Offensive Outlook: Position by Position

QB
Lost: None
Returning: Jordan Jefferson SR, Jarrett Lee RS SR, Barrett Bailey RS FR
Adding: Zach Mettenberger RS SO, Stephen Rivers FR

Competition will make us better no matter who ends up coming out on top. The spring should be fun. Kragthorpe's pro style would certainly seem to help JJ who seems to struggle most with progressing through reads. If JJ wins the job, I can't see him having as poor of a year as this past year and if Mett wins the job then :nana ::nana :. No matter what I think we see IMPROVEMENT

HB
Lost: Stevan Ridley, Richard Murphy
Returning: Michael Ford RS SO, Spencer Ware SO, Alfred Blue SO, Jakhari Gore RS FR
Adding: Kenny Hilliard FR, Terrance Magee FR

Losing Stevan Ridley hurts no matter how excited we are about Ford and Ware. Ridley had excellent vision and cuts and could get those 4 yards when there wasn't much there. However, the future is bright. Ware obviosuly showed flashes in the Cotton Bowl and will be our main guy between the tackles. Ford presents a dynamic threat on the outside. Blue will probably take a back seat to these two and Gore is coming off of a redshirt and would be a scat back type player. However, I think i read about him being moved to WR. The two FR coming in are very talented but it will be tough for them to get playing time barring injuries. Hilliard may work in as a short yardage bruiser, but he needs to lose some weight. Being here in the spring will help him tremendously. Production was good from the RBs this past season but I think we can match it next year especially with only losing 1 guy from the offensive line. I see it as a PUSH

FB
Lost: Richard Dugas
Returning: James Stampley RS SR, JC Copeland SO, Brandon Worle RS FR, Kellen Theriot RS JR
Adding: None

FB is a position LSU has struggled at since Quinn Johnson. In searching for a FB this past season, JC Copeland was moved from the defensive line. Stampley received the majority of playing time but was underwhelming. He does not have great agility and defenders often elude him easily. JC Copeland seemed a bit better at the point of attack, but he struggled at times with assignments and does not have great agility for the position either. Now that he has the year of experience, the assignments aspect should be cleared up. Brandon Worle was injured early in the year and took a redshirt for the season. IMO Worle is the best hope for consistent play from the position and I'm eager to see him perform in the spring. Theriot is likely an attrition candidate. With all the contributors returning and a healthy Worle, there should be IMPROVEMENT

WR
Lost: Terrence Toliver
Returning: Rueben Randle JR, Russel Shepard JR, Chris Tolliver RS JR, Kadron Boone SO, James Wright SO, Jarrett Fobbs RS FR, Armand Williams RS FR
Adding: Jarvis Landry FR, Odell Beckham Jr. FR, Paul Turner FR, Alonzo Lewis FR

There's a lot going on at the WR position. Production obviously wasn't good this year. The talent is there however. Most point to poor QB play, however the WRs deserve to take some blame as well. We lose Toliver who was the leading receiver and the biggest target on the squad, but there is plenty of talent waiting to fill the void. Rueben Randle was the most polished of all the receivers this past year and is poised to have a big year should LSU's passing numbers improve. Randle however is the only real established receiver. Russell Shepard remains a dynamic threat to run the ball; however, has struggled to establish himself as a true receiver. The question with Shep is how will we use him moving forward. Chris Tolliver struggled with a concussion early in the year that really limited his playing time. He is a definite deep threat and the fastest receiver on the team and will be in the mix for a starting position. The next name that I feel needs mentioned is Jarvis Landry. He will make an impact right away for this team and could possibly start very early in the year if not from day 1. He is extremely polished for a high schooler. He has great hands and awesome route running. A lot of people have him pegged for the slot but he will excel no matter where he is on the field. Wright and Boone both played at times this year and will be contributors. I feel either can make a push to start, especially Boone. Fobbs and Williams come off of redshirts. Williams is a big target and a freak athlete but was raw coming in. Outside of Landry, I think the FR will have limited impact. With improved QB play, we should see more production from the receivers so I'll say IMPROVEMENT

Tight End
Lost: None
Returning: DeAngelo Peterson SR, Mitch Joseph RS SR, Chase Clement RS JR, Tyler Edwards RS JR, Travis Dickson RS FR, Nic Jacobs RS FR
Adding: None

A veteran group of tight ends return for next season. Peterson is the receiving threat and presents a great matchup against LBs and Safeties. Mitch Joseph is a good blocker and can also slip and catch a pass every now and then. Clement performed well in his first year at TE and is solid in both aspects. Tyler Edwards is mainly used for blocking pruposes. Jacobs and Dickson are coming off redshirts and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can bring. Dickson may also work into the FB mix. Same personnel and hopefully improved passing game yields IMPROVEMENT

Offensive Line
Lost: Joseph Barksdale
Returning: Josh Dworaczyk RS SR, Will Blackwell RS SR, PJ Lonergan RS JR, Alex Hurst RS JR, Chris Faulk RS SO, Greg Shaw SR, T-Bob Hebert RS SR, Josh Williford RS SO, Matt Branch RS JR, Evan Washington RS FR, Cameron Fordham RS FR
Adding: La'El Collins FR, Corey White FR, Trai Turner FR, Jonah Austin FR

We only lose one starter off of the line. There is plenty of speculation as to how the starting lineup will shake out. Faulk, Shaw, and Collins are all mentioned as possible to step in at LT (although I feel it's unlikely for Collins to crack the lineup this year) along with possibly moving Josh D or Hurst. Both Shaw and Faulk saw some significant time at tackle this year, so it should not be too difficult to replace Barksdale. No matter how it shakes out this line is very experienced. The rushing game improved greatly this past year from the previous year as did the pass protection statistics. I expect to see more of the same IMPROVEMENT from this veteran group.