Spring game storylines for every position group on LSU’s offense
LSU’s spring game is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. in tiger Stadium, an annual tradition that allows both the fans and the coaches to get an early look at next season’s team with still over four months until game one against Florida State.
Last year, it’s hard to say we really learned much from the game outside of seeing the three quarterbacks all in action. The defense was in a single-high shell and did not show any different fronts or blitzes the entire game and the offense had an easy day. Will it be different this year? We’ll have to see, but with the Tigers’ low numbers at a few key positions, there will be a reluctance to wear anyone down.
Still, it’s going to be a fun day for the fans to see the 2023 version of the Tigers and what’s in store for year two under Brian Kelly. Here, we’re going to look at the main storyline of every position group entering the spring game. We’ll have this story for the defense out Friday.
Quarterback: JD5 being more vertical
We know what Garrett Nussmeier is and just how great of an arm he has. He will be a part of the success LSU has this year, even though it’s likely as a backup. He’s an elite backup quarterback. This offseason is about the development of Jayden Daniels. Kelly has been adamant that Daniels is working on being more aggressive with his down-field passing in 2023 and that’s what I’m interested in seeing in the spring game.
We know that he’s capable of throwing the ball down the field – go watch his tape from Arizona State. Last year, he averaged a career low in yards per attempt, but also had 17 touchdowns to just three interceptions. I wouldn’t mind an interception in the spring game if we saw a more comfortable Daniels and one that gave his receivers an opportunity to make some plays and win their matchup. Ultimately, both Daniels and Nussmeier are great options at quarterback and LSU is lucky to have both, but now we can start nitpicking.
Running back: Two is enough?
Noah Cain and Trey Holly have been the only available scholarship running backs throughout spring and now we enter the spring game with a scarcity on both backs and offensive linemen. It doesn’t make for a game where there will be many carries.
Holly is coming off of a high school career where he had 10,523 rushing yards, I don’t think his legs need even more game reps before his freshman season. Cain, meanwhile, is a known commodity who is ready to fill whatever role this offense needs from him.
We’ve been waiting on the return of Josh Williams (knee injury) or John Emery (academics) but neither have made an appearance in the spring. In short, there’s not much to see here.
Wide receiver: Let’s see the depth
Malike Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. don’t have much to prove to us this offseason. Everyone else, though? Let’s see it. Kyren Lacy, Chris Hilton, Landon Ibieta, Jalen Brown, and Kyle Parker are all available and will be competing for playing time. Alabama transfer Aaron Anderson is the only injured receiver at the moment, meaning we’re hopefully going to get to see all of the aforementioned names get their shot at making plays on Saturday.
Each player has his own intrigue. Lacy is looking to prove he can be more productive than last year. Hilton wants to show he’s healthy and still fast. Ibieta has to show something after missing all of his first season. Brown and Parker have been touted as polished prospects ready to play immediately.
Tight end: A look into the future
Mason Taylor has been out for spring ball and is looking to get back to 100 percent after carrying a heavy workload in his freshman season. Instead, it will be true freshmen, and early enrollees, Mac Markway and Jackson McGohan who will get a lot of the reps, along with a handful of walk-ons who have gotten some run in practices.
Markway has been injured the last two years, making him a prospect who has to show what he’s capable of in a game setting. He has the physical traits to be a high-level blocker immediately and that’s going to be huge for an offensive line with limited depth in this spring game.
McGohan is a very capable receiver with excellent speed after the catch and someone I was very high on out of high school. We’ll have to see how much of the playbook he already has down because ideally he would be able to slide nicely into that Mason Taylor role from last year. Both are exciting prospects for different reasons and we’ll get an in-person look at them this weekend.
Offensive line: Marlon Martinez’ moment
The overarching storyline for the offensive line has been the severe lack of depth throughout this spring with only seven healthy players with Charles Turner out. At full strength, the starters have been Will Campbell, Garrett Dellinger, Marlon Martinez, Miles Frazier, and Emery Jones. Sounds normal, right?
Martinez is the only one of those five that didn’t start last year. He’s also the one that highlights a key position battle this offseason, which is at the center position. Martinez, Turner, and Maryland transfer Mason Lunsford are presumed to be the trio set to compete in the fall for the center position. Could Martinez show his value on Saturday and take a step towards locking that position down? It’s certainly going to be one of the more interesting offensive positions to watch this weekend.
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