LSU’s prospects for 2024 look promising after productive spring

Spring games can often be a collective mirage.

A reporter remembers walking out of Tiger Stadium in 2003, wondering after the spring game how LSU would improve upon an 8-win season that ended with a bowl loss to Texas.

Eight months later, the Tigers won the national championship at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

My guess is there is no title on the horizon in 2024, but even after losing three first round picks in the upcoming draft, head coach Brian Kelly has reasons to be excited about his program.

For one, Bo Davis is coaching his defensive line. He is one of the best coaches at his position in college football. Davis and defensive backs coach Corey Raymond have already made an impact on recruiting.

Kelly said as much after the spring game when he mentioned he didn’t think the quality of player he now has visiting his program would be in his office.

It’s only a matter of time before LSU is once again playing dominant defense, but it won’t be this season. The defensive line still looks suspect, especially after being shredded by the offense in the early portion of Saturday’s spring game.

However, when LSU hired Davis and brought back Raymond and defensive coordinator Blake Baker, the return to respectability began.

True freshman defensive end Gabriel Reliford from Evangel Christian looks to be an immediate contributor. He made an impact in Saturday’s spring game against backups, prompting head coach Brian Kelly to say Reliford deserved an opportunity to compete against LSU’s bookend offensive tackles, Will Campbell and Emery Jones. That is heady stuff for a freshman.

Cornerback PJ Woodland, a true freshman from Hattiesburg, had an impressive spring. And here’s a personal favorite: true freshman Kolaj Cobbins from Destrehan. When Cobbins figures out this level, he could be a real player coming off the edge in the Tigers defense.

However, the offense will again carry the 2024 Tigers. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw two touchdown passes in the spring game and completed all seven of his throws.

Nussmeier has a lot going for him. His offensive line is one of the best in the country, tailback Kaleb Jackson could have a breakout season and the LSU receiving corps, despite the loss of Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas to the draft, looks extremely talented. Kyren Lacy looks like he’s ready to be the number one receiver while CJ Daniels, a transfer from Liberty, is intriguing. Daniels averaged 19 yards per reception last season. It’s hard to ignore that eye-popping number.

Here’s someone who really stood out to me in a very, very limited sample size: I really like quarterback Colin Hurley a lot. Hurley has a ton to learn, but even throwing off his back foot on more than one occasion, it was hard to miss this fact: Hurley can spin it.

And he looks the part. Some guys just walk on the field and know they are good, and Hurley is one of those. He won’t play this season, at least he shouldn’t. But while many fixate on who the LSU backup quarterback will be—either Rickie Collins or Vanderbilt transfer AJ Swann—I would look out for Hurley.

The win total for LSU this season is 9.5, which is a tough number to wager above or below. Here’s why: there’s no way the Tigers can be as good as last season offensively, and there’s no way they can be as bad defensively.

This does look like an above-average SEC team playing a schedule that is beatable.

USC is in the year after Caleb Williams, although quarterback Miller Moss was lights out in the Holiday Bowl against Louisville. That opener in Las Vegas is compelling for both programs.

Florida isn’t Florida. Will Alabama still be Alabama? Can Ole Miss handle a new role as a legit contender in the Southeastern Conference?

LSU gets Oklahoma at Tiger Stadium on the very last regular season playing date. That win total could be in the balance. So could a whole lot more.

Overall, optimism is warranted. There’s a chance for the defense to go from bad to average to pretty good, and I have a hard time believing that a team with a very good quarterback as well as a stellar offensive line won’t have more than its share of success.