Tag: Liam Shanahan

Charles Turner could be the answer for LSU at center

LSU could be close to finding clarity at the center position.

Coming into the spring, one of the biggest questions for LSU was the center position.

[autotag]Liam Shanahan[/autotag] was serviceable the last couple years, but his play wasn’t anywhere near the level LSU had gotten at the position from guys like [autotag]Ethan Pocic[/autotag] and [autotag]Lloyd Cushenberry[/autotag].

On Saturday, reporters who watched practice noted that [autotag]Charles Turner[/autotag] was taking first-team reps at center. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] had stated earlier in the spring that the position was wide open, and the staff would be trying out lots of names there. It now seems like Turner is in the driver’s seat.

Turner also took first-team reps at center last Saturday. In 2021, Turner played over 100 snaps on the offensive line, but just eight of them at center.

He came to LSU in 2019 as a three-star recruit and has seen time at guard and tackle since then. Former head coach [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] spoke highly of Turner early in the 2020 season.

Considering how important the position of center is to the chemistry of the offensive line, this could be something where Kelly and staff want to ride with Turner just for continuity’s sake.

247Sports’ scouting report of Turner as a recruit, written by Gabe Brooks, states that Turner projects as a center at the collegiate level. If Turner pans out, it could be the best play LSU has gotten at the position in since Cushenberry left following the title run.

Upon returning from injury, [autotag]Marlon Martinez[/autotag] is expected to compete with Turner for the job.

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5 LSU players make SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

LSU football is impressing both on the field and in the classroom.

Five football players from LSU were recently named to the 2020-21 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll. Those players were Jacobian Guillory, Dwight McGlothern, Koy Moore, Liam Shanahan, and Josh White.

The First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll is based on grades from the 2020-21 academic year. All student-athletes in the SEC who participate in a championship sport are eligible for nomination to the award.

In order to be honored with this recognition, the student-athlete must have a grade point average of 3.00 or above for either the preceding academic year (two semesters or three quarters) or have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or above at the nominating institution.

Also, student-athletes attending summer school must have their summer school GPA included in the previous semester in order to be named to this list.

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Only varsity athletes who have completed 24 semesters or 36 quarter hours of non-remedial academic credit toward a baccalaureate degree at the nominating institution can be nominated for the award.

A total of 1,130 student-athletes from the 14 league schools made the first-year Academic Honor Roll.

One freshman (Jacobian Guillory), three sophomores (Dwight McGlothern, Koy Moore, and Josh White), and one senior (Liam Shanahan) made the list.

This is an admirable achievement for all five football players, especially considering the difficulty of the degree each athlete is pursuing.

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Tigers offensive lineman hints at possible return to LSU

It appears Liam Shanahan will return to LSU for the 2021 season.

2020 is a weird year in which every college football player is technically eligible to come back and play another season in 2021 due to circumstances surrounding the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

One player the Tigers appear to be retaining for upcoming year is center Liam Shanahan.

Shanahan took to Twitter with a video captioned, “Show goes on” with a tiger emoji next to it.

It’s not hard to read between the lines and figure out what all of this means.

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Granted that Shanahan does come back (which we should expect at this point), he’ll return to action when the Tigers open the 2021 college football season at UCLA on Sept. 4.

Orgeron had spoken to the large amount of players he thought he would retain moving forward.

“I think you’re gonna be surprised by the retention level that we have,” he said last week. “I’ve talked to a lot of guys, now a lot of things can happen, but right now a lot of them are leaning on coming back. I’m recruiting the heck out of the offensive line which would really help us.”

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Looking into LSU’s two most pressing areas of concern against Missouri

LSU has two primary areas of concern as the Tigers face off against Missouri on Saturday.

With game day quickly approaching, the No. 17 LSU Tigers head to Columbia, Missouri for the first time ever to face their SEC East foe Missouri Tigers.

Hurricane Delta is impacting the game, which was originally slated to be played inside Tiger Stadium, and will now be moved to Faurot Field to be played on the turf of the “other Tigers.”

LSU has many familiar faces back for this game. Defensive lineman Glen Logan is expected to return, for one.

Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. returned last week and running back Chris Curry should be back after missing last week with an illness.

Here’s a look at the most pressing areas of concern for LSU against Missouri.

Defensive line

Last week, LSU started freshman Jaquelin Roy on the defensive line and failed to get the result they had hoped for. Roy finished with just one tackle, but still has a great amount of upside that will carry his career.

Glen Logan is expected back this week, and that provides the Tigers with a boost up front. But overall, the defensive line needs to get back on track.

Ali Gaye had trouble last week after having 11 tackles in the season opener, but has obviously shown he has the ability to make a strong impact in a single game.

Missouri isn’t a great rushing team on offense, but LSU has to get in the backfield more this week. Defensive coordinator Bo Pelini could even dial up more blitz packages given the lack of stats for Missouri quarterback Connor Bazelak.

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LSU football’s two main areas of concern against Mississippi State

As LSU opens their season against Mississippi State on Saturday, the offensive and defensive lines draw concern.

The 2020 college football season for the defending national champion LSU Tigers kicks off in two days.

On Saturday, the Tigers welcome the Mississippi State Bulldogs to Baton Rouge for the first game of the conference-only season.

LSU lost 14 players from last year’s team to the 2020 NFL draft, which leaves a few questions in the air when it comes to production at each position.

Let’s take a look at two main areas of concern heading into Saturday’s season-opening game for the Tigers.

Offensive Line

As much of a lingering question that the quarterback position could be with Myles Brennan leading the way replacing Joe Burrow, the Tigers’ offensive line lost three starters from last season.

With the official depth chart for the first game being released last week, the Tigers will start three players that have experience on the line in Dare Rosenthal at offensive tackle, Chasen Hines at right guard and Austin Deculus at right tackle.

Offensive guard Ed Ingram also has starting experience and will be a key factor in protecting Brennan and opening holes in the running game.

The Tigers’ starting center will be Harvard transfer Liam Shanahan, who is a player that the coaching staff has been giving high praise for.

The main reason for the concern is due to the fact that the team lost nearly all of their starters from last season on the line. Protecting Brennan is focal point number one for this unit.

If they can transition into a solid unit early in the season, things will look good for them from a protection and production standpoint for the season.

However, the front seven has to give Brennan enough time in the pocket to complete passes and escape pressure. We will find out on Saturday how well the unit is clicking during the game.

Going up against a team with a new head coach, coupled with a new quarterback in Brennan, could give the offensive line a struggle during the game.

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