LSU Football: 5 Things to Watch for Next Season

LSU has a lot of preseason hype heading into the 2023 season as they are fresh off an SEC Championship appearance in Brian Kelly’s first season in Baton Rouge. The Tigers will begin their season in Orlando against Florida State, and that game is shaping up to be one of the best during the week one slate. LSU has a lot of firepower on both sides of the ball, but also new faces that will have to serve a key role if the Tigers want to have a successful season.

Heading into last season there was no grasp on the expectations for Kelly’s squad heading into his first season with the Tigers. Now, this team enters the 2023 season with the expectation to be in the College Football Playoff race for the first time since the 2019 season. LSU will be challenged early on in the season if they can handle these expectations as they are expected to receive a lot of attention heading into this season. With that, here are five things to watch for LSU heading into next season.

1. The Return of Maason Smith

LSU DL Maason Smith (0) – LSU Athletics

LSU’s defense is getting an important piece back this season on the interior. Maason Smith’s 2022 season was cut short after suffering a torn ACL during the Florida State game. Smith had a lot of expectations entering the 2022 season and was considered to be one of the players to have a breakout season. The injury kept him sidelined for the rest of the season, but he was still able to be a spark plug to his teammates from the sidelines. When healthy, he is one of the top defensive lineman in the country.

He was able to use his absence to mentor his teammates and LSU saw the emergence of Mekhi Wingo. Wingo was able to fill in for Smith while he was unavailable during the season and he did not disappoint. Wingo and Smith will be a dynamic duo in the trenches against opposing offenses.

In his freshman season in 2021, Smith impressed during his debut season with the Tigers. He recorded 19 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks as a true freshman. Smith is set to be fully healthy heading into this season and it only makes this LSU defense even scarier.

2. New Linebacker in Town, Omar Speights

LSU LB Omar Speights (1) – LSU Athletics

The talk of the town in Baton Rouge last season was the emergence of freshman linebacker, Harold Perkins. Perkins dominated in his debut season with the Tigers and showed that he can be the best defensive player in the country. He played 501 snaps and was one of the most athletically gifted athletes in the country. While Perkins deserved the hype heading into his sophomore season, LSU was able to add another dominant linebacker into the mix.

The offseason has been busy for the Tigers at the linebacker position as they added Oregon State transfer Omar Speights. The move was much needed after LSU lost Micah Baskerville and Mike Jones Jr. to the NFL Draft. The linebacker core will be stacked once again heading into the season even with the departures as LSU returns Greg Penn III and West Weeks.

Speights will play alongside Perkins this fall as he is coming off one of his best seasons with the Beavers. In 2022, Speights racked up 83 tackles and eight tackles for loss in his final season with Oregon State. He has shown throughout his college career that he is a tackling machine and will be playing a key role with the Tiger defense.

3. Jayden Daniels Second Year in the System

LSU QB Jayden Daniels (5) – Dale Zanine/USA Today Sports

Jayden Daniels is entering his second year in the LSU offense after choosing to transfer to the Tigers heading into the 2022 season after spending three seasons at Arizona State. Daniels had some question marks heading into the 2022 season after struggling to find his rhythm after a sensational freshman season with the Sun Devils in 2019. He was able to put those concerns to bed after a successful first season with the purple and gold.

During the 2022 season with LSU, Daniels passed for 2,913 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was also effective on the ground as he was LSU’s leading rusher on the season. Daniels finished the 2022 season with 186 carries for 885 yards and 11 touchdowns. There was some questions surrounding Daniels heading into the offseason if he was going to enter his name into the NFL Draft or come back for his senior season at LSU. He would end up deciding to come back to Baton Rouge and run it back with this high-powered offensive attack.

Daniels is receiving a lot of offseason hype heading into this season as he has the potential to be a First Team All-SEC selection and be in the discussion for the Heisman Trophy. There are some areas that Daniels needs to improve on and that is to take more shots down the field when the opportunity becomes available.

4. Jimmy Lindsey’s First Year as LSU’s DL Coach

LSU DC Jimmy Lindsey – Parker Waters/Crescent City Sports

Jimmy Lindsey was hired as LSU’s defensive line coach in May after Jamar Cain took a job with the Denver Broncos. Lindsey spent the last two seasons at South Carolina before coming to Baton Rouge. One of Lindsey’s top players to work with during his time at South Carolina was Zacch Pickens. Pickens would go on to be selected in the third round by the Chicago Bears. LSU head coach, Kelly, spoke on the addition of having Lindsey on his coaching staff:

“Jimmy is an outstanding defensive line coach and we are excited to welcome him to our staff. He will do a great job of not only coaching our players on the field, but also helping them develop off the field as we continue our commitment to graduating champions.”

Lindsey will have a lot of talent to work with during his first year with the Tigers as LSU has a force in the middle with their defensive line with Smith and Wingo. LSU will have to replace Ali Gaye and BJ Ojulari as both are now at the next level. Even with the departures there will be some young talent that can help shape this defensive line. Da’Shawn Womack and Quency Wiggins are two names that have had a successful spring. Lindsey will be working with a strong defensive line that will carry the load of the Tiger defense.

5. Tigers’ Star Wide Receivers

LSU WR Malik Nabers (8) – Josh Auzenne/WAFB

LSU’s wide receiver room is shaping out to be one of the best in the SEC. The Tigers did lose Kayshon Boutte and Jaray Jenkins to the NFL Draft. Another notable loss for LSU’s offense was Jack Bech transferring to TCU. Outside of all the departures, the wide receiver depth chart is loaded heading into the 2023 season. The wide receiver room will have a three-headed monster heading into this season. Malik Nabers is set to be LSU’s WR1 with Brian Thomas Jr. and Kyren Lacy filling out the starting rotation.

Nabers has been an electric playmaker for the Tigers during his career and he showed in 2022 that he is more than capable of being the face of this wide receiver room. In 2022, Nabers hauled in 72 receptions for 1,017 yards and three touchdowns. He has the potential of being the next great LSU wide receiver and his ceiling will be through the roof heading into 2023.

Other notable wide receivers that will have their chance to shine this season is Thomas Jr. and Lacy. Thomas Jr. has been able to increase his production and has become a big threat target for Daniels. In 2022, Thomas Jr. hauled in 31 receptions for 361 yards and five touchdowns. Lacy would make his mark on this LSU offense in his first year in the system after transferring from Louisiana-Lafayette. During the 2022 season, Lacy hauled in 24 receptions for 268 yards. This core has all of the tools to be one of the best in the country as it is filled with next-level talent.