Tag: Brad Davis

LSU is closing in on one transfer portal option from FIU

One transfer portal addition could help the offensive line immediately.

Offensive line coach Brad Davis and head coach Brian Kelly have work to do in figuring out who starts next season. The LSU offensive line was one of the worst units a season ago. According to PFF, the Tigers were 70th in run blocking. They allowed 38 sacks in 2021, the second-most allowed in the SEC. Only the Tennessee Volunteers were worse.

LSU hosted Florida International offensive lineman Miles Frazier, who is in the transfer portal. If the Tigers want to improve an offensive line that struggled mightily in 2021, Frazier should be a top priority.

Frazier is down to three schools with Florida State, Ohio State, and the Tigers. He would likely slide right into a starting spot among the offensive line, especially with Austin Deculus exiting after starting 60 games for LSU. His addition would likely be on the right side and put incoming freshman Will Campbell in a battle at left tackle. Being the more experienced tackle, Frazier might slide to the left to protect the blindside since the Tigers won’t have a left-handed quarterback with Max Johnson transferring.

Frazier revealed his top three destinations on Monday evening:

The Tigers have three commitments on the offensive line with Campbell, Bo Bordelon, and guard Emery Jones. Along with Deculus, starting center Liam Shanahan, and guard Ed Ingram will also be leaving the team following the Texas Bowl against Kansas State. Often injured Chasen Hines could return for another year with the extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 season in 2020.

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One member of this year’s staff confirmed to return

Brad Davis will return in 2022 on Brian Kelly’s staff.

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LSU Tigers’ new head coach Brian Kelly has decided on the future of interim head coach Brad Davis. LSU announced that Davis would be coming back as offensive line coach.

Davis will lead the Tigers in the Texas Bowl against Kansas State. Davis joined the LSU staff in June after one season at Arkansas. Under Davis, the Tigers used 11 different offensive linemen. In addition, LSU used nine different starting lineups and twice started the same offensive line in back-to-back games.

Still, the Tigers offensive line improved every game, and the offensive line played its best football in the final weeks of the season. Davis had one All-SEC player on his offensive line Ed Ingram. It is a testament to Davis’s coaching with all the moving parts of the line and still improving as the season went on.

Davis played offensive line at the University of Oklahoma from 1999-2002. In 2003 Davis started his coaching career with Southern Lab in Baton Rouge where he was the offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator. Davis has coached every year since then and is mainly on the line. In addition, he spent time at three other SEC schools, Florida, Missouri, and Arkansas.

Kelly made a great call to bring Davis back in the fold because he is experienced and knows what he is doing with the offensive line.

Report: LSU to the Texas Bowl to face off with Kansas State

Looks like we have our bowl matchup.

The LSU Tigers will take on the Kansas State Wildcats in the Texas Bowl according to Brett McMurphy of Action Network.  The Bowl will be held in NRG Stadium Houston, Texas.

It will be the second time that LSU has played in Texas Bowl. In 2015 the Tigers beat Patrick Mahomes and Texas Tech 56-27.

The Tigers finished the season 6-6 and will be making their 53rd bowl appearance and has a 28-23-1 record in bowl games. A few weeks ago, a bowl game was in jeopardy when LSU was 4-6. However, the Tigers won their last two games against UL-Monroe and Texas A&M to become bowl eligible.

Offensive line coach Brad Davis will serve as the interim head coach for the bowl game, while new Head coach Brian Kelly will look on and evaluate the roster.

LSU will take on a Kansas State team that went 7-5 during the regular season, and it will be only the second time the two teams have played each other. In 1980 the Tigers beat the Wildcats 21-0.

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LSU pledge tweets that he is locked in with the Tigers

Five-star offensive tackle Will Campbell reaffirms his commitment to LSU, plans on enrolling in January.

There is no question that the offensive line for the LSU Tigers have struggled this year. However, help could be on the way as early as next season with one of the top offensive tackles in the country, Will Campbell.

Campbell is the No. 4 offensive tackle in the country and No. 2 player in the state of Louisiana. The five-star composite recruit could help this offensive line immensely. Campbell pledged to play football for LSU on Jan. 30, 2021. Eight months later it seems some are questioning whether or not he will stay committed based on what is going on within the program.

Contrary to some reports, I have not had any thoughts on decommitting form LSU. I am 100% locked in and look forward to enrolling in January. Coach O, Coach Davis, and Coach Mason have treated me and my family one of their own throughout this process. I can’t wait to bring a national championship back to Baton Rouge.

Geaux Tigers

He shared his thoughts on Twitter following the Tigers 28-25 win over Mississippi State.

Will Campbell is the No. 2 ranked prospect in the Tigers 2022 class according to 247Sports composite rankings. Emery Jones and Bo Borderlon are the other two offensive linemen who have also pledged to play in Baton Rouge.

Each of the three could be in the running to help an offensive line that could lose a few starters following the season. Coach Brad Davis has work to do in order to get this offensive line trending in the right direction once again.

One LSU assistant could be pivotal to success in 2021

The success of the LSU offense could be tied to one position coach.

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This offseason all the headlines seem to revolve around head coach Ed Orgeron turning it around after posting a 5-5 record. He responded by replacing his offensive coordinator with Jake Peetz. Steven Ensminger would head into an analyst role. Bo Pelini was relieved of his duties and the team went with Daronte Jones. The team would have to find a replacement at offensive line coach after firing James Cregg.

Could the new offensive line coach be a huge factor in the upcoming season? ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg (subscription required) circled Brad Davis on his position coach watching heading into the 2021 campaign.

Davis joins the Tigers after spending the 2020 season with the Arkansas Razorbacks.

 Davis is on quite the SEC tour, as LSU marks his fourth stop in the league since 2017. He spent a season coaching Florida’s offensive line before moving to Missouri for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, and then joining Sam Pittman at Arkansas last fall. A Baton Rouge native, Davis played offensive line for Oklahoma’s national championship team in 2000 and has coached the position at multiple levels and in multiple regions.

LSU needed an offensive line coach after firing James Cregg in June, and the school had to pay big money (three-year contract that averages $830,000 annually) to land Davis on short notice. The Tigers were set to return all five starting linemen before tackle Dare Rosenthal transferred to Kentucky. Davis’ work with Cameron Wire, set to replace Rosenthal, and holdovers such as guard Ed Ingram and center Liam Shanahan will be especially important with a young quarterback, Max Johnson, stepping into the clear starting role after Myles Brennan’s arm injury.

With such a young quarterback in Max Johnson starting in the 2021 season, protecting him is at a premium. Yes, a team should always worry about protecting the quarterback but even more so with Johnson. Given that the running backs didn’t perform at a level many expected, the offensive line opening holes for them will be huge as well.

The Tigers ran the ball on an average of 36.5 attempts per game last year. While they ran for 121.7 yards per game and 3.3 yards per attempt, the defense gave up way more. A difference of almost 50 yards per game more. The Tigers need Tyrion Davis-Price and John Emery Jr to have a bigger impact on the offense in 2021.

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In 2019 during the national championship run, LSU ran for 167.3 yards per game and 4.9 yards per attempt. Getting back to that level of production will help. Last season under Davis, the Razorbacks averaged 151.3 rushing yards per game. Davis plus new offensive coordinator Jake Peetz could be the equation that gives the Tigers an edge on offense for the 2021 campaign.

Peetz coached the running backs for the Carolina Panthers in 2019 before moving to quarterbacks coach for the 2020 season. He knows how important it will be to get the running backs involved. If Davis can get the protection right for the offense and provide more opportunities for the backs, his hire will have been worth what they paid to get him.

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