By Hunt Palmer
Jayden Daniels’ fame has been derived from winning a Heisman Trophy and leading Washington to its first NFC championship in 34 years.
His greatest feat may have been aiding LSU in the running game in 2023.
Tiger backs never really got rolling on that prodigious offense, but it didn’t matter because Daniels could do it himself. He torched Florida for 234 on the ground and rolled up 163 on the Tide. His 1134 yards on the ground walked across the NFL stage and out of LSU’s offense last year.
It showed.
The Tigers were the worst rushing offense in the SEC last season, and it was a big reason why the team lost four games.
“We’ve got to run the football,” said second year offensive coordinator Joe Sloan. “You’ve got to run the football in the SEC. I think we’ve looked at some scheme things. We’ve looked at some personnel things. It’s a combination.”
That combination will feature the return of sophomore running back Caden Durham and a rebuilt offensive line that watched four starters join Daniels in the NFL over the summer.
Tireless work has been put into creating more production.
“I think having Caden Durham as a second-year player, obviously he’s an electric player, but he still was a true freshman last year who came in in June,” Sloan said. “He’s a lot better football player today than he was at this time last year. Some schematic things where we’re going to be able to put some guys in positions to make sure we can create some more explosives in the running game. And I think that’s the key is creating explosives in the running game.”
To Sloan’s point, LSU has busted a long run in nearly every practice the media has attended.
No matter the scheme, the offensive line will have to create more push. Holes will have to open up. The line of scrimmage must be moved forward.
That’s easier said than done with an entirely new group.
LSU has worked with third-year sophomore Tyree Adams at left tackle and redshirt freshman Weston Davis at right tackle. Both feature elite size and length without much experience, but the reviews have been positive. Virginia Tech transfer Braelin Moore brings two years of ACC starting experience with him as the center.
The guards are the biggest question marks.
“Obviously, we’ve got a lot of competition at guard,” Sloan said. “We’ve seen a lot of guys flash daily who are playing really well. I think our tackles have been excellent in terms of their growth. They’ve got to keep coming. They’ve got to get better every day, but I’ve been really pleased with what they’ve done…This is the second half of camp where you’d like to see some of the freshmen or some of the second year players start to push and take that next step and challenge some of the guys who are in front of them right now.”
That push could come from Coen Echols or Carius Curne at either guard spot, though Curne has worked almost exclusively at tackle. Paul Mubenga started the last four games of the 2024 season at guard when Garrett Dellinger went down. Head coach Brian Kelly said that he’d like to settle into a depth chart more quickly this fall than in previous years so that the team can be better prepared for the opener.
The new-look offensive line figures to get some relief in the box from a passing game that looks down the field more with speedsters like Chris Hilton, Barion Brown and Nic Anderson. That element was missing from the passing game last season.
Another key replacement up front comes at tight end when Mason Taylor moves on and Bauer Sharp fills in next to Trey’dez Green. Taylor’s receiving career is unparalleled at LSU, but can the Tigers get more in the running game from the tight end group? That will need to come from Sharp who tips the scales at 245 lbs.
“Bauer has been huge, not just in the tight end group, but offensively,” Sloan said. “I think he brings a mindset to our practice. I think he brings a mindset to our offense, and I think our guys feed off of that. That’s what I think has been critical. He plays hard every snap. He’s going to give you everything he’s got. And I think that’s a physicality and a violence in the run game.”
The front has been challenged every day by the LSU defensive line and linebackers. Both defensive units look like upper-level SEC groups. There have been bumps in the road daily, but explosive plays have shown up frequently, as well.
The edge probably goes to the defense overall, but the offense is making strides against a stout group.
“Our defense throws a lot at us, different fronts, different pressures,” Sloan said. “Seeing those, and once they get to rep them, understanding how it feels and how to attack that, I like the individual growth. I like the collective growth of the offensive line. Just like the entire offense, we’re going to need every day to get fully prepared for what we need to do this fall.”
The final piece to the puzzle is quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. His better than 4,000 yards passing as a first-time starter grabbed headlines and paced the offense, but he needs the ground game to compliment his work through the air.
Part of the maturation and self-scouting of his first offseason as the incumbent starter has been helping guide the ground attack.
“That’s usually the last thing to come for a quarterback because if they can’t execute on third down then it doesn’t really matter,” Sloan said. “They can’t play. One, they have to do that. He was really good at it (LSU led the SEC in third down conversions last season). But I think you’ve seen his growth come along in taking the same in the run game. And not just checks. Also, when to put the ball on the perimeter, when not to. When to hand it off, when to put it on the perimeter. When to pull the ball. All those things. I think it’s a conglomeration of all of it. That’s been good for him. He’s attacked it this offseason, and he understands his role in it. That’s giving our offensive linemen the best angles so they can come off the football and we can make plays in the run game.”
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