LSU OL Mason Lunsford steps away from football
LSU’s offensive line room lost Mason Lunsford on Wednesday morning as the senior from Knoxville, Iowa announced he is retiring from football.
After spending three years at Maryland, Lunsford transferred to LSU for his fourth year in 2023.
“I’m done playing football and excited to begin the next chapter of my life,” Lunsford said on social media. “Thank you God for giving me the ability and opportunity to play football. I’ve met so many incredible people across my football career and I want to thank all of you for your role in helping me become the man I am today. I want to give a special thanks to coach Madaras, coach Valenta, coach Stein, coach Braswell, and coach Davis for pouring into me. All of you were more than just a coach, but a father figure in my life. I’ve made so many friends along the way and I love all of you guys, please keep in touch. Forever LSU and Go Terps!”
Lunsford started 23 games in his sophomore and junior seasons with the Terps, but was used as a depth piece in 2023 with LSU as the starters remained healthy and were a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, which goes to the best offensive line in the country.
LSU has now lost four offensive linemen over the offseason, with Lunsford retiring, Lance Heard and Marlon Martinez entering the transfer portal and Charles Turner declaring for the NFL Draft. Offensive line coach Brad Davis is set to add six freshmen offensive linemen heading into the 2024 season and also returns four starters from an elite offensive line unit. As the Tigers see changes at quarterback and wide receiver, there’s optimism that the offense can be led by another strong year on the offensive line.
Davis is regarded as one of the top offensive line coaches in the country and a perfect pairing with Brian Kelly as the two work to further solidify the offensive line.
“I love him,” Campbell said of Davis as a coach. “He has a great thing going with how he runs things. Obviously I wasn’t here last year to know how things were, but from what I heard it was a lot different. Just the standard he holds everyone to and what he expects from us, it really pushes us.
“Me and coach Davis are very close. Off the field he’s a nice guy, but on the field he has that chip on his shoulder just like we do. He’s going to push us all to be the best we can be every day.”
Stay tuned to the Bengal Tiger for the latest updates and news on LSU’s offseason as our insiders continue to give you the scoop.
