The media got its first real impression of what the 2022 LSU football team may look like on Wednesday as coach Brian Kelly held the first open scrimmage.
The team reportedly had some issues snapping the ball, and the first questions Kelly fielded in his press conference following the scrimmage regarded the players in the offensive trenches.
“No,” Kelly said when asked if the starting offensive line was settled. “There are still opportunities. Cam Wire is still in the picture, (Marcus) Dumervil is just getting back with an ankle. Those two guys are still competing, and (Charles) Turner is still in competition. I’d say those three guys, in particular, are still vying for an opportunity.”
LSU has some players who seem to be locked into starting roles in [autotag]Tre’Mond Shorts[/autotag], a four-year starter Kelly landed in the transfer portal from East Tennessee State, and [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag], a true freshman who was an elite recruit coming out of high school. Campbell has quickly asserted himself as one of the Tigers’ best linemen.
It also added [autotag]Miles Frazier[/autotag], a transfer from Florida International that is likely to start, and it returns redshirt freshman utility lineman [autotag]Garrett Dellinger[/autotag].
Kelly said we can expect some tweaking in the coming weeks as the team prepares for the season opener against Florida State.
“We’ll move that group around a little bit, we’re going to move (Anthony) Bradford inside, we’ll kick Cam Wire out to tackle, so there’s still some moving around on the offensive line to see what the best five guys are,” Kelly said.
The offensive line is among the biggest question marks entering Kelly’s first season. The Tigers lost four of their five starters from a year ago, with Wire being the only returning starter. It addressed the line in the transfer portal, but this group is still largely unproven.
It has the potential to be a limiting factor, and LSU will hope to nail down its starting group sooner rather than later as the regular season kicks off in just over two weeks.
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