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LSU football wrapped up spring practice on Thursday. The last month or so gave us our first real look at Brian Kelly's 2025 squad.
Expectations are high for the Tigers as Kelly enters year four in Baton Rouge. LSU disappointed with a 9-4 record in 2024. But a three-game win streak gave LSU momentum entering the offseason, and LSU kept it going, signing an elite transfer portal class while adding a top-10 high school class.
The offensive line will have new faces in 2025. LSU is losing four starters, including star left tackle Will Campbell. The lone returning starter is DJ Chester, who remains in a position battle for center while also taking reps at guard.
Plenty of eyes were on the LSU offensive line throughout the spring. It was our first chance to see how LSU might shuffle the names up front. Most of the room lacks experience, but LSU added veteran transfers Braelin Moore and Josh Thompson. LSU is counting on the proven production of Moore and Thompson, along with improvement from its young talent, to form one of the SEC's top units in 2025.
Here's everything LSU football head coach Brian Kelly said about the offensive line during spring ball.
"A good football player. You know, another addition to what, as we talked about, a very talented transfer class that will bring Big Ten reps into our offensive line, so a versatile player that can play guard or tackle. We haven't decided where that will be. It'll be kind of putting the pieces together to see how that fits," Kelly said.
"He's smart, he's physical, and he brings us an inexperienced offensive lineman."
Kelly said this process didn't begin in the spring. LSU entered the bowl game with opt-outs and injuries on the offensive line, so the Tigers have been working with a new group since December.
"We went to work against Baylor with kind of developing a new group, and that's where you saw Paul (Mubenga) start and you saw Tyree Adams start, so we feel like it wasn't really four out of five. It was like trying to find a couple of guys to fill in there," Kelly said.
"I think Braelin (Moore)'s done a nice job early on. Carius (Curne), Solomon (Thomas), both of the freshmen, have done a really nice job."
Curne and Thomas both have the physical ability to play, Kelly said, but have to take another step learning the offense.
"Everybody's thinking, you know, do you have Will Campbell and Emery Jones? I'd like to say that we have those every year, but that's probably not the case. These are really good players that in time are going to help us. I think Weston Davis is doing a nice job. You know, I think we're going to rely on the guys that got a lot of work for us last year, DJ Chester's gotten a lot of work for us. You know, we'll see where that all lines up, but I think there's enough," Kelly said.
"We've made great progress in building versatility within the group. I think in one sense, we've been clear that the mandate was not to go through the spring and name five guys, and so if we went in with that goal, we would not be anywhere near that, but that wasn't the goal," Kelly said.
"The goal was to get guys in position where we could find out what the best fit was for them individually and for us as a unit and then as LSU as a football team, so it's been moving guys around and finding where the right fits are."
Kelly's words match what LSU put on the practice field. Few players stuck to one position all spring. LSU made a point to move guys around with the end goal of finding the best possible combination.
Echoing what Kelly said above, that versatility will add to the competition on the offensive line. When every offensive lineman can play multiple positions, every position remains a competition.
"It's gonna bring out the best in DJ (Chester), it's gonna bring out the best in Paul (Mubenga). Tyree (Adams), Weston (Davis), all of those guys are in a position where nothing's taken for granted, there's no Will Campbell out there, right? Where you know there's no question about who you're starting left tackle is. They gotta make progress every day. And so this is just a different year, and in this year, there's gonna be intense competition for those five positions all year."
"We got five, six guys that can compete in there and help us win. We're just going to have to find out what the right combination is because I said this, I think, after the game, it wasn't really about who's the starter. It's about what's going to be the best five. And we can get to the best five. That's easy," Kelly said.
"But let's get them in there and really develop them. And I think what we feel like we leave the spring with is really good depth. I mean, we're going to have great depth on the offensive line. Now it will be about who are those starting five. And that will be established as we go into preseason camp," Kelly said.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU football: Everything Brian Kelly said about LSU's offensive line
Continue reading...
Expectations are high for the Tigers as Kelly enters year four in Baton Rouge. LSU disappointed with a 9-4 record in 2024. But a three-game win streak gave LSU momentum entering the offseason, and LSU kept it going, signing an elite transfer portal class while adding a top-10 high school class.
The offensive line will have new faces in 2025. LSU is losing four starters, including star left tackle Will Campbell. The lone returning starter is DJ Chester, who remains in a position battle for center while also taking reps at guard.
Plenty of eyes were on the LSU offensive line throughout the spring. It was our first chance to see how LSU might shuffle the names up front. Most of the room lacks experience, but LSU added veteran transfers Braelin Moore and Josh Thompson. LSU is counting on the proven production of Moore and Thompson, along with improvement from its young talent, to form one of the SEC's top units in 2025.
Here's everything LSU football head coach Brian Kelly said about the offensive line during spring ball.
Brian Kelly on transfer portal addition Josh Thompson
"A good football player. You know, another addition to what, as we talked about, a very talented transfer class that will bring Big Ten reps into our offensive line, so a versatile player that can play guard or tackle. We haven't decided where that will be. It'll be kind of putting the pieces together to see how that fits," Kelly said.
"He's smart, he's physical, and he brings us an inexperienced offensive lineman."
How LSU will replace all the lost production
Kelly said this process didn't begin in the spring. LSU entered the bowl game with opt-outs and injuries on the offensive line, so the Tigers have been working with a new group since December.
"We went to work against Baylor with kind of developing a new group, and that's where you saw Paul (Mubenga) start and you saw Tyree Adams start, so we feel like it wasn't really four out of five. It was like trying to find a couple of guys to fill in there," Kelly said.
"I think Braelin (Moore)'s done a nice job early on. Carius (Curne), Solomon (Thomas), both of the freshmen, have done a really nice job."
Curne and Thomas both have the physical ability to play, Kelly said, but have to take another step learning the offense.
Kelly on how hard it is to replace a player like Will Campbell
"Everybody's thinking, you know, do you have Will Campbell and Emery Jones? I'd like to say that we have those every year, but that's probably not the case. These are really good players that in time are going to help us. I think Weston Davis is doing a nice job. You know, I think we're going to rely on the guys that got a lot of work for us last year, DJ Chester's gotten a lot of work for us. You know, we'll see where that all lines up, but I think there's enough," Kelly said.
Kelly talks about building versatility
"We've made great progress in building versatility within the group. I think in one sense, we've been clear that the mandate was not to go through the spring and name five guys, and so if we went in with that goal, we would not be anywhere near that, but that wasn't the goal," Kelly said.
"The goal was to get guys in position where we could find out what the best fit was for them individually and for us as a unit and then as LSU as a football team, so it's been moving guys around and finding where the right fits are."
Kelly's words match what LSU put on the practice field. Few players stuck to one position all spring. LSU made a point to move guys around with the end goal of finding the best possible combination.
Competition is raising the bar for the group
Echoing what Kelly said above, that versatility will add to the competition on the offensive line. When every offensive lineman can play multiple positions, every position remains a competition.
"It's gonna bring out the best in DJ (Chester), it's gonna bring out the best in Paul (Mubenga). Tyree (Adams), Weston (Davis), all of those guys are in a position where nothing's taken for granted, there's no Will Campbell out there, right? Where you know there's no question about who you're starting left tackle is. They gotta make progress every day. And so this is just a different year, and in this year, there's gonna be intense competition for those five positions all year."
Kelly discusses LSU's interior offensive line
"We got five, six guys that can compete in there and help us win. We're just going to have to find out what the right combination is because I said this, I think, after the game, it wasn't really about who's the starter. It's about what's going to be the best five. And we can get to the best five. That's easy," Kelly said.
"But let's get them in there and really develop them. And I think what we feel like we leave the spring with is really good depth. I mean, we're going to have great depth on the offensive line. Now it will be about who are those starting five. And that will be established as we go into preseason camp," Kelly said.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU football: Everything Brian Kelly said about LSU's offensive line
Continue reading...
