Position Breakdown-Offensive Line

[Fishhead]

You know the old adage...football games are won in the trenches.  

For I don't know how many years in a row, dating back at least 3 coaches, the number 1 question mark heading into the season has been the offensive line.  Nootch and I have discussed this on podcasts, and we've all discussed it on various forums. 

But this year, dare I say...it's different.

I'm going to say the strongest "unit" on the offensive side of the ball is.....
QB.  Between a returning starter with 50+ starts under his belt who can absolutely take a game over for you and a backup that would start at multiple SEC schools, we're good there. 

BUT...the OL should be a close second.  It's not just the talent, although the talent is there.  It's amazing what BK and Brad Davis have been able to do in just 1.5 recruiting cycles.  But it's the fact the entire starting OL is returning. The value of experience and cohesion with an offensive line is simply immeasurable.  That's yet another discussion we've had for years on end.  "When will they gel?"
These guys gelled LAST year.  They're coming into this season already gelled!

Left to Right

Will Campbell is an absolute monster.  It's possible he was the best LT in the league at the end of the year...as a true freshman.  He's...mean!  And he's a SOPHOMORE.

Garrett Dellinger is in year 3 and shouldn't have to be taking any reps at Center this season.  Also, hopefully Delly can stay healthy all year.  He can technically play any position on the line, but the best part is, he doesn't have to anymore.  And he's a helluva guard when healthy. 

Charles Turner/Marlon Martinez at Center-Now this will be interesting.  I'm talking about all the starters returning, and here's TWO guys that have started at Center.  I do believe there will be a battle here.  May the best man win, but I feel pretty good either way given the experience both have and the fact cohesion is already there with either man at the position. 

Myles Frazier is returning at right guard.  But I honestly believe there's a battle here as well.  But with whom?  
It would not shock me in the least if the battle winds up at another position, and the "loser" of that battle ends up in a battle for the right guard position.  (IDK, MAYBE the left guard position??)

Emery Jones somewhat surprised me with holding down the right tackle spot once he took it over.  Like Campbell, he's only going to be better with a year in the system and in the weight room.  With this said, THIS is where a battle may emerge between Emery Jones and Zalance Heard, super hyped true freshman tackle.  We'll see if he can be kept off the field, but Heard comes in with even more hype than Campbell last season.  Campbell had one advantage Heard does not enjoy...lack of competition.  Campbell was always going to be the starter at LT last year.  The competition didn't exist when he got to campus.  But this year, like I said earlier...it's different. 

So the fact is, we KNOW we have a solid OL.   We just aren't 100% sure how it's gonna play out beyond Campbell.  We DO know we have experience, we have talent, and we have cohesion.  If Heard can earn a starting spot, he's replacing someone who is at the very least GOOD.  That means Heard is VERY good.  If Martinez can beat out Charles Turner, so be it...may the best man win the job.  
But what all this means is we also have talent and experience beyond the starting 5!  

THIS is how you win...in the trenches.  This is how you continue to compete with Alabama, you continue challenging for SEC Championships and playoff appearances.  This...is HUGE.

 

 

 

[houtiger]

The other thing it takes to beat Gumps and Ga. is depth.  You don't just need bodies, you need bodies that can keep the momentum going, quality depth.  I think that has been a problem at LSU for over 10 years.  We got tired late in games because we didn't have quality subs.  Another long term problem was lack of big athletic tackles to handle the best outside speed rush ends or outside LB.  It appears to me that Kelly is improving out tackle spots, and that is something we needed to do.  I think Campbell and Heard were both 5* recruits, and that is what it will take to win the SEC.

FH, if you get a chance, could you touch on the second string O-line?

My one concern on the o-line is center.  I think we're good, but not great.

[Fishhead]

I'll try

I mentioned 7 guys, so 2 of them will be 2nd string. We picked up a JUCO OL they say good things about. Bo Bordelon gets some hype but we haven't seen him against real competition so who knows?

[Fishhead]

 

DJ Chester was the other big OL get in recruiting. 6'6" 320 LB freshman?? And a track standout in discus as well. 

 

 

[Fishhead]

Tyree Adams is another highly rated freshman,  from NOLA 

 

[Fishhead]

Fitzgerald West could get consideration at center. He flipped to DL for a minute last season after Maason went out against FSU in the opener, but he's been back with the OL and took a redshirt last year. 

There's a transfer from Maryland,  Mason Lunsford, that was really solid there. 

There's bodies for sure and Kelly/Davis should get the best out of them. 

I feel really good about the OL

[houtiger]

I wonder if part of the problem last year was the lack of another big TE that could block, so BK could use 2 TE like he has liked in the past?  Emery Jones got beat by outside speed rushers a few times last year, it was not pretty early on.  With 2 TE, you could take care of that problem.  With the emphasis BK put on the TE position in recruiting, he probably has something in mind with them.  I would like to see us improve against the best pass rush defenses in the SEC.

[Fishhead]

Connor Gilbreath is here for that purpose...6th OL

[Fishhead]

A part of the "problem" last year was like Herb mentioned in the RB thread. The middle was left open a lot and Jayden Daniels took full advantage. 

There were other problems. 

2 true freshman tackles

Dellinger injured

No depth

No bell cow RB

[houtiger]

2 hours ago, Fishhead said:

2 true freshman tackles

I remember a BK story, early in the season.  We were playing a good, not great, team.  Campbell got beat bad, guy sacked the QB, we had to punt.  BK said Campbell walked over to him and said "this is what I did wrong, and that will never happen again"!!!

A. He's a bright guy

B. He's confident, that will never happen again.

I can remember him getting beat a few times in the second half of the season, but the fact that when he got beat you would remember those says he was not getting beat very often.  The norm was that he was solid holding down his position.

Campbell came in a 5*, and he upheld that ranking. 

[LSUDad]

Brian Kelly expresses confidence in LSU offensive line depth

Andrew Graham•08/04/23

(Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports)

A year removed from questions abounding about the LSU offensive line, Brian Kelly is bullish about the unit heading into his second year in Baton Rouge. With four players returning who have started, Kelly expects some battles for positions.

Last season, Kelly made a conscious choice to start a pair of freshman tackles on an inexperienced line. They took their lumps, but it was a calculated decision that is paying off now as the Tigers bring back experienced depth up front on offense.

“I mean, any time you get a situation where you have four guys that have started SEC games compared to last year where you’re like, ‘I have no idea,’ you come into it feeling a lot better,” Kelly said. “I think Brad [Davis]’sbuilt a great relationship with the guys that they understand what they’re doing, how they’re doing it and when they need to do it, which is really important. Offensive line is adjusting on the fly and their ability to do that now is really the difference in being a successful offensive line. Everything happens after the snap and these guys, now, have adjusted to the point where they can handle things on the fly.”

And now with a combination of some experienced returners and young up-and-comers, Kelly sees some stiff competition for any spots that are up for grabs throughout camp for LSU on the offensive line.

Kelly doesn’t plan to throw any youngsters into the fire quite like he did last year, another benefit of the depth.

“I think it’ll be an interesting deal. We’re going to have to see some of these young guys. We’re not going to throw ’em in there with the first group right away, but it’ll be similar to the evolution of our freshmen last year, where we gradually brought ’em along and then they took over some positions. You may see that happen again in camp. We’re going to give them a little time,” Kelly said.

And for the start of camp for LSU, Kelly doesn’t plan to roll out a depth chart. He wants to let the team settle in and see how they work off each other — albeit with a pretty clear notion of who is in the mix to play on the offensive line.
 

“I don’t really like to set a depth chart the first six practices. I like to the let the guys kind of go out there, that we’re starting, and let’s see how this competition takes care of itself,” Kelly said. “I think there could be potential battles on that offensive line.”

[Hatchertiger]

Will Campbell is my "cousin-in-law". My first cousin is cousins with me on his mom's side and with Will on his dad's side.  Met him and his dad after the spring game. Very nice and polite kid.  My cousin said he is one of those players that becomes a totally different person once he puts on the pads. 

[Hatchertiger]

From DandyDon today, certainly speaks well of depth on the o-line:

Redshirt freshman Bo Bordelan has been practicing as the second-string left tackle the last two days and reportedly got the best of Quency Wiggins twice in yesterday’s practice. Likewise, backup right tackle Lance Heard pancaked fellow five-star freshman Da’Shawn Womack on back-to-back reps.

[Fishhead]

20 hours ago, Hatchertiger said:

Will Campbell is my "cousin-in-law". My first cousin is cousins with me on his mom's side and with Will on his dad's side.  Met him and his dad after the spring game. Very nice and polite kid.  My cousin said he is one of those players that becomes a totally different person once he puts on the pads. 

Noticed that last season.  He's flat out mean when the pads go on, otherwise, seems quiet, timid even.

[Herb]

12 hours ago, Hatchertiger said:

Lance Heard pancaked fellow five-star freshman Da’Shawn Womack on back-to-back reps.

He put the Womack on him?