Predicting LSU’s 2023 MVP awards

The LSU football team got to double-digit wins and took home an SEC West title in Brian Kelly’s first season as head coach.

One year later, the Tigers are widely considered one of the Top 10 teams in college football.

With the season opener now 60 days away, here’s an early guess as to who will take home LSU’s Most Valuable Player awards when the season ends.

LSU Player of the Year: Offense

QB Jayden Daniels … In 2022, Daniels set an LSU school record for rushing yards by a quarterback (885) and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (11). Many of those runs helped LSU win games, with a highlight moment coming when Daniels went untouched to score on the first offensive snap for the Tigers in an overtime win against Alabama. He’s put a big focus this offseason on his downfield passing, which would add even more of a dual-threat dimension after Daniels passed for more than 2,500 yards a year ago. If LSU is competing for another SEC West title come November, I think it’s Daniels that will be the most impactful piece.

Honorable Mention: WR Malik Nabers … Much of what Daniels will be able to do in the passing game hinges on the production of Nabers, who became the 10th wide receiver in program history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark when he caught a team-best 72 passes for 1,017 yards with Daniels a year ago. If he puts on that time of performance again, Nabers would be firmly in the conversation for MVP on offense.

LSU Player of the Year: Defense

LB Harold Perkins … Perkins finished his freshman season as one of the most talked about newcomers in college football. Despite largely playing special teams and minimal defensive snaps across the first month of his college career, Perkins finished the year with 72 tackles, 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, four passes knocked down and one interception. As the season played out, it was clear the former five-star was only getting more and more confident. In Year 2, the sky is the limit as Perkins carries expectations of being one of college football’s best defenders.

Honorable Mention: DL Maason Smith … It’s tougher for a defensive lineman to stack up the same highlights as a player like Perkins, but it doesn’t make Smith’s play any less impactful. The former five-star suffered a season-ending knee injury on LSU’s first defensive possession in 2022. Now, he’s healthy and ready to roll. A year ago, Kelly said Smith was going to become a household name – and then came the injury. In 2023, I fully expect Smith to be a name known by plenty of college fanbases.

LSU Player of the Year: Special Teams

P Jay Bramblett … After playing under Brian Kelly at Notre Dame, Bramblett entered the NCAA Transfer Portal and joined his head coach in Baton Rouge. And it paid off. Bramblett’s average of 44.5 yards per punt in 2022 ranked No. 7 on LSU’s single-season Top 10 list. Now, he’s entering his fifth season of college football with starts at both Notre Dame and LSU under his belt. The experience is there, and he’s shown he can be key in big games – like his performance in the win over Alabama as he continued to flip the field before the Tide took over on offense. LSU will likely be in a number of games where punting is key, which makes a veteran like Bramblett all the more valuable.

Honorable Mention: PR/KR Aaron Anderson … Speaking of the Tide, LSU landed an Alabama transfer in Louisiana native Aaron Anderson. He was one of Louisiana’s most electric players during his time in high school, finishing out his Edna Karr career with more than 20 touchdowns on special teams. If he wins a role in the return game and can give the Tigers a spark, Anderson could make the case for most valuable special teams player by season’s end.

LSU Freshman of the Year

DL Dashawn Womack … This one was tough. Even though LSU only has 14 high school signees joining the team this season, there’s a number of players I could make a case for as the potential Freshman of the Year. But I’ll settle on Womack, which isn’t a bold pick given he was LSU’s highest-ranked signee on On3. The former five-star has college-ready size as an edge rusher, and he’s versatile enough to play the JACK linebacker position or defensive end. He sat out of spring ball as he recovered from shoulder surgery, but Womack has the green light to go in fall camp ahead of his debut season. If he can make the transition quickly, and he gets game reps, there’s a chance for Womack to make a big splash for the Tigers this season.

Honorable Mention: OL Zalance Heard … Like with Womack (and other players that could go into these two predictions), it comes down to playing time for Heard. In 2022, LSU had a pair of true freshmen win starting jobs in Will Campbell and Emery Jones, so the staff won’t shy away from putting talent on the field. But Campbell and Jones aren’t coming off the field, which means Heard has to find a way into one of the other three spots. The Tigers return players who started games this past season with center Charles Turner and guards Garett Dellinger and Miles Frazier. LSU also has Marlon Martinez back as a versatile lineman with starts under his belt, and Mason Lunsford transferred in from Maryland after serving as a starter for the Terrapins. It’s a great thing to have talented depth, but how quickly can Heard work his way up the depth chart and into playing time? I’m betting on him to find a way to get on the field.

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