Converting DL to OL

LSU did this successfully with Dare Rosenthal. Unfortunately our compliance department was like nah.

The issue is, Would a player who has been practicing at DL this long beat out a player who has been practicing at OL that long or longer? (in terms of knowing the play book)

Wasn't Hines initially DL?

I guess this is starting to make sense now, considering 2 of our starters coming into the year (Dare and Chasen) we’re DL converts. Now the UCLA game makes more sense.

Aaron Donald, Cameron Heyward, Vita Vea, Akiem Hicks, Fletcher Cox, etc ... all play D-Line. How do you think that experiment would turn out if you tried converting them to NFL O-Linemen ? Players are recruited and drafted based on their size, agility, and footwork for a given position. It takes years of proper coaching and development, not a skill you can teach or perfect overnight.

Sadly LSU's OL is bad because many HS players never developed. The "misses" are magnified due to poor talent evaluators and players leaving the program

quote:

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Why is it so difficult to successfully convert some non-starting DL TO OL?

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1. “Non-starting” means less on DL than OL because DL rotate a lot. So you need the depth for fresh legs (as opposed to just for injuries).
2. If we are talking about DL who aren’t even playing, why would you assume that a converted DL who can’t break the 2- or 3-deep is a better offensive lineman than our starting OL?
3. Chases Hines was recruited as a DT and converted to OG. It happens. But usually those types of changes are going to happen early in a player’s career, before the staff has invested a ton of time (and eligibility) trying to develop them at a different position. It’s not a mid-season fix.

Just need to recruit OL better. That is what AL. does.

Did Joe Barksdale make the switch?

Yes he did