Emery Jones shares pros, cons of small offensive line group

Over the spring, LSU has been lite on the number of individuals that they can rotate on their offensive line. That scarcity of bodies has increased the amount of reps each player has taken during the Tigers’ spring practices. More reps does come with some costs and benefits for the LSU offensive lineman. And Tigers offensive lineman Emery Jones took some time to share the pros and cons of their small offensive line group.

“It’s been difficult; it’s been fun, though. All the guys have bought into it. We all know it’s a problem here right now,” said Jones. “And coach Davis has been just telling us to push through. You gotta be a hard body; gotta be tough about it. You’re adding more reps on guys, but it’s life, it’s the game. So, you gotta push through for those three months until we get some more guys to add some depth in the room.

“I feel like it’s making us all more confident. All of our guys are having to play different positions. We’re all having to get comfortable at the left side or right side. So I feel like it’s doing nothing but making us better, making us more tough.”

Jones played high school football at Baton Rouge (LA) Catholic, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 100 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Offensive line facing new defensive line coach in practice

On the defensive side of the ball, LSU made an addition to head coach Brian Kelly‘s coaching staff. The Tigers recently brought on Jimmy Lindsey to serve as the defensive line coach. Kelly announced earlier in the spring and also gave a few thoughts on LSU’s newest coaching hire.

“Jimmy is an outstanding defensive line coach and we are excited to welcome him to our staff,” Kelly said. “He will do a great job of not only coaching our players on the field, but also helping them develop off the field as we continue our commitment to graduating champions.

“Jimmy has a proven track record of developing defensive linemen and I know our players are going to benefit from his expertise.”

Lindsey comes to LSU after coaching the defensive line at South Carolina for the past two years. Lindsey brings over 20 years of collegiate experience coaching the defensive line to the LSU program.

On3’s Billy Embody contributed to this article