Welcome to the first of a several part series breaking down LSU football position by position. And much like the Ragin Cajuns position preview (which you can check out here) we’ll start things off with the quarterback.
Who Left After Last Season?
Anthony Jennings, who has been the center of the attention concerning Louisiana football the last 48 hours, left the team on March 10th after a season that saw him not take a single snap after some off-the-field issues. Brad Kragthorpe left the team because he ran out of eligibility.
Who’s Coming Back?
The most obvious player that’s coming back is the starter from last season: Brandon Harris. Coming off of a 9-3 season as a starter in 2015, he will be expected to take the same if not more of the workload from last season. Another player of note that is coming back is Danny Etling. The Purdue transfer is probably one of if not the only competitor for the starting spot because of his ability on the field. During his two years at Purdue, he racked up almost 2,500 yards through the air, 16 TDs, and 12 INTs. The interception number is a bit concerning though, as well as the fact that he didn’t see the field last season. However, there were some glimmers of excellence during the spring game from Etling. A few other players, mainly members of the squad from last season are making their return to the team but don’t expect them to see the field anytime soon.
Who’s Coming In?
Trey Laforge and Lindsey Scott Jr. are the most notable of the incoming freshmen in this position. Scott Jr, is probably one of the crown jewels from this year’s recruiting class alongside players like Michael Divinity and could definitely be a starter possibly in 2017 if Harris and Etling both leave at the end of this season. Laforge has a ton of potential and some St. Thomas More fans in the area will remember him from the 2014 playoffs when Jesuit defeated the Cougars on the way to a state championship. As of right now, odds are he’ll be a player on the bench for his tenure at LSU. The only way I can see him getting playing time is if he has great camps the next couple of years.
Who’s the Odds on Favorite to Start?
The overwhelming favorite heading into this season has to be Brandon Harris. There have been multiple reports about him underperforming during the Manning Passing Academy, but it seems like because he has the experience of facing the major SEC foes and that can be a major edge for him. But if he has a less than stellar fall camp, the competition may be wide open and Les Miles and Cam Cameron are faced with a similar situation they were in back in 2014: which QB do we start? As mentioned earlier, Danny Etling has the second best chances to me of starting and the difference between him and Harris is pretty close because of the reasons I mentioned in the previous sentences.
Conclusion
Harris has the potential to be the guy, but he has to show a lot to keep his starting gig. If not for the off-field issues of Jennings, he might not have seen any snaps last season. If the reports from the passing academy have some weight to it, then expect there to be a lot of competition between Harris and Etling.
-Clint Domingue