Greg McElroy has one major question about LSU football in 2023
There’s a lot to like about LSU in 2023.
After putting together a 10-win, SEC West title-winning season last fall, coach Brian Kelly returns a lot of key pieces in Year 2 such as starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, leading receiver Malik Nabers and rising defensive star Harold Perkins.
But behind those returning starters, things are a little less solid. LSU entered the offseason with depth issues at a number of positions, most notably along the offensive and defensive lines as well as in the secondary and at linebacker.
Entering what could be a 2023 season in which the Tigers take the leap to national title contention, ESPN’s Greg McElroy sees depth as the team’s No. 1 concern.
“We know that there is not going to be a whole lot of issues as it relates to the talent on the roster,” McElroy said recently on the ESPN College Football channel on YouTube, per On3. “We know that. But still going to be very interested to see the depth on the roster, because this team last year at times was pretty danged thin.”
However, after adding a number of key additions in another fantastic transfer portal class, McElroy sees it as less of a concern than he did earlier in the offseason.
“Look how aggressive they got going out into the portal and trying to bring in key difference-makers on both sides of the ball,” he said. “You go get a big-time defensive transfer from Oregon State in Omar Speights. You go and get quality defensive back additions in Denver Harris, JK Johnson, Darian Chestnut and Zy Alexander.”
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“You clearly recognize that your back seven defensively is not up to the standard that we’ve come to expect from LSU, so you’ve made it a huge priority,” McElroy said. “You get Denver Harris from Texas A&M. He’ll likely lock down at least one of the corner spots, you would assume. You go and get Deuce Chestnut from Syracuse. You go and get JK Johnson from Ohio State. And you go and get Zy Alexander from Southeastern Louisiana.
“That’s four guys to fill two spots, maybe three, depending on how you want to align in your base down and distance defensively. I think you’re probably going to be in nickel most of the time just looking at how things are. So you need three quality corners, you go out and you got four and they add that to a pool of already pretty decent corners. Not elite, but decent corners that contributed last year as underclassmen.”
McElroy said he’s been “impressed” with what LSU has done in the portal so far this offseason, and the Tigers will have the chance to build things up even stronger when the second portal window opens after spring ball.
Depth will be a question mark at some areas in 2023, but skillful work in the portal has mitigated that significantly.
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