Quick Rebuild

[Fishhead]

Whomever the next head coach will be, it's obvious LSU is a bit of a rebuild at this point.  Let's face it, two years in a row we're struggling to break 60 available players.  Some of that is due to self imposed sanctions, most to injuries/opt outs/etc

But it's not as bad, IMO, as it would appear.  And here's why I feel OK about what should be a quick rebuild.

We've had a few enter the transfer portal, but it looks like most are awaiting the announcement of Orgeron's replacement.  Two things to consider here.  
1. Entering the portal isn't permanent.  It's possible the next HC can recruit LSU players back, if so desired, to LSU.  I think the two this likely applies to is Brennan and Ricks.  Yes, Brennan.  

2. The new NCAA rule allowing teams to 'replace' transfers without it affecting their per year number.  In other words, we can take 25 new recruits per year.  ALSO, we can add FROM the transfer portal for every player we lose TO the transfer portal, and these players do not count against that hard 25.  There's a cap of 7 in the transfer rule.  If you lose, say, 5 to transfer, you can replace 5 from transfer.  If you lose 8 or 10 or anything over 7, you can replace up to 7 from transfer.  Hopefully we don't have to go the route of replacing 7 from transfer and we lost 10!

But this transfer rule is HUGE.  There are obvious holes in the roster, and surprisingly, it's not JUST offensive line.  Look at DBs.  Sting and Ricks are gone (assuming Ricks remains in the portal and finds a new destination).  Safety is fairly thin, but LB is likely to lose Clark and Baskerville.  Scary stuff, but with the ability to add transfers as you lose them, you can fill those slots with quality pieces.  

Obviously losing a 5* stud in Ricks hurts.  But he had 1 year left as almost assuredly he'll enter the draft as soon as possible.  So although you aren't likely to get a Ricks talent, it's not unthinkable you can get a guy with 2-3 years remaining and less of an injury history.  Let's face it, Ricks has played in 14 games in his two years on campus, out of a possible 22 (counting the remainder of this year's games).  
We have solid young players like McGlothern and Ward, Flott, etc...but we need depth and none of those guys are frosh.  

Back to OL, I said it isn't JUST the OL, but let's face it, OL is where we need immediate attention.  We need new recruits, but due to the nature of the position, the transfer portal is paramount to rebuild this OL.  It's rare for guys to come in as frosh and have a big impact on the OL.  And Austin Deculus will be officially out of eligibility after this season lol. 

Whomever the HC becomes, assuming it's a current college HC, let's think about Jay Johnson's arrival at LSU.  Like it or not, guys commit to coaches moreso than schools/programs quite a bit.  A HC that leaves a school where there's a kid that signed with that school primarily because of the HC, hey that kid may follow the coach to LSU.  It happened with Jay Johnson leaving Arizona and coming to LSU, Jacob Berry, anyone?  

Just a few more days for us to wait and wonder.  I feel strongly Scott Woodward not only has a guy, but HAS HAD a guy.  I think he's been working on this for over a year, to be honest.  I feel whatever we're hearing in the media is total guesses.  Guys like Shea Dixon, who's had access to the program for years and whose wife Emily has even closer access....has no clue and isn't hazarding any guesses.  That tells me nobody knows besides Scott Woodward, the coach, whomever he is, and the coach's agent.  But consider this...

Woodward's first hire was Steve Sarkisian at Washington, and Sark was a big fish then.  Not a whale, but a large fish.  
He replaced Sark with a whale in Peterson, who NOBODY thought would leave Boise State.  He got him.
He went to TAMU and got a championship winning HC from another P5 program, which nearly never happens.  Jimbo. 
He got friggin Kim Mulkey to LSU, a Hall of Fame HC from a program with Hall of Fame history and success. 
Jay Johnson was a guy with CWS experience, although no titles.  But still, from a program with championship history.  

The guy's a big game hunter and he's very successful.  He operates in such a manner nobody sees it coming.  I expect a solid hire and as Nootch likes to say, we won't have to run to google to look the guy up when it's announced. 

Can't wait!

 

[Herb]

49 minutes ago, Fishhead said:

we won't have to run to google to look the guy up when it's announced

You know we all will anyway if for nothing else than to find trivia anecdotes to impress your family and friends around the dinner table!