weeks and Kolbe Fields could get notable reps as well.
The secondary is another area of the team to be excited about, and an area where the staff looked to the transfer portal for resources. Mekhi Garner, a transfer from Louisiana-Lafayette, Jarrick Bernard-Converse, a transfer from Oklahoma State and Sevyn Banks, a transfer from Ohio State, highlighted the transfer class this offseason. Another player that emerged rather unexpectedly in fall camp, and could get valuable reps is Colby Richardson, a transfer from McNeese State.
At safety, Joe Foucha, a transfer from Arkansas, will likely come right in and get valuable playing time. But the Tigers will still look to secondary players that have been with the program before this year like Major Burns, Jay Ward, Greg Brooks Jr. and Sage Ryan.
What to expect from special teams
The special teams unit will have big shoes to fill with Cade York and Avery Atkins both leaving for the NFL. But the players who will fill those shoes are promising. Kelly announced that Damian Ramos will handle field goals, but the kickoff specialist hasn’t been named as of yet; the battle is between Nathan Dibert and Ezekeal Mata. Jay Bramblett, a Notre Dame transfer, will handle punting with Peyton Todd backing him up.
One thing LSU has going into the season that will work in its favor is depth; if one player doesn’t fit a certain position or meet expectations, there will always be someone reliable that could follow them. This could take the Tigers a long way, and most certainly could take them along the right path to build the program back up.
