LSU Football Will Need to Lean on Veteran Offensive, Defensive Lines in 2021

The depth of both the offensive line and defensive line is as prominent as ever as the Tigers head into fall camp. As both rooms hold savvy veterans who have the chance to take the young guys under their wing, the continuity and desire for success is evident for both groups.

Offensive Line:

With Coach Orgeron bringing in new offensive line coach Brad Davis, the energy amongst these guys has shifted. After a subpar season last year and the loss of Myles Brennan, it is imperative this unit performs to the highest degree to keep Max Johnson healthy.

Coach Davis has left a significant first impression on this offensive line group, pushing them to maximize their full potential.

“He’s a very straightforward coach,” senior offensive lineman Ed Ingram said. “He tells it how it is. He gets on us for every little thing, because the little things matter. These last two months he’s been beating in our heads that if we want to be the best offensive line, we have to train at the highest level and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. He always says we came back for a reason, and that reason is to win a national championship.”

Having veteran players like Ed Ingram who have achieved the highest level of success gives a chance for the younger guys to soak in all their knowledge and grow as a unit.

“We’ve had a lot of young guys step up,” Ingram said. “Coach Davis made it a big point that we have a lot of guys in the rotation and able to play just in case something goes down. Anthony Bradford, Marlon Martinez, Xavier Hill, we have a lot of guys stepping up and making a big impact.”

With an offensive line that is destined to bring the Joe Moore Award back to Death Valley and a passionate, fiery coach in Brad Davis, this unit is on an upward trend as they look to protect Max Johnson this fall.

Defensive Line:

As Daronte Jones heads into his first fall camp as the Tigers new defensive coordinator, he has a loaded front four to his arsenal. Headlined by Ali Gaye and Andre Anthony, this unit has tremendous star potential to wreak havoc all season.

After significant struggles as a whole within the defense a season ago, this group has begun to gel more and get a taste of who they want to be.

“We’ve grown great, we’ve been around each other, some of us awhile like me, Glen (Logan), Neil (Farrell), Ali (Gaye) and we got some experience,” said senior defensive lineman Andre Anthony. “It’s really a good group because we know how the game goes, so that’s a good thing about having some experience, you know what to expect. So now it’s just building off of that.”

Like the offensive line, this front four of the defense is as deep as they come. As the older guys are set to take the majority of snaps, the Tigers have a couple young guns who’ll be itching for playing time and keeping the veterans on their toes.

“Keeping those young guys ready, you never know when your time will come,” said Anthony. “Somebody could get hurt, whether you’re a starter or a backup, whatever the case may be, you always got to be ready. Stay ready, you don’t ever have to get ready. That’s the motto.”

Anthony and this defensive unit have praised their maturity and growth from just a season ago as they get mentally prepared for a new season. Their success starts in fall camp as the entire defensive line stays ready for whenever their name is called.

Final Thoughts

It goes without saying that this defensive line is one of the deepest in recent memory for the Tigers. On both sides of the ball, it starts with the big guys up front and LSU is set up for success with this core group.

Coach Orgeron has this roster built for nothing less than a national championship with depth all around. As things start to heat up during fall camp, position battles will continue to get more and more competitive as the Tigers lock in to get things finalized.