I killed a lot of time today and this evening studying the Tiger depth chart. I came to a few conclusions about it which I will list for you and then support.

The Tigers are loaded at the skill positions with just a few issues. Those issues are experience at QB and depth at LB and Safety and health and experience at FB.

The starting O-line is quite solid but needs a lot of help from Redshirt Freshmen to develop some depth.

The D-line appears to be the weakest it has been in years, and there is little experienced depth. Hopefully, some redshirts and true freshmen will push the starters and added necessary depth. Don't get me wrong.....I see lots of potential for it to be a very solid unit, but there are only five D-linemen with any experience, and three of them under-performed last year.

Three QBs will play this year. We all hope that Jordan Jefferson takes off to become a super-star and that Russel Shepard will see plenty of action, as well. Like it or not, Jared Lee is the 2nd string quarterback, and it would be no surprise if he had to replace Jefferson for at least several key games or was called in for some obvious passing situations.

LSU is loaded at wide receiver, in my opinion. Others would disagree with me. LaFell and Terrance Toliver are excellent receivers, and I would hope that TT breaks out with a super year. He should be ready to be the leader in 2010. Behind those guys are experienced guys like Chris Mitchell and RJ Jackson. RS Frosh Chris Tolliver and Tim Molten will be very good, and we all hope that Reuben Randle will be a Freshman star. Add Russel Shepard to the mix, and I think the Tigers have a great receiving corp.

Fullback is a concern. In the spring, Richard Dugas, an O-lineman, was coming along nicely as a blocking back until he got hurt. Steven Ridley would be my choice to start there because of his running and catching skills, but he is also recovering from a pretty severe injury and was unavailable for spring practice. That leaves Charles Scott to start there, but I like to see him sharing carries with Keiland Williams at TB. There is some hope that true Freshman Dominique Allen (5-11, 250) will be able to win the position in summer practice.

The Tigers have quality DBs coming out their as*!! Peterson and Hawkins will start and be great at CB. Jai Eugene and Derrick Bryant will back them up. Brandon Taylor will also play and Karnell Hatcher will be good at CB or Safety. Beyond that, Lesticles will have to develop some of the RS Frosh like Stephon Francois and Ryan St. Julien.

At Safety, with the move of Harry Coleman to LB, Chad Jones moves to Free Safety and, I believe, Ron Brooks will be the Strong Safety. The only experience to back them up is Danny McCray, who started all last year. True Freshman Craig Loston will play quite a bit, and Daniel Graff and Karnell Hatcher will the the rest of the depth. Graff, along with Ryan Baker, was a real speedster and hit-man on the kickoff team last year. He is a walk-on, but he continues to impress. Really, we have only three experienced safeties, so I hope that the depth develops there.

The Tigers have 4 or 5 good linebackers this year. Jacob Cutrera will start in the middle. He was really dinged-up last year while filling in for Darry Beckwith (gone to the NFL) quite a bit. He is bigger, healthier, stronger and faster this year and will be the QB of the defense. Perry Riley and Harry Coleman will be the outside LBs with Kelvin Sheppard, Ace Foyil and Ryan Baker to back them up. Many believe that Ryan Baker will turn into a great LB. I don't disagree. He seems like a heck of a football player to me. The problem is depth at middle linebacker. It appears that RS Freshman Kyle Prater will be the best, and he lacks any experience. What I am hoping for is that Kellen Theriot, who was quite impressive during his RS year, will push hard for the starting job at MLB. He is listed on the roster as LB/FB, and I think that he has great potential at both.

I believe that Charles Alexander, Drake Nevis, Rahim Alem and Pep Levingston will start along the D-line. Al Woods may take one of the starting DT positions away from Nevis or Alexander. Woods, Alexander, and, to some extent, Nevis all seemed to under-achieve last year for various reasons. Alexander was still playing hurt and Woods has yet to live up to his potential. I hope that they all play well this year. The redshirts Aghayere and Clement should help at DE with a hope for Sam Montgomery to become a terror. At DT, I'd like to see Lavar Edwards and Cordigan Hagans play effectively. The DT position might even get some help from JC xfer Akiem Hicks and true frosh Chris Davenport. The D-line will need help from those sources.

Richard Dickson will start and star at tight end. Mitch Joseph is a monster and Deangelo Peterson was switched there from WR. Beyond that there are some redshirt frosh candidates like Tyler Edwards and Matt Branch who seem to have great potential, but I notice that Branch is listed as an O-lineman now. I think that it would be good if Dickson remains healthy. He should be all-SEC!

With all the above concerns, none compare to the lack of experienced depth at the O-line. The starters, Black and Barksdale at Tackles, Hitt and Dworaczyk at Guard, and T-Bob Hebert at Center, seem quite solid to me. Will Blackwell will contend for starting left guard with Dworaczyk, and Patrick Lonergan will contend for starting Center and guard, as well. After that, there is NO experienced depth. Even Lonergan was a redshirt last season. He played center during the spring.

For the Tigers to hit the meat of their schedule ready to contend with Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss, they need the following kids to develop and contribute:

Redshirt Freshmen: WRs Chris Tolliver and Tim Molton; TE Tyler Edwards; OL Clay Spencer, Patrick Lonergan, Alex Hurst, Thomas Parsons and Matt Branch; DE Chase Clements and Chauncey Aghayere; DT Lavar Edwards and Cordigan Hagans; and LB/FB Kellen Theriot.

True Freshman: FB Dominique Allen; QB Russel Shepard; WR Rueben Randle; DT Chris davenport and JC xfer Akiem Hicks; DE Sam Montgomery. LB Barkevious Mingo, RB Michael Ford and DE Michael Brockers may also develop and play this year, but their contribution may not be that important as the others I listed.

That's my summary of the Tiger talent and depth. I am not terribly worried about the offense except for depth along the line. After all, they scored plenty of points last year with the exception of the Ole Miss and Alabama games. As long as they don't turn the ball over left and right, like they did last year, the offense will be plenty effective and should average about 35 to 40 points per game. I really do believe that the defense spent most of last year dazed, confused and blowing coverages in a complex system poorly administered by the dual DCs. They should be much better this season under Chavis and his aggressive and less complex defense, providing the d-line develops and plays up to their potential.

A bold prediction is for the Tigers to find themselves at 5-1 going into the week off after the UF game. I believe that 10-2 would get them into the SEC Championship game with a shot at the National Title. 11-1 would certainly put them there, and that's my hope as I look through Purple and Gold glasses.

What do you think? Criticisms are welcome!