LSU loses a lot of key production entering 2024, most notably its starting quarterback and top-two receivers from a season ago.
However, this team begins the campaign as a preseason top-15 team across the board, and there’s a reason for that. This roster has a lot of talent, and ESPN has taken notice. On its preseason All-America team, the outlet included three LSU players.
The obvious one is left tackle [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag], who is a first-teamer. Campbell enters his third year as the starter and has proven himself to be one of the best tackles in the nation. He’s seen as a possible top-five pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
Campbell has been LSU’s starting left tackle since his first game as a true freshman. The 6-6, 323-pound junior has started 26 straight games and could be the first offensive lineman taken in the 2025 NFL draft. He’s a polished pass protector and didn’t allow a sack last season in 491 pass-blocking situations, according to Pro Football Focus. Campbell’s power and strength also make him an excellent run blocker.
[autotag]Emery Jones Jr.[/autotag], who will play on the right side opposite Campbell and is viewed as a first-round prospect in his own right, was named to the second team.
Campbell wasn’t the only first-teamer, however. On the defensive side of the ball, he’s joined by [autotag]Harold Perkins Jr.[/autotag] After a very productive true freshman campaign, Perkins entered his sophomore year in 2023 with high expectations.
Though he remained productive, he wasn’t the game-changer many hoped he would be. That could change in 2024 as he has a different role in the revamped defensive scheme under new coordinator [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag].
After considerable debate about where Perkins should play, he will return to inside linebacker while also moving outside and rushing the passer on third down. The 6-1, 225-pound junior had 7.5 sacks as a true freshman in an edge rusher role. He moved inside as a sophomore, and while his sack numbers dipped somewhat, he matched his freshman total with 13 tackles for loss. Wherever Perkins lines up, quarterbacks have to be wary of him.
Only time will tell if LSU reaches its goal of a College Football Playoff berth, but if it does, these three players will almost certainly be a major reason why.
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