LSU’s Football's secret weapon no one is talking about
By Tony Thomas
When you are the head coach of one of the top college football programs, what is the one thing you must have to field a high-octane, No. 1 ranked offense?
You must have an experienced and physical offensive line.
In 2023, the LSU Fighting Tigers returned all five starters on their offensive line and led the nation in scoring (45 points/game), and total offense (543 yards/game), and helped pave the way for quarterback Jayden Daniels to hoist the Heisman in New York City last December.
How was LSU's offense in 2023?
Last season, LSU gained a whopping 7,065 yards of total offense on 841 plays and averaged 8.40 yards per play. That is the most yards gained on offense by the Tigers since the national championship team of 2019, who gained a record 8,526 total yards on 1,080 plays.
For their efforts, LSU’s offensive line unit was a finalist for the 2023 Joe Moore Award, given to the top offensive line in college football.
This season, the Tigers return four starters on the offensive line, losing only center Charles Turner to the NFL. Those four starters boast a combined 99 starts in purple and gold, with a couple of bookends All-SEC tackles.
Who makes up the offensive line for LSU Football?
OT Will Campbell, 6-6, 325 pounds
A two-time All-SEC tackle, Campbell allowed zero sacks and 16 quarterback pressures over 13 games in 2023. For his collegiate career, Campbell has allowed only two sacks and committed just six penalties in over 1,600 offensive snaps in 26 starts at LSU. Campbell’s accolades are numerous during his time in Baton Rouge:
· First Team All-SEC, 2023
· FWAA Freshman All-American, 2022
· All-SEC Freshman Team, 2022
· Second-Team All-SEC as a true freshman, 2022
Campbell has excellent footwork for a player of his size and build, excels at run blocking, and is considered one of the top tackles in college football.
OT Emery Jones Jr., 6-6, 314 pounds
Pairing with Will Campbell to form one of the top tackle duos in college football, Jones allowed just two sacks a season ago but did allow 15 quarterback pressures. Jones is good at establishing leverage with his long arms and has good footwork. With 24 starts for the Tigers, Jones has distinguished himself in the Southeastern Conference and on a national level:
· Second Team All-SEC, 2023
· True Freshman All-American (by ESPN), 2022
OG Garret Dellinger, 6-5, 325 pounds
Dellinger earned a pass-blocking grade of 83.0 in 2023, the highest on the team, and allowed just one sack and 13 quarterback pressures in 442 pass-blocking snaps. Exhibiting good footwork and technique, Dellinger did not allow a sack until week five last season.
Dellinger excels at both run and pass blocking, has a high motor, and goes hard on every play. A versatile player with 23 starts at multiple positions on the offensive line, Dellinger is ranked among the Ten Best Pass Protectors for 2024, according to 247Sports.
OG Miles Frazier, 6-6, 328 pounds
Entering his third season as a starter, Frazier allowed just one sack, one quarterback hit, and three quarterback pressures a season ago. A versatile offensive lineman with 26 starts and over 1,600 offensive snaps for the Tigers, Frazier excels at both run and pass blocking.
Frazier came to LSU from Florida International University, where he graded out as the best freshman OT in the country after allowing just four sacks in 2021 and was named Freshman All-American by The Athletic.
Who takes over at center for LSU? When you add DJ Chester, who stands at 6-6 and 320 pounds and takes over at center for the departed Turner, LSU will average 6-6 and 322 pounds per man across the offensive line in 2024.
The LSU offense will be talented and experienced, and it all starts up front with what the late great Keith Jackson called “the big uglies,” LSU’s secret weapon.