Sports Illustrated - How Good Can LSU Be With Burrow?

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But here’s the thing. Canada’s offense didn’t exactly set the SEC on fire, and LSU still won nine games in 2017. The 2018 schedule, which opens with Miami in Arlington, Texas, and includes an SEC East crossover visit from Georgia, is pretty rugged. The popular assumption in SEC country is that Orgeron’s decision to part ways with Canada and promote Steve Ensminger—who served as LSU’s interim offensive coordinator in 2016—will combine with the difficulty of the schedule and spell doom for Orgeron’s tenure.

I’m not so sure about that.

LSU probably will be better on both lines of scrimmage this season. Several young offensive linemen (most notably tackle Saahdiq Charles) had to play earlier than expected to fill holes caused by injuries last year. On the defensive line, LSU should be considerably deeper despite losing three senior starters. Early last season, the Tigers had no rotation of which to speak. That will change this season with an infusion of young players combined with veterans such as Rashard Lawrence and Texas Tech transfer Breiden Fehoko.

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The receiver group should be deeper, too. That likely will be what Tigers coaches try to sell to Burrow, who lost out to Dwayne Haskins for the starting job in Columbus. Texas Tech transfer Jonathan Giles should be a top target, and Justin Jefferson showed this spring that he’s capable of being a lot more than just a jet sweep specialist. The big question is who will carry the load at tailback, which is something no one has had to ask in Baton Rouge for a long time. Clyde Edwards-Helaire probably will take the bulk of the carries, but he doesn’t come into the role with prior experience as a trusted No. 2 back like so many of his predecessors did.

LSU has three quarterbacks (Myles Brennan, Lowell Narcisse and Justin McMillan) currently competing for the starting job, but no one distanced himself from the others in the spring. In fact, the trio only muddied the picture further. That’s why LSU is interested in Burrow, and judging by the permission to contact letter crafted by Ohio State—which included only LSU and Cincinnati—that interest is mutual.

What’s interesting about Burrow and LSU is that if Burrow is as good as his Ohio State teammates say he is, he could conceivably elevate a program that has lacked dynamic quarterback play since Zach Mettenberger left following the 2013 season. Let’s say LSU is basically the same level of team it was last year. Now add a good quarterback. That’s a team that—even with this schedule—could equal or surpass last year’s win total.

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