[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] isn’t afraid to throw a freshman into the fire on the offensive line.
Last year, from week three on, LSU was anchored by two freshman tackles up front with [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag].
We could see another freshman take over a starting role this year. According to reports from the scrimmage on Saturday, five-star [autotag]Lance Heard[/autotag] took some snaps with the first-team at right tackle.
In this package, Jones bumped over to guard with [autotag]Miles Frazier[/autotag] heading to the sideline.
Kelly and staff have been fans of Heard since arrived on campus. In the recruiting process, Kelly said Heard insisted on playing left tackle, even though Campbell will man that spot for a couple of years.
It’ll be a couple of years before Heard takes over the left tackle roll, but that comment was an insight into his confidence.
Earlier in camp, [autotag]Sai’Vion Jones[/autotag] said Heard was impressive against some of LSU’s best defenders. By all accounts, it sounds like Heard has more than earned his spot in this competition.
LSU DE Saivion Jones raves about the potential of five-star freshman OT Zalance Heard.
Says he’s been able to go against Mekhi Wingo and a lot of the top defensive linemen and held his own.
— Matthew Brune (@MatthewBrune_) August 7, 2023
If Heard is ready to go, it offers a major boost to LSU’s depth up-front.
It allows Jones to be a swiss army knife for LSU’s offensive line. The Tigers might not be flush with options on the two-deep, but with Jones, Frazier, and [autotag]Garrett Dellinger[/autotag], LSU has three versatile linemen who can play almost anywhere.
There’s a natural trade-off if LSU rolls with Heard at right tackle. With an entire year under his belt, Jones has the experience that Heard doesn’t. That could be important with LSU gearing up to face one of the best pass rushers in the country Week 1.
With kickoff in two weeks, I wouldn’t bet on Heard getting the start, but it looks like he’ll be getting some playing time right away.
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