Three Players to Watch: LSU Football at No. 6 Florida

LSU is fully embracing its freshmen talent as the season winds down and so they'll be the focus this week as the Tigers prepare to head for the Swamp and take on a Florida team that will be the other half of the SEC Championship.

Facing an SEC East champion, the young freshmen have a chance to really show improvement against a program that's on the up and up. Here are three players who could be in store for big games against the Gators.

Max Johnson (QB)

The 6-foot-5 Athens native could very well earn the first start of his career. We've seen the highs and the lows of TJ Finley this season but Johnson hasn't had that opportunity. If the Tigers are fully embracing the youth on the roster it's prudent that Johnson be given an opportunity to start and see what he has with meaningful snaps.

Much too often when he's been inserted into the game, the Tigers are well out of contention and have struggled with consistency because of it. Maybe an opportunity to get a start, when the players are theoretically more focused when there's still a chance, would lead to greater success.

In four appearances, Johnson has completed 40-of-63 passes for 395 yards and two touchdowns. Ed Orgeron said Johnson is coming off his best performance of the season against Alabama and that the Tigers were giving "strong consideration" to giving the freshman his first career start.

"I thought he was crisp. I thought he went through his progression well. His ball came out very well, threw very catchable balls. He can scramble, run," Orgeron said. "I think he's tough. He's a hard worker. So is TJ I think both of those guys are very similar. I thought Max played his best game."

Kole Taylor (TE)

With the latest news of Arik Gilbert's potential departure from the program, LSU is all of the sudden extremely thin at the tight end position. On Tuesday, Geaux247 also reported that senior Tory Carter would be out for the final two games, meaning the Tigers would be down their top two tight ends.

That would leave just one scholarship tight end on the roster, freshman Kole Taylor. Taylor hasn't had much of an opportunity yet this season because of Gilbert's importance to the offense the first eight games of the season.

In five appearances, he's brought in just one reception for three yards but is a player the coaching staff has raved about. Now, he'll get his opportunity.

"He's been in here working hard, as long as I've been here. It looks like he's gonna get thrust into the role this week but it's just another opportunity for him," center Liam Shanahan said. "I'm sure he's going to be pretty hard with it this week to make sure he's ready to take advantage of this opportunity."

BJ Ojulari (DE)

The freshman defensive lineman has been one of the stars up front for the Tigers this season. He's appeared in every single game and has started as the 2020 schedule has gone along, recording 15 tackles, five tackles for a loss, four sacks and one forced fumble.

Ojulari has been one of Orgeron's favorite players of the 2020 freshmen class, calling him a future All-American many times over throughout the course of the year. He's a big piece to the future of this defense and will continue to be an edge setter as his career progresses.

This weekend's matchup doesn't get much more important as putting pressure on Gators' Heisman front runner Kyle Trask will be a major point of emphasis for the LSU front four. Trask isn't quite the athlete you'll see out of some quarterbacks when forced out of the pocket, which could be the only way LSU hopes to slow down the high powered offense.

Ojulari, Ali Gaye and Andre Anthony will have their hands full with another tough offensive line but if the Tigers can apply some pressure on Trask and force some early stops, it could be a path to victory.