Buzz building on Maason Smith, loaded LSU defensive line

Buzz is building on LSU defensive lineman Maason Smith and the rest of the group going into 2023, according to Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon.

If LSU is to repeat in the SEC West and possibly get to the COllege Football Playoff, this is one of the key spots on the entire team. Smith is the one to watch considering his injury last season.

Dixon joined the On3 Roundtable with J.D. PicKell to explain.

“Yeah, it’s so easy for fans and even some LSU fans, but nationally to forget about guys when they get injured on the very first series of a season,” Dixon said. “That first defensive series against Florida State he went down with a knee injury and never played again. And it becomes sort of out of sight out of mind. Right?

“Well, don’t be so quickly to forget that this was a guy who at On3, we ranked as a five-star coming out of high school who played a good bit as a true freshman and when Brian Kelly got here a year ago and took over this team pointed to Maason Smith and said this is the guy that’s going to take the country by storm. Then he’s out after three snaps or whatever it was.”

Getting Smith back could be the biggest addition for LSU in 2023. The country should find out rather fast.

“So him being healthy again, he’ll be a full participant in fall camp (which) is massive because we know you win in the trenches,” Dixon said. “Who can get after the quarterback, who can stop the run? Who can do these different things, become disruptive? When Maason Smith went down, Mekhi Wingo had to step up well, he became an All-SEC performer after being on the All-SEC Freshman team, the year prior at Missouri. 

“You’ve got both those guys back you’ve got Sai’vion Jones, a former five-star at On3, stepping into that defensive end spot, they signed a five-star on on three and Da’Shawn Womack to step in as an edge rusher and they went really portal heavy with guys who’ve got experience.”

Now, with Smith, it’s a deep LSU defensive line.

“So when you look at the D-line a year ago, it was carried by about four guys, this year, they go so much deeper into the rotation,” Dixon said. “And you can make the argument that those four guys may have more upside this year than last year.”

As a member of the Class of 2021, Smith was a five-star recruit out of Houma (La.) Terrebonne, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 4 defensive lineman in the class and the No. 11 overall prospect in the class.