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BATON ROUGE, La. — Leonard Fournette gets all the headlines on LSU’s offense and rightfully so. There may not be a better offensive football player in the country.
On defense, Kendell Beckwith is a senior leader at linebacker and Tre’Davious White is continuing LSU’s DBU tradition at cornerback.
But every team has players who do the dirty work and don’t get the love of the big stars. Here are three to look for:
Offense
A big reason Fournette set a school single-season rushing record last year was because of a solid offensive line. And none of the linemen were more solid than center Ethan Pocic.
Now a senior, Pocic received a second-round grade from NFL scouts but opted to return to school. That’s a huge plus for a program that’s been lacking in veteran leadership in recent seasons.
Pocic plays center in a culture where the most valued offensive lineman is usually the left tackle. But he’s incredibly good at what he does, getting the Tigers front properly lined up, then dominating the man across from him to the tune of 132.5 knock down blocks last season.
It’s no wonder Fournette gets a full head of steam on a lot of his highlight reel runs.
Defense
If LSU’s defensive line is going to thrive this season, the talent and versatility of junior Davon Godchaux will come into play.
After finishing with 6 sacks and 9 tackles for loss as a 4-3 defensive tackle, Godchaux moved to a 3-4 defensive end in the spring, then shifted to nose tackle as spring developed.
That may change again. The arrival of junior college transfer Travonte Valentine at nose tackle may allow LSU to move Godchaux back to end to replace the injured Christian LaCouture. Either way, expect Godchaux to contribute at both positions, and that versatility will give the Tigers plenty of depth in the front three, even with LaCouture out for the season.
Coaching Staff
It’s hard to call him unsung because he’s practically a celebrity in these parts, but defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron has a huge role on this team.
With former recruiting coordinator Frank Wilson now the head coach at Texas- San Antonio, Orgeron is charged with maintaining the high level of recruiting LSU enjoyed with Wilson. He also has to transition the defensive line from a 4-3 front to a 3-4 group.
The former Ole Miss head coach and USC interim head coach is equipped to do both jobs. After all, few know Louisiana better than the native of the bayou state, and he’s been a noted defensive coach for a long time.
But with all the attention going to head coach Les Miles’ job status, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron’s progress and first-year defensive coordinator Dave Aranda’s transition, Orgeron will play his vital role in relative anonymity, an unusual position for him to be in.
