Three Headlines That Will Dominate LSU Football Offense in Preseason Camp
There’s no question LSU’s had a busy offseason.
With a handful of new coaching hires, the addition of two graduate transfers and a mass exodus to the NFL Draft, there’s going to be plenty of storylines to follow heading into the 2020 season.
Here’s three on the offensive side of the ball to keep in mind as the season nears closer:
Impact of Scott Linehan
LSU’s offense put up video game-like numbers in 2019 under Steve Ensminger and Joe Brady. While it’s likely -- and pretty much expected -- that the Tigers will see a drop-off in production in the upcoming season, how big will it be? Having to replace Heisman winner Joe Burrow, wide receiver Justin Jefferson and most of the offensive line will be a tall order, but the talent remains.
When Brady left Baton Rouge to join the Carolina Panthers, Ed Orgeron hired longtime NFL veteran Scott Linehan to be Brady’s protégé. He brings over 20 years of experience to the staff, but the expectations he walks into are now sky-high after the historic 2019 campaign.
The biggest question will be whether LSU can sustain and keep their offense at an elite level. What does that mean? That means finishing the season ranked somewhere around the top-10 in total offense in the country.
With the return of Biletnikoff Award winner Ja’Marr Chase, receiver Terrace Marshall, a stable of running backs and the addition of five-star tight end Arik Gilbert, Linehan should be able to work some magic in his first full season as passing game coordinator.
The Offensive Line: Will inexperience cost the Tigers?
LSU’s offensive line took the biggest hit of any position group after the 2019 title run.
With the departures of Damien Lewis, Adrian Magee, Lloyd Cushenberry, Saahdiq Charles and Badara Traore, that leaves just Austin Deculus as the lone starter to return in 2020. Four positions in this unit -- a group that was named winners of the Joe Moore Award in 2019 -- are effectively up for grabs, even though we should have a pretty good idea who the favorites are.
Orgeron went out and snagged Harvard All-Ivy graduate transfer OL Liam Shanahan for depth purposes, but lots of uncertainty still centers around the group.
“It’ll be interesting, I’ll tell you that,” offensive line coach James Cregg said in a recent interview with 104.5 ESPN Baton Rouge. “Austin Deculus has played a lot of football for us. Ed [Ingram] is a lead by example guy, a lot like Lloyd [Cushenberry] was. Chasen Hines didn’t play much his first year, and last year wasn’t really right with his knee situation, but he’s battling back and working hard, and I expect a lot out of him this year as well.”
The Myles Brennan Era
After three years of patience, quarterback Myles Brennan will finally get his shot.
Even though he’s been around the team for a while now, we still haven’t seen that much from him in live-game situations, and even when we did, it would usually be with the second team.
So, here’s the question: how will Brennan look with talent riddled around him?
He’s got big shoes to fill, but it’s safe to say nobody expects him to be another Joe Burrow. In fact, at his National Signing Day press conference in March, Coach Orgeron insisted that Brennan be his best “Myles Brennan,” and to make sure he stays focused on being himself.
"I am very confident that Myles is ready to lead this football team," Steve Ensminger said at the Coaches Caravan in May. "Heck, join the bandwagon. Let’s go. We are tweaking our offense, but it’s not for the quarterback. We are tweaking our offense for our receivers and running backs."
If Brennan can prove to be a serviceable, above-average SEC quarterback, there’s nothing stopping LSU from making another run come the fall.
