Greg McElroy breaks down why he views LSU as a top-5 team

It’s not a stretch to say last year was a best-case scenario for Brian Kelly and LSU. In his first year as the Tigers’ head coach, Kelly led the program to an SEC Championship appearance and a 10-3 record. That created high expectations for Year 2 — and ESPN analyst Greg McElroy went so far as to rank LSU as a top-five team in his preseason rankings.

Based on the returning talent mixed with some impressive newcomers, McElroy said the Tigers are in a strong position coming off a huge first year under Kelly. Even though Daniels had a couple of rough showings against Texas A&M and Georgia late in the year, he was still a key reason LSU appeared in the SEC title game.

“We all know that last year was a huge surprise. Nobody anticipated Brian Kelly winning the SEC West in year No. 1,” McElroy said on Always College Football. “Nobody anticipated Jayden Daniels playing that well down the stretch. … That was year No. 1. Let’s not forget that. Year No. 1, and it was a resounding success.

“Now, you return arguably the best receiver core in the SEC and you bring back an offensive line that is bookended by true freshmen, you’re adding more. And they should be bigger, stronger, better than just about anyone in the league. … I think they’re going to be in great shape up front. The only question I have is who gets the touches at running back and what’s the pecking order going to look like there?”

Greg McElroy: Harold Perkins is going to ‘be even better’ in Year 2

One of last year’s breakout stars for LSU was Harold Perkins. He put up monster numbers as a true freshman, leading the Tigers with 13.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. He cemented himself as one of the top defensive players in the country, earning first team All-SEC honors and a spot on PFF’s True Freshman All-American team. Phil Steele also listed Perkins as a preseason All-American this year.

In fact, McElroy said a quote from defensive coordinator Matt House indicates Perkins was just scratching the surface.

“Harold Perkins is probably the one of the scariest defensive players in America because he can line up off the ball, he can spy the quarterback, he can rush the passer on third down. You can’t block him,” McElroy said. “I mean goodness gracious, you’re lucky if you can breathe on him. Just try. Whatever you’ve got to do to protect your quarterback from No. 40, you better do it. Last year, when we talked to their defensive coordinator Matt House he’s like, ‘Man, to be honest with you, he doesn’t even really know what he’s doing yet. Like, wait until he knows what he’s doing.’ It’s like, ‘Hey see ball, get ball, Harold. Go get it, please.’ And he did it.

“Well now, when he can actually read and diagnose and kind of figure it all out, he’s going to be even better, I believe, here in year No. 2. They also add a big time transfer and Omar Speights at middle linebacker. Those are two off-the-ball linebackers and assuming Harold Perkins plays off the ball, I think they’re gonna be really, really good.”

LSU made some big additions to its defense, as well

Speights wasn’t the only addition LSU made on defense. The Tigers also went into the transfer portal and brought in four players to help the secondary, including former Texas A&M cornerback Denver Harris — the No. 13-ranked transfer to hit the portal, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.

With Greg Penn III also returning, the new-look LSU defense could create headaches for an opposing offense. With that type of talent on both sides of the ball, McElroy said once the Tigers find out who’ll start, they’ll be in good shape. They’ll have a big test out of the gate, though, in Florida State.

“The one question mark that you had is this is a school that has long considered themselves DBU. … Well, their secondary, not bad last year, but certainly not elite,” McElroy said. “They go out to get four transfers in the secondary. Who’s going to start? Who’s going to win those competitions? And will they ultimately be able to lock down those positions or will it be a little bit of a rotation situation, at least in the first couple of games of the season?

“LSU’s secondary they better be ready to roll Week 1 because we know Florida State … has a really solid receiver core and an excellent quarterback. If the pass rush is not up to speed — I think it — the secondary better and be able to lock it down. If they can’t, that could be a difficult game for LSU in week No. 1.”