Ranking LSU's position groups post spring football

LSU enters the summer as one of the favorites to win the national championship in what will be Brian Kelly’s second season at the helm. The Tigers have been one of the more active teams in the transfer portal and continue to reload with top ten classes on top of one another.

With several key players returning, there’s optimism that this is a team ready to put LSU back in contention for a national title.

We continue to look at this team through different lenses as the Tigers ended spring two weeks ago and now look to fill out their roster. Here’s a ranking of the nine offense/defense position groups leaving spring. 

Tier 3: Have to prove it

9. Running back

This is no surprise to anyone who’s followed this team over the past year. Josh Williams and Noah Cain are the only things we can really rely on as we look ahead to the fall, the rest have question marks either due to injury, academics, or inexperience. Fortunately, Jayden Daniels can run the ball which takes a ton of pressure off of the backs.

8. Safety/Nickel

A position of need in the portal is the safety position, if nothing else other than to have adequate depth. I really like Major Burns at safety and Greg Brooks will be solid, but looked really comfortable around the box/at nickel last year. Javien Toviano proved that he’s ready to contribute as a freshman, but I don’t think LSU wants to rely on him to start in the secondary.

The nickel position seems fine with Sage Ryan, Duce Chestnut, and Jordan Allen, but it’s a really important position for the Tigers and we’ll have to see if they can step in and impact winning. 

7. Tight end

Mason Taylor doesn’t have any questions. He’s a reliable three-down tight end for this team. The questions come from the three freshmen that joined him in this room. Mac Markway is a reliable blocker, but he has to stay healthy. Jackson McGohan has high upside, but asking him to contribute immediately feels like a stretch. K’Morreun Pimpton is an awesome prospect with an incredible catch radius, but we’ll have to see how quickly he gets comfortable in the fall after missing the spring.

Tier 2: Elite talent/upside, but questions

6. Cornerbacks

If anyone says they know who the starting cornerbacks are going to be for LSU in 2023, they’re lying. The starting group rotated throughout spring and we even saw returner Laterrance Welch push the three incoming transfers. Denver Harris, Zy Alexander, and JK Johnson are all extremely capable players, but have a ways to go before locking down a starting job. Matt House was in a similar position last year and succeeded, so there’s not a real concern from me, more intrigue.

5. Offensive line

Will Campbell, Garrett Dellinger, Emery Jones, and Miles Frazier are all very good starters for LSU this season. Zalance Heard will come in as a freshman and immediately push for playing time as a five-star player. The center position and overall depth gives me pause, though. The Tigers will need to lock in on a starting center in the fall and then develop more depth to withstand injuries throughout the season. It’s a really talented group that should be one of the best in the SEC, I just have those two questions.

4. Linebacker

Harold Perkins and Omar Speights look like the starting inside linebackers, while Ovie Oghoufo and Bradyn Swinson man the outside linebacker position. I love Perkins as a player and the versatility he allows this group to have. Greg Penn is also in the room and provides stability along with Whit Weeks and West Weeks. I like the depth, the experience, and the talent, but it will be interesting to see how they settle on using Perkins this season. 

Oghoufo and Swinson had a good spring, but I still question their explosiveness at Jack this season.

If this group clicks, it’s certainly among the best in the country with Perkins leading the way and Speights as the veteran glue piece.

Tier 1: Championship level

3. Wide receiver

Malike Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. are both set to be the top targets for Jayden Daniels and they come in with experience and ability to attack defenses at all three levels. Kyren Lacy had a fantastic spring game and emerged as a reliable No. 3. Alabama transfer Aaron Anderson has the chance to come in and be an excellent slot and gadget receiver for offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. Then you add in Chris Hilton, Jalen Brown, Shelton Sampson, and Kyle Parker and you have a deep group that can all fill different roles.

2. Defensive Line

Only looking at the two DT spots and DE, it’s hard to find many better defensive lines than LSU. Maason Smith and Mekhi Wingo are going to be All-SEC caliber players and have the ability to dominate games up front. The defensive end spot is manned by Saivion Jones, Quency Wiggins, and perhaps Dashawn Womack. Not much production from the three, but it’s a group of three five-star players, showing how loaded LSU is at the position.

The depth at defensive tackle is also in a much better spot with Jordan Jefferson coming in from West Virginia, Paris Shand in from Arizona, and Jacobian Guillory as an experienced option in the rotation.

1. Quarterback

Jayden Daniels has to be better than he was last year, but there’s no reason that he shouldn’t be. He’s more comfortable, stronger, his offensive line is better, and he should be able to beat teams with both his arm and his legs. Daniels is an elite quarterback that will end the year as one of the best in the country.

The luxury LSU has this year is Garrett Nussmeier. If Daniels struggles or misses time for any reason, the Tigers have a second quarterback that would start at more than half of the schools in the SEC. That’s a different level of insurance. I’m incredibly high on both quarterbacks and believe they will be the backbone for the Tigers’ success in 2023.