The LSU Tigers must replace the Heisman winner

The return of college football is just a few weeks away, and we’re previewing every SEC team entering the 2024 season. We last looked at the Kentucky Wildcats, and now we go to Baton Rouge to breakdown the LSU Tigers.

LSU faces the arduous task of replacing the Heisman Trophy winner. Can Brian Kelly’s Tigers overcome such a massive loss?

LSU was nearly unstoppable on offense in 2023. Having the Heisman winner and eventual #2 overall pick in QB Jayden Daniels and a pair of 1st round WRs in Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas tends to do that. So how does LSU go about replacing that?

It starts with Garrett Nussmeier, who was impressive as Daniels’ backup the last two years. Nussmeier is a gifted passer and many believe him to be a breakout candidate in ’24. He’ll still have talented options to throw to between WRs Kyren Lacy and Liberty transfer CJ Daniels plus TE Mason Taylor.

RBs Josh Williams and Kaleb Jackson take on bigger roles now that they aren’t sharing carries with Daniels. And they’ll have an elite OL blocking for them, as Will Campbell and Emery Jones combine for the nation’s best duo of tackles.

The Tigers were horrible on defense last season. As a result, DC Matt House was fired and replaced by Mizzou’s Blake Baker. Baker did an outstanding job at MU, but it could be a challenge getting his new team back to their usual standard of high-level defense.

The LSU DL room loses a lot, especially inside with Mekhi Wingo and Maason Smith gone. DE Sai’vion Jones is a good player, but Jacobian Guillory and Bradyn Swinson need to step up. LB should be a strength, however. Yes, Harold Perkins is once again playing inside as opposed to rushing off the edge. But in Baker’s blitz-happy scheme, Perkins should see a return to pass-rushing prowess while playing in a position that fits his body type. Greg Penn returns alongside him after a strong ’23.

Plenty of questions remain in the secondary after terrible play last year. Nickel Major Burns is a good building block to work around, and two other starters return. But this room didn’t see the portal overhaul it likely needed in the offseason. Still with more experience, they might improve.

LSU is a tough team to figure out in 2024. The ceiling is still incredibly high on offense if the new starters can match their talent level, but it’s impossible to not see a step back from what they were in 2023. Defensively, the Tigers made a big upgrade at play-caller, but with still lots of questions in the lineup, how much of an impact can the DC change make?

The good news for LSU is their schedule is extremely favorable. The Tigers miss both UGA and Texas while getting Ole Miss, Alabama, and Oklahoma at home. Texas A&M and Florida are the toughest road trips, both very winnable games.

If the offense clicks and the defense shows major improvements, the schedule sets up for LSU to potentially reach the playoff. But for now, there’s too many question marks to confidently put them there.