In his constantly changing world, LSU’s Maea Teuhema remains calm and ready

BATON ROUGE, La. — Maea Teuhema stood calmly and smiled in the LSU practice facility on Monday, quietly answering questions about the constant flux his football career has put him in.

On an LSU team dealing with constant change this season — from its head coach (Les Miles to interim coach Ed Orgeron) to its schedule (will there, or will there not, be a Florida game?) — no group has had to deal with more change than the injury-riddled offensive line.

And Teuhema has been in the middle of all that change.

Yet, his demeanor on Monday was not of a man in the middle of chaos but as a guy who is ready for … whatever.

“I just know I have to refocus whenever (offensive line coach Jeff Grimes) switches me,” he said with a shrug. “I have to refocus in, that’s all.”

And refocus he does, maybe as well as any player in college football.

Just a true sophomore, Teuhema has already started three of the five offensive line positions for the Tigers, and he entered August camp starting at a fourth. The only offensive line position he has not played is center … and remember, he’s just a sophomore.

He began last season as a backup and finished as a starter. He began this season as a starter, became a backup and has now started at two positions with another move perhaps pending.

“Wherever (Grimes) puts me in,” he said nonchalantly, “I’m comfortable.”

Grimes has certainly taken advantage of that declaration.

A five-star recruit out of high school, he was in the LSU two-deep coming into his true freshman season of 2015, and when Josh Boutte struggled in the Tigers’ season-opening win over Mississippi State, Teuhema became the starter for the rest of the season at left guard.

And that was the beginning of what’s been a winding road in and out of the the Tigers’ offensive line for Teuhema.

Let’s break it down:

1. He started 11 games at left guard for the Tigers after taking the job from Boutte, earning true freshman All-American honors from ESPN. Projected as a guard coming out of high school, he appeared to have found a home.

2. But LSU wasn’t satisfied. In the spring, he moved to left tackle where Jerald Hawkins started last year before leaving for the NFL. Teuhema finished the spring as a starter.

3. Teuhema was injured during the summer and started August camp in a walking boot on an injured ankle while K.J. Malone began camp impressing coaches at left tackle.

“Leg injuries are the worst for a lineman because the way we have to step and our footwork,” Teuhema said. “Anything with a leg … it’s just the worse.”

4. Upon his return, he competed with Toby Weathersby at right tackle but couldn’t win the starting job on a gimpy ankle.

“I was disappointed,” Teuhema said. “But it was (Grimes’) way of telling me I’ve got to do better.”

5. His down time didn’t last long. He played a backup role in the opener but was quickly back in the starting lineup, this time at right guard, for the second game against Jacksonville State after Boutte was suspended for a late hit against Wisconsin.

6. He was back out of the starting lineup the next week, but that didn’t last long. Weathersby suffered an ankle injury in the Mississippi State game and Teuhema finished the game in his place at right tackle and has started the last two games in Weathersby’s place.

Is he done with the moves? Maybe not.

Grimes has experimented with moving center Ethan Pocic to right tackle, a move that could push Teuhema back inside, perhaps to replace the injured Will Clapp at left guard.

So it could be a third position for Teuhema to start this season, four if you include starting at left tackle in the spring.

Yet, Teuhema had a calm smile on Monday, not the look of someone frazzled with constant change. Instead, he finds the positives in the never-ending shifting of responsibilities.

“Oh yeah,” he said if he takes it as a compliment that the coaches trust him to move around the line. “Most definitely.”

Being versatile starts with embracing change, and nobody is more at peace with change than Maea Teuhema.

Seven more versatile SEC players

Is Maea Teuhema the most versatile player in the SEC? These players might argue otherwise:

• Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee: He’s not only doing work in the backfield for the Vols (56 carries, 292 yards, 2 TDs), but he’s also their leading receiver (20, 253, 3 TDs), and he’s gone for an SEC-best 124 yards on 16 punt returns.
• Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M: The SEC’s leader in receptions (40 for 352 yards and 4 touchdowns) is also frequently used in returns and on speed sweeps in the running game.
• Oren Burks, LB, Vanderbilt: A Third-Team All-SEC pick at free safety by Phil Steele last year, Burks has moved to linebacker for his senior season and has 24 tackles, 2 sacks and an interception returned 59 yards.
• Eddie Jackson, S, Alabama: How’s this for versatility?: He’s a defensive player who has already scored touchdowns on interception returns and a punt return. Who needs to play offense to score?
• Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina: You want versatile? How about a former professional baseball player who is now not only South Carolina’s starting tight end, but also perhaps the only 6-foot-5, 250-pound punt returner in college football.
• Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU: White moves all over the field on defense, going from starting at an outside cornerback position to a nickel spot when the Tigers go to five-DB packages. And he has already returned a punt for a touchdown this season.
• Trevor Knight, QB, Texas A&M: Knight is the latest in the SEC’s line of dual-threat quarterbacks. He not only hurts opponents with his arm (250 yards per game and 9 TDs), but he’s also the SEC’s leading rusher among quarterbacks (65 carries, 502 yards and a league-best 9 TD runs).

Gary Laney