LSU football: 10 burning questions as the Tigers head into the offseason
LSU finished 10-4 in its first season under Brian Kelly. It won the SEC West but was beaten by Georgia in the Championship Game. The team recovered well enough to dominate Purdue in a 63-7 victory in Citrus Bowl.
Jayden Daniels is coming back for his senior season. Garrett Nussmeier played poorly in extended playing time in an early-season rout of Southern.
Nussmeier played better in the SEC Championship Game loss to Georgia and the Citrus Bowl victory against Purdue.
All the quarterbacks are likely to return to LSU this year. Freshman Walker Howard will redshirt. Incoming freshman Rickie Collins will add to the competition for the quarterback position.
Sports betting is legal in Louisiana. Kelly is satisfied with his staff. in the state. The special teams were plagued by breakdowns. Brian Polian, who doubles as recruiting coordinator, has been the primary target of outside criticism.
Kayshon Boutte is leaving LSU for the NFL. He was injured midway through the 2021 season. The wide receiver depth is improving. There will be more talent at the position arriving for 2023.
For the second consecutive season, Kelly will need to rely heavily on newcomers to fill out the secondary. Four key defensive backs either opted out or ran out of eligibility, and no impact cornerbacks from this season will return. LSU has 6 freshmen and 2 transfers joining the Secondary.
Tigers have a good group of running backs in John Emery II, Noah Cain and Armoni Goodwin, plus 2 incoming 4-star recruits. They will probably use a committee approach in 2023.
Malik Nabers caught 9 passes for 163 yards and 1 touchdown in the Citrus Bowl. He completed both of his attempts for 50 yards.
LSU's defensive line didn't establish a deep and effective rotation this season. Maason Smith will be back and there will also be 7 new linemen joining the team. The most important project of the offseason is to develop a rotation.
A healthy Smith, Perkins, Major Burns and Greg Penn III will be the defensive leaders.
Zalance Heard is a 5-star recruit who will join Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr. as freshmen on the offensive line. He will play inside or out. Coach Brad Davis will probably start with 3 starters and rotate them.
