Tag: Garrett Dellinger

Pair of LSU offensive lineman plan to return in 2024

The Tigers will be bringing four of five starting offensive linemen back in 2024.

LSU is set to return four of its five starters along the offensive line.

Both starting guards [autotag]Garrett Dellinger[/autotag] and [autotag]Miles Frazier[/autotag] plan to return to Baton Rouge in 2024 despite being draft-eligible, they reportedly told On3’s Shea Dixon. With tackles [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] not being draft-eligible, center [autotag]Charles Turner[/autotag] is the only starter who won’t be back next season.

The pair has seen a lot of action in the last few seasons. Dellinger has started 23 of 34 games he’s appeared in over the last three seasons, including all 13 this past fall. Frazier, meanwhile, is a transfer from Florida International and has started all but one of the 26 games he’s appeared in since joining the Tigers in 2022.

LSU has seen some losses along the offensive line as [autotag]Lance Heard[/autotag] entered the portal and [autotag]Mason Lunsford[/autotag] retired, but it brings back a lot of starting experience and a promising young center in [autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag], who will likely replace Turner.

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LSU’s offensive line named Joe Moore Award semifinalist

LSU’s offensive line has been a major part of the unit’s overall success.

The Joe Moore Award has named the 12 schools that have reached the semifinals for the award. LSU’s offensive line made the cut. The Tigers line joins Florida State, Georgia, Kansas State, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oregon, Oregon State, Tennessee, Texas and Washington as the final 12.

[autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Lance Heard[/autotag], [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag], [autotag]Charles Turner[/autotag], [autotag]Garrett Dellinger[/autotag], and more have made up a solid offensive line group that has helped lead LSU to a 7-3 record so far with two games left in the 2023 regular season.

The Tigers will take on Georgia State and Texas A&M. Two very winnable games for the Tigers before playing in a bowl game.

If the Tigers can win out, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] will secure his second straight 10-win season. It’s not a national championship, but as I have stated before, winning 10 games a year when you play in the SEC is a feat in itself.

LSU will welcome Georgia State into Baton Rouge this weekend for a 7 p.m. CT kickoff.

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Can LSU avoid the Alabama hangover against Florida?

LSU will look to bounce back after a loss to Alabama.

LSU’s SEC West and playoff hopes were dashed in Tuscaloosa last weekend.

It’s not the first time that’s happened. Alabama has put an end to LSU’s ultimate goal quite a few times in recent years, often knocking LSU out of the national picture.

It forces LSU to respond and shift how it views its season. When you’re not playing for a national title, you need something else to play for.

In 2014 and 2015, LSU struggled after the Bama loss. The Tigers lost to Arkansas the following weekend in both years, leading many to dub it the “Alabama hangover.”

The Tigers avoided it in 2016. After getting shut out by the Tide, LSU beat Arkansas 38-10. It was a nice feather in Ed Orgeron’s cap as he fought for the full-time job.

Again, LSU finds itself in a similar spot. At 6-3, LSU isn’t just out of the conference and playoff race, but the NY6 is unlikely too.

But LSU’s season rolls on, returning home to host the Florida Gators on Saturday night. LSU’s a two-touchdown favorite, and this isn’t a game it should lose.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] isn’t worried about a hangover. At his press conference on Monday, he said his team needs to move on and it has.

“We won 10 games last year. You need to win 10 again. And that’s in front of you,” Kelly said. “If you want to start closing the gap towards being elite, then back-to-back 10-win seasons starts to do that.”

Guard [autotag]Garrett Dellinger[/autotag] offered a similar sentiment.

“Just because our goals aren’t the same anymore, doesn’t mean we don’t have anything to play for. We still have LSU to play for, the state of Louisiana to play for, ton of stuff to play for,” Dellinger said.

LSU under Kelly typically responds to losses well. Kelly is 5-1 following a loss in his time at LSU. The lone back-to-back losses came when LSU faced eventual national champion Georgia in the SEC title after losing to Texas A&M the week prior.

LSU faces another test this weekend as it looks to remain competitive and build momentum for next year.

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Garrett Dellinger has been an unsung hero along LSU’s offensive line

Garrett Dellinger has been an underrated component of LSU’s success.

LSU’s offensive line rotation has been set for a while.

A lot of the talk surrounds [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag] at the tackle spots, as well as veteran [autotag]Charles Turner[/autotag] holding down the center spot.

But perhaps the unit’s unsung hero has been left guard [autotag]Garrett Dellinger[/autotag], who has slid under the radar. That’s a good thing when you play along the offensive line.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said that having the chance to train this offseason as opposed to last, when he was recovering from injury, has made a big impact.

“He’s been steady, but he’s been better than that,” Kelly said. “He was able to train this offseason, and that made a huge difference quite frankly. He’s stronger, and he’s on his feet. He was on the ground a little bit last year, this year he’s been really good.

“He’s been, I would say, better than steady. He’s been really, really good.”

LSU’s offensive line has played a major role in the offense’s overall success as a unit, and the Tigers will hope that continues as they face the toughest defensive front of the season to this point against Alabama on Saturday.

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Could Lance Heard be LSU’s starting right tackle?

Lance Heard could be LSU’s starting right tackle come kickoff.

[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.

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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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 72 Garrett Dellinger

Garrett Dellinger saw quite a bit of playing time as a true freshman two years ago, and he appeared in nine games last fall, making six starts.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

Garrett Dellinger saw quite a bit of playing time as a true freshman two years ago, and he appeared in nine games last fall, making six starts. One start was at center and the other five were at left guard. Dellinger is the Allen wrench of the roster. He can play anywhere.

Garrett Dellinger Preseason Player Profile

LSU lands Maryland offensive line transfer with starting experience

Mason Lunsford started 26 games for the Terrapins in four years.

The Tigers added to what is already one of their more talented groups on Tuesday, signing Maryland offensive line transfer [autotag]Mason Lunsford[/autotag].

A native of Olney, Maryland, the 6-foot-7, 305-pound Lunsford played four years with the Terrapins, making 26 starts in 29 appearances. He started all 13 games at left guard as a sophomore in 2021, and he made 10 starts in 2022 while not allowing a sack on 381 pass-blocking opportunities.

LSU returns four of its five starters along the offensive line, including two starters on the interior in [autotag]Miles Frazier[/autotag] and [autotag]Garrett Dellinger[/autotag]. Still, the Tigers lost a lot of their depth there to the portal and adding a player like Lunsford shores the group up quite a bit.

He will have two remaining years of eligibility.

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Starting LSU offensive lineman enters 2023 NFL draft

Anthony Bradford will leave LSU with at least one starter on the OL to replace in 2023.

The Tigers will have at least one starter to replace on the offensive line next year as fourth-year player [autotag]Anthony Bradford[/autotag] has declared for the 2023 NFL draft, according to a post on his Instagram account.

Bradford appeared in 29 games during his time in Baton Rouge with 17 starts. The majority of those came in 2022 when he started 12 of 13 games, primarily at guard. The Muskegon, Michigan, native is a versatile player capable of seeing action at both guard and tackle, and his loss will certainly hurt LSU’s depth moving forward.

Still, this team is projected to return its other four starters on the offensive line, and [autotag]Garrett Dellinger[/autotag] seems like the clear choice to slide in. [autotag]Marlon Martinez[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag] are also players who could get looks there, in addition to right tackle [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag], who could potentially be moved.

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Major Burns expected to play vs. Alabama, injury updates for Garrett Dellinger and Jack Bech

Burns has been cleared for practice and is expected to play Saturday. Meanwhile, Brian Kelly offered positive updates on Dellinger and Bech.

LSU has been a bit banged up in recent weeks despite its emergence over a two-game winning streak. The team is starting to get healthier just in time for the biggest game of the season against the Alabama Crimson Tide in a contest between the leaders in the SEC West.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] offered a few positive updates when he took the podium on Monday ahead of game week. The most notable news regarded safety [autotag]Major Burns[/autotag], who has been sidelined since sustaining a neck injury against Mississippi State on Sept. 17.

“Major Burns is cleared to participate, so he’ll be out at practice today,” Kelly said. “He, as you can imagine, will be in our game plan and we expect him to play and be an important part of what we do.”

[autotag]Joe Foucha[/autotag] has seen starting reps at safety since Burns left the lineup. Foucha missed the beginning of the season due to academic suspension, but he’s started to come into his own. Both Burns and Foucha can be expected to play a role in the rotation.

LSU will also hope to get one of its starters on the offensive line back this week in [autotag]Garrett Dellinger[/autotag], who hasn’t played since suffering an MCL sprain against Tennessee. Kelly was less committal on Dellinger’s availability, but he did say the sophomore guard was making good progress.

“Garrett Dellinger is day to day,” Kelly said. “He had a good weekend. He was here this weekend. As you can imagine, that’s a little bit different because he’s got to be able to take a load on that knee. When you’re coming back from a knee injury, it’s easier to, obviously, not have to worry about running and cutting. But you’ve got to be able to take the load, and that’s what we’re working on right now.

“We think we’re going to get him there, but it’s still a process because now, we’re going to add practice onto it. We’ve got to see how he responds each day after practice. We had people leaning on him individually over the weekend. Now, we’re going to be leaning on him for a full practice, and we’ll see how it goes. But he’s making good progress.”

Finally, LSU fans are awaiting news on a pair of skill-position players who missed the game against Ole Miss in [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag] and [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] Bech suffered a lower back injury against Florida, while Emery missed with an Achilles injury.

Kelly didn’t have an update on Emery, but he did say that Bech will practice this week.

“I’m certain Jack will practice. … I did get a report before I got in here on Jack,” Kelly said. “He is much improved and he was cleared to get out on the practice field today.”

Even in what looks to be a slightly down year for Alabama, this is one of the most talented rosters in college football. LSU will need to be as close to full strength as possible if it hopes to pull off the upset and put itself on the inside track in the division race.

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Will Campbell passed ‘major test,’ expected to be released from hospital Monday

Kelly said that things are trending in a positive direction for Campbell, who spent the weekend in the hospital.

We got some good news from coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] on Monday morning regarding the status of offensive tackle [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag], who missed Saturday’s game when he was hospitalized for severe dehydration.

Campbell spent the weekend in the hospital, but Kelly said he passed a “major test” and is expected to be released on Monday. As far as Campbell’s prospects of returning to the field, Kelly said he had one more hurdle to clear but that things continue to trend in a positive direction.

After having what Kelly has described as an “episode” during walkthroughs on Friday, Campbell was taken to the hospital via ambulance. It’s unclear exactly what happened, and Kelly has implied that there may be more going on than just dehydration.

After Saturday’s loss to Tennessee, Kelly said they had ruled out anything life-threatening.

Regardless, Monday’s news was certainly welcome, and it looks like Campbell may be nearly out of the woods. If he cannot play against Florida on Saturday, LSU will be down two starters on the offensive line. [autotag]Garrett Dellinger[/autotag] suffered an MCL sprain on Saturday and is set to miss two weeks.

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