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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
Alongside Jayden Daniels, a neverending conveyor belt of skill position talent, fronted by a bulldozing offensive line, Mike Denbrock's 2023 offense appears capable of scoring a lot of points.....and due to plenty of uncertainty surrounding their young defensive secondary, Daniels and co will need to help their defense out a lot more this year; I can picture this LSU squad needing to literally outscore some opponents.
Is Brad Davis' young offensive line unit up to the task?
Beat up through Spring, Davis now has his three oldest O-linemen healthy, prime juniors Miles Frazier, Charles Turner, and Garrett Dellinger all back to full fitness, plus the crucial retention of third year trenchman Marlon Martinez also bolsters options at guard, as well as providing a possible understudy for Turner at center.
The leadership and poise from those 4 will prove invaluable throughout the upcoming season, though the heartbeat of LSU's O-line will stem from whether their youth can deliver.
As long as sophomore standouts Will Campbell and Emery Jones are available, the Tigers will have a pair of fresh, yet experienced bookends, both playing just under 900 offensive snaps as debutants. Jones is also capable of starting at guard or even possibly doing a job at center.
But the depth of the offensive line relies totally on the readiness of their fringe players and freshmen: second year Tigers Bo Bordelon, Kimo Makaneole, transfer arrival Mason Lunsford, and a strong (yet unproven) debutant class featuring heralded locals Lance Heard, St Aug's Tyree Adams, alongside a pair of top 10 Georgia OL DJ Chester & Paul Mubenga.
Rounding out a group LSU fans could be watching develop and play significant OL roles for years to come, these first season Tigers will aim to echo Campbell and Jones' early stardom.
Check out our in depth offensive line preview, or the profiles of each player linked over their names above.
Running behind them will be an excellent, even imperious collection of running backs from Coach Frank Wilson, led by walk-on-turned starter Josh Williams, double digit touchdown machine Noah Cain, third year Tiger Armoni Goodwin (only held back by injuries), freshman combo Trey Holly & Kaleb Jackson, newly minted transfers Logan Diggs (powerhouse Louisiana native) & Tre Bradford (back for his third time as a Tiger), as well as the curious case of John Emery Jr, the multi-level threat who recorded 7 total TDs during pivotal moments of the season last year....
These backs will be expected to carry the load once again, despite an incredible corps of receivers, Mason Taylor at tight end, along with Jayden Daniels' predilection for running the ball, we've seen Mike Denbrock lean on his running backs to grind out tough yards or finish inside the red zone, specifically.
With six, likely seven different profiles of running back for Wilson to rotate, expect a carousel of backs battering, gliding, bursting, pushing, stiff-arming, and finishing for an offense replete with skill position freaks all over the field, yet still predicated on balance.
The biggest question regarding this LSU offense?
All of the attention is focused on whether the 2023 Tigers, with Jayden Daniels at the helm.....how much will Mike Denbrock unleash Cortez Hankton's bottomless receiving corps and has Daniels improved as a passer?
That continues to be the major question when you have a different athletic species altogether out wide: Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr, Kyren Lacy, Aaron Anderson, Landon Ibieta, Chris Hilton Jr, Jalen Brown, Khai Prean, Shelton Sampson Jr, Kyle Parker, alongside stunning tight end / receiver hybrid Ka'morreun Pimpton, both QBs Jayden Daniels or Garrett Nussmeier will have a wealth of elite talents to target.
Thomas Jr and TEs Taylor, and Pimpton are towering targets with hybridized skill sets, while Malik Nabers, Kyren Lacy, Chris Hilton Jr, and Shelton Sampson Jr are formidable all arounders, while Jalen Brown and Aaron Anderson bring blinding speed, LSU have every type of elite receiving profile on roster.
Rarely trusting his receivers to finish off drives inside the red zone or missing wide open targets down field, Daniels opted to utilize his speed carrying the ball far more than his arm in 2022.....will that change due to a shift in personnel?
IN TOTALITY
LSU should have one of the country's most potent offensive attacks, loaded with endless skill position talent, two starting caliber quarterbacks with two different profiles, a deep running back & tight end room, 4/5 starting offensive linemen returning, and a roster chock full of superstar entries.
It Daniels can master the art of extending plays outside of the pocket for the purpose of throwing the ball downfield, then we have an unstoppable offense in Baton Rouge.
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
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