Get bigger. Get stronger. It’s the Orgeron path to success.

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Press conference after press conference. Radio show after radio show. Orgeron sounded the alarms for re-stocking the LSU lines. He knew LSU needed help both long and short term. So he responded by signing nine players in the trenches (4 OL and 5 DL). And if you are looking for what O and staff prioritized when it comes to linemen just look at this:

2018 Line Signee Size

Height ....Weight
6 foot 3 ....350
6 foot 3 ....335
6 foot 7 ....331
6 foot 3 ....326
6 foot 6 ....310
6 foot 3 ....290
6 foot 6 ....275
6 foot 4 ....275
6 foot 1 ....262

Average: 6 foot 4, 306 pounds

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But he wasn’t done yet. Newly hired Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt and new Tennessee... something... Austin Thomas, set their sights on Traore, bringing him to Knoxville for an official visit. Trepidation swept over LSU fans as it looked like Tennessee may have a legitimate chance to sweep in at the last moment and sign Traore.

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One of the things that really stood out about Traore’s JUCO OL signee brother, Damien Lewis, was how well he moved for a big man. Similarly, Traore is an exceptional athlete all the way around. You can tell from the way he gets out of his stance to the way he moves on pulls and traps... the athletic giftings are all there. If he fails, it won’t be because his athletic talent didn’t measure up.

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In fact, his lack of physicality is probably my number one concern about him. I love athletic lineman, but I also want a 300 pounder to simply dominate players of much smaller stature. So when I see Traore pull and get a hat on LB and only manage to kind of push him out of the way, I’m not blown away. It’s not that he’s a liability in the run game, but put it this way, if the game is on the line and you need three yards, you probably aren’t running behind this guy.

That said, he may actually be a really great fit for what the supposed new Ensminger offense is to be. Traore looks exceptionally natural in pass pro, keeps his base well, uses his long arms to keep defenders off of him and looks like a dominant player in that role.

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Assuming Charles is healthy and Cregg doesn’t get creative, I think Traore’s rotational depth. Based on size and recruiting rankings, I thought I’d much prefer him to Damien Lewis, but after giving them both a look over, I think Lewis stands a much better chance of being a great player for LSU. That said, Traore has immense athletic gifts, so if Cregg can uncork that physicality, he could easily assert himself as one of the five best OL on the roster.

High End: Starter and high draft pick.
Low End: Fails to crack the 2-deep
Realistic: Rotational depth that may get some starts in a pinch

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