Greg McElroy: LSU has improved at almost every position

LSU overachieved in year one of the Brian Kelly era. After going 11-12 in two seasons after their 2019 national title, expectations were that the Tigers would be better in 2022 under Kelly, but an SEC West title was beyond what even the most optimistic fans could have expected. Now, the division will likely be tougher to win, but ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy believes LSU may still have a higher ceiling to reach.

On his YouTube show, McElroy laid out the case for why the Tigers should be improved at a number positions and will very possibly be an even better team this year. However, with Alabama chomping at the bit to get back in the SEC title hunt plus some other west contenders looking strong, LSU could easily be an improved team that doesn’t end up getting back to the conference championship.

SEC title participant or not, this LSU group is returning a lot of star power at important positions and should be a factor in the College Football Playoff discussion all year long, according to Greg McElroy. Here was his breakdown of the Tigers as the season draws close:

McElroy says LSU is improved but could face challenge getting back to SEC title

“This year, you could actually make a strong argument that they have improved or maintained almost every position.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that Jayden Daniels is going to be better this year. I’m really optimistic about the depth that they have at running back, they can go five deep at that position and probably not miss a beat.

“I think that might be even though Kayshon Boutte was a great talent, I think his presence last year was difficult for the coaching staff to get him to buy in to do what he needed to do. So his departure might be addition by subtraction. Now, in comes Malik Nabers, in comes Kyren Lacey, Mason Taylor at tight end is going to continue to get better, and they have other weapons waiting in the wings to take the next step at wide receiver.

“Offensive line, you had two bookends true freshmen. Now they’re going into year number two. They bring in a ton of talented players, not just in the recruiting process but in the transfer portal as well.

“This team feels ready to roll. Now, will they ultimately be as good as they were last year? I think they will. Will their win-loss record reflect it? That’s what we need to figure out. Last year 10-4, great breakthrough season. I think they have every bit of a chance to get to 10 wins yet again, but getting to the SEC Championship Game might be very difficult for Brian Kelly and co.

“Can’t wait to see what he does in year No. 2. If we’re grading year one performance, though: A++ for the head coach of the LSU Tigers.”