The LSU football program once again finds itself in uncharted waters at the conclusion of another season.
At the end of the 2016 season, the biggest question on the minds of Tiger fans was whether or not newly hired LSU coach Ed Orgeron would be well-suited to take the reigns of the LSU football team.
Some of the skepticism was based in the typical irrationality found in any sports fan base, but some of the doubt was warranted. After all, each of Orgeron’s previous head coaching stints at USC and Ole Miss ended in disappointment.
Despite the detractors, Orgeron and the 2017 LSU Tigers won six Southeastern Conference games, the most for a Tiger team since the 2012 season.
There were hiccups along the way. Embarrassing losses to Mississippi State and Troy had fans in an uproar, and the bowl loss to Notre Dame hampered any hope of seeing the first 10-win LSU team since 2013.
For all intents and purposes, though, Orgeron’s first year at the helm of the program could be considered a step forward, albeit a baby step.
Sadly, much of the optimism that was building during the course of the season is now overshadowed by feelings similar to the apprehension felt when Orgeron was first hired.
Matt Canada was hailed as one of the collegiate game’s offensive masterminds upon his arrival to Baton Rouge, but Orgeron has opted to part ways with Canada after a single season.
Last week, LSU decided to hire from within and elevated tight ends coach Steve Ensminger to replace Canada, and, once again, Tiger fans find themselves questioning whether or not a newly hired position coach is prepared to take on the pressure that comes with more responsibility.
After all, Ensminger not only has to install a new offense, he has to develop experienced talent quickly.
LSU is losing players in key positions thanks to early departures from Derrius Guice, Toby Wheathersby and Will Clapp; as well as the losses of Danny Etling and DJ Chark due to graduation, but youth will be no excuse for fans who watched the national championship game between Alabama and Georgia.
LSU’s conference rivals played a spectacular game highlighted by performances from a slew of freshman players. Now, the bar for the speed of developing young players has been set, despite how unrealistic those expectations are, and Ensminger must move quickly to make the Tigers’ offense competitive.
Although fans have serious qualms about the fate of LSU’s offense, there are a few silver linings for you optimists out there.
The Tigers will attempt to make a noticeable improvement on special teams after struggling throughout the 2017 campaign, especially in the field goal kicking game where the Tigers finished the year with a 37 percent accuracy.
In response, LSU is adding highly touted Division II kicker Cole Tracy to the roster, along with a new special teams coordinator in Greg McMahon.
On the defensive side of the ball, Dave Aranda will reprise his coordinator role with the Tigers after rebuffing Texas A&M’s offer to hire him at the same position in College Station, and the LSU defense is returning ample young talent with experience.
Aranda’s success speaks for itself, and his defense will play a large role in establishing stability to a team surrounded in uncertainty.
In the end, only time will tell whether or not Orgeron and his new staff has what it takes to build a perennial winner at LSU. Unfortunately, it looks as though the Tigers will first have to weather a tough storm in 2018 to reach that point.
