Welcome everyone to the latest edition of the LSU Tigers position preview! We finally flip over to the Tigers on defense this week and focus on the big hosses on the defensive line.
There are some key losses at the position, but there’s a lot of hype surrounding the unit with this being their third year under Dave Aranda. Without further ado, let’s dive into the preview of the D-Line!
Departing Players:
You look at the departing players for LSU, it’s safe to say that they were hit hard, especially when it comes to the defensive end position. The biggest hit that the Tigers took on the defensive line has to be Christian Lacouture. A leader both on and off the field, finished second on the team in tackles with 66 and second in sacks with six. The crazy thing about the number of total tackles he had was second has to be the fact that Devin White was that he had twice as many tackles as Lacouture with 133.
Another big hit has to be Greg Gilmore, who led the team with 7.5 sacks. Another leader on the line that the Tigers will miss because of that ability to get after the quarterback. We can also bring up Frank Herron, who missed half the season due to an injury and was used the rest of the way as much-needed depth to a defensive that was riddled at times with injury last year.
You also had Arden Key depart the program after an unusual junior season.
Returning Players:
While there were some key losses in terms of depth, LSU is bringing back some big dogs that will look to make an immediate impact and one such player has to be Glen Logan. The sophomore was limited last season, but he’ll be a player to keep an eye on.
Another defensive player that will be key has to be Rashard Lawrence. The junior really broke out last season with 32 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and even got a pass deflection and according to Coach O, he’s improved significantly. If he can prove that on the gridiron, he might be the MVP on this defensive line.
When you look at the defensive tackles, this may be where the Tigers are weak because there isn’t a heck of a lot of experience. That may be amplified if Ed Alexander’s injury that he’s currently nursing winds up having him miss a significant amount of time. Alexander had a solid sophomore season with 17 tackles, but if he goes down and misses some key games early could affect the production between the trenches.
The Other Guys:
There’s a lot of expectations for various newcomers on the roster, but the one that has a lot of hype surrounding him on the defensive line has is Breiden Fehoko. The transfer out of Texas Tech sat out last season, but he was a solid player his sophomore season racking up 19 total tackles and one sack as a sophomore. If he can translate that to the SEC, this unit will get a much needed boost.
Another transfer in Travez Moore is someone that will likely pick up where Arden Key left off. The Bastrop native was the top ranked weakside DE out of all of the junior college products meaning he’ll get some significant snaps and add some much-needed depth.
Outside of that, there’s a ton of young players that are looking to make an immediate impact and one of those has to be Chasen Hines. The freshmen was an offensive guard in high school, but decided that he wanted to play defensive tackle last year when he committed to the program. He has the ability and will be a key player from that aspect.
Overall Thoughts:
This defensive line is going to be fun to watch headed into the 2018 season with the amount of newcomers that will look to make some waves on the depth chart and see some significant playing time in 2018. Because of that, this might be one of the best defensive lines in recent memory from top to bottom.
-Clint Domingue