The LSU Tigers are in a rebuilding phase after losing to a team at Penn State in their bowl appearance to cap off a disappointing season by recent LSU standards. The folks at LSU certainly expected Les Miles and his Tigers to beat Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions, but, in my opinion, some defensive line injuries seemed to keep that from happening. Signing a guy like Cassius Marsh should be able to cure some of the concerns LSU fans have about the future of their defensive line. Les Miles knows that he has to reload and make sure that some of those top-tier recruits that he’s hired over the last few years really start to develop and develop quickly.
According to ESPN, LSU has signed No. 4 tight end prospect in the country in Travis Dickson from Mississippi State and No. 20 athlete in the country Ronnie Vinson. These are two great recruiting successes that stand out to me. LSU seems to be holding its home state pretty well on the recruiting front. They also seem to be pulling their share of athletes from the state of Texas, which is always a positive sign of getting out of that football hotbed.
LSU has never been afraid to use their tight end or full back in unique formations, so they expect people like Dickson to be solid pass receivers and solid blockers. Les Miles probably sees an opportunity down the draft path and in the Southeastern Conference more generally with Urban Meyer having to take medical leave to recover from heart trouble.
The question remains whether Jordan Jefferson is the answer at quarterback and whether or not LSU has done enough to develop the receivers they need to replace Early Ducet and even Dewayne Bowe. Jefferson has to worry about the offensive line, as several analysts wonder if they’re packing the necessary meat up front to give a guy like Jefferson time to shoot. LSU fans want to see more beef on the offensive line and they also know the Tigers will even have trouble keeping up with speed running backs from a school like Auburn unless there’s a big upgrade. If you have problems with Auburn’s sprinters, you’ll certainly have problems with Florida’s top athletes.