Tag: LSU Depth Chart

LSU State of the Program: Tigers’ tight ends have a bright future

Here’s how LSU stacks up at tight end in 2023 and beyond.

With spring practice weeks away, its time to start thinking about the 2023 college football season.

Offseason workouts have already begun, but spring practice has traditionally been the first time when media and fans get a real preview of what the fall could look like.

Roster movement has died down and coaching staffs are being solidified. Now’s about the time when we can take an accurate look at the state of a program.

Position-by-position, we’re breaking down the state of LSU football as Brian Kelly prepares to begin his second spring practice at LSU.

We’ve already looked at the QBs, RBs, and WRs. Now, we move on to tight end, one of the youngest but more intriguing spots on LSU’s roster.

247Sports offers high praise for LSU’s 2023 roster

LSU’s roster will be among the best in the sport in 2023.

LSU brings a lot of talent back in 2023, and the media hype is continuing to build.

247Sports recently ranked LSU’s roster one of the “most lethal” in college football.

“The Tigers are blessed with a talented quarterback room and may have the nation’s best defender in former five-star recruit [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag],” Brad Crawford wrote.

Crawford added that LSU’s average signing class over the last five years ranks sixth in the country. This is par for the course at LSU. Nobody ever criticized LSU for a lack of talent. It’s always been about what it has — or hasn’t — done with that talent.

The roster in 2023 is certainly LSU’s most talented one since the loaded 2019 squad. Several positions are stabilized and possess experience to go along with natural ability.

Pinning down LSU’s expectations in 2023 will be tough. This roster is good enough to win the SEC, but considering Georgia’s ascension, saying its championship or bust for LSU isn’t fair just yet.

Going forward, LSU needs to put this caliber of roster out there every year.

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LSU State of the Program: Evaluating running back outlook in 2023 and beyond

The Tigers have quite a bit of depth in the backfield entering 2023.

With spring practice set to begin next month, it’s time to start looking at how LSU shapes up at each position group entering 2023. Earlier this week, we took a look at the quarterback room. Now, we move on to the running backs.

Roster construction isn’t just about this year though; coaches also have to build for the future. In these position previews, we’ll be looking at the outlook for each position group for the next several years.

Running back looks good for LSU right now. It’s one of the most experienced rooms on the team and just signed a couple of standout recruits.

Let’s jump right in.

Early LSU defensive depth chart prediction for the 2023 season

Here’s what LSU’s defense could look like in 2023.

Earlier this week, we took an early look at what LSU could throw out there on offense this fall.

Now, It’s time for the defense.

This unit is more of a challenge to pin down. LSU’s offense is bringing back most of its production. The defense, however, is losing several key pieces.

[autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag] are gone after holding down the edge spots since 2020. The secondary is going through another makeover and veteran linebackers [autotag]Micah Baskerville[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Jones Jr.[/autotag] are gone too.

[autotag]DeMario Tolan[/autotag], a talented young linebacker, hit the portal along with a couple of young corners.

The cupboard is far from bare. LSU returns strong players on the interior and did heavy work in the transfer portal, especially on the backend. With [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] and a healthy [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag], the defense remains in a good spot.

Here’s how we think the defense could stack up next season.

Early LSU offensive depth chart prediction for 2023 season

Here’s what LSU’s offense could look like in the fall.

It’s January. The 2023 kickoff is nowhere near, and we’re still months away from spring practice.

But early signing day is in the rearview, as is the bulk of the transfer portal action. The deadline to declare for the NFL draft has come and gone, and we’re starting to get an idea of what rosters will look like in the fall.

That means it’s time to take a stab at a depth-chart prediction.

LSU is returning a lot, but that doesn’t make this easy. Every offseason is filled with breakouts and it’s tough to predict who will progress and who will regress.

The quarterback spot will be talked about a lot, so let’s jump right in.

Projecting LSU’s Week 1 offensive depth chart

Here’s how we expect LSU’s offensive depth chart to look.

With the kickoff of the college football season now behind us, it’s game week for the LSU Tigers.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] begins his first campaign in Baton Rouge with a high-profile matchup against Florida State in prime time at the Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday night. The Seminoles and coach Mike Norvell were in action during Week 0, beating Duquesne 47-7 in a tuneup before they face their first real test.

LSU is still yet to announce a starting quarterback or release its depth chart for the first game, but after spring and fall camps, we have a good idea how things are going to shake out on the roster this season.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at how we expect the offensive depth chart to look when it’s released later this week. We will take a look at the defense on Tuesday.

Kayshon Boutte and BJ Ojulari headline group of Tigers on PFF’s All-SEC team

According to PFF, LSU has plenty of talent to rely upon this fall

LSU might still have some depth issues as it makes its way out of the coaching transition, but there’s plenty of talent at the top.

PFF released its 2022 All-SEC projections and plenty of Tigers made the list.

WR [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] was the only representation LSU has on the first team. Boutte is expected to be one of the best playmakers in the country and a first-round pick in 2023. However, he’s coming off a season where an injury ended his year.

The second-team defense had a few Tigers. DE [autotag]B.J. Ojulari[/autotag] and DT [autotag]Jaquelin Roy[/autotag] made the cut.

Both Ojulari and Roy have the talent to be first-round picks next spring.

LB [autotag]Micah Baskerville[/autotag] joined Ojulari and Roy on the second team. Brian Kelly recently spoke about how crowded their linebacker room was but said Baskerville is a player that will certainly help them.

Down on the third team, LSU had a total of five appearances. WR [autotag]Jack Bech[/autotag] was recognized on offense. LSU will need a reliable player like Beck to compliment some of the playmakers they have on the outside.

On the third team defense, LSU was represented by DE [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag], LB [autotag]Mike Jones[/autotag], CB [autotag]Mekhi Garner[/autotag], and CB [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag].

This would suggest that LSU is capable of having a pretty good defense this year. Positions that were once concerns now have players projected to be some of the best in the SEC.

If DC Matt House can get that system installed, LSU will create problems for opposing offenses.

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Here’s everything Mike Denbrock said at his press conference

LSU OC Mike Denbrock met with the media to discuss everything from the QB battle to the progression of the tight ends.

With fall camp in full swing, coaches are speaking to the media for the first time in a minute.

Earlier this week, LSU’s offensive coordinator took to the stand.

Mike Denbrock said the offense was starting to take shape and he’s happy with the direction the unit is going. He’s been pleased with the effort as well.

Denbrock spoke some about every position on the offense, from the QBs to the TEs.

Before arriving at LSU, Denbrock spent the last five years at Cincinnati. Under Denbrock, UC QB Desmond Ridder became an NFL draft pick.

Prior to Cincinnati, Denbrock spent seven years with Brian Kelly at Notre Dame. His relationship with Kelly goes back to the 80s when they both got their start at Grand Valley State.

Denbrock has done a lot of different things on offense in his career. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what his scheme will look like at LSU. Brian Kelly and Joe Sloan could also have some input in the design.

With that said, let’s take a look at what Denbrock said when he met with the media.

Will Campbell and Mekhi Wingo ranked among top newcomers in 2022

LSU has a lot of new faces in 2022. These two should be some of the best.

A new season means new faces.

There will be plenty of those for LSU in 2022 after the roster turnover brought on by the coaching change.

ESPN ranked the top 50 newcomers in college football, whether they be transfers or freshmen.

A couple of Tigers appeared on the list.

OT Will Campbell ranked 16th. ESPN has been high on Campbell since he was a recruit, ranking him 14th in the ESPN 300.

“It’s rare to see a true freshman come in and start at left tackle for an SEC program, but Campbell is a 6-foot-6, 325-pound lineman who has the talent and strength to play right away.”

DL Mekhi Wingo came in a few spots later at 20. ESPN wrote that Wingo was one of the more coveted defensive linemen in the portal and should be part of an excellent rotation for LSU.

It’s promising to see a pair of guys on this list that will be in the trenches for LSU. Having a strong OL and DL are critical to success in the SEC and Campbell and Wingo should be central pieces for the next two to three years.

When it came to guys leaving LSU, Eli Ricks ranked fifth. Ricks was a big loss for the Tigers only made worse by the fact that he went to Alabama.

Five key takeaways from LSU’s spring game

Here are the takeaway’s from Brian Kelly’s first spring game in Baton Rouge

For the first time ever, Brian Kelly led LSU down victory hill.

It wasn’t a real game, but one could argue it was the first real moment of Kelly’s tenure.

It can be hard to piece together information from spring games, you still have to keep a holistic view of previous knowledge.

All of the eyes in Baton Rouge today were on the quarterbacks. LSU fans got to see Jayden Daniels and Walker Howard in Tiger Stadium for the first time.

In the case of Daniels, it seems like he has really progressed over the course of the spring as he has continued to get comfortable in Baton Rouge. He made some big-time throws, including big plays to Brian Thomas Jr and Jack Bech.

All four quarterbacks were responsible for at least one touchdown drive.

The wide receivers and defensive linemen flashed their talent today, and those two groups are expected to be the strength heading into the fall.

LSU was without star receiver Kayshon Boutte as he still works to get back after his 2021 was cut short due to injury. Garrett Dellinger and Marlon Martinez were also absent, and they are two guys that could compete for time this fall.

With all that said, here are five key takeaways from LSU’s spring game.