We’re less than two weeks away from the official 2023 Tigers’ football season. In honor of that, it’s about time we take a look at the roster to help determine which names to keep an eye on in each position group. First up for our LSU football preview, we’ll look into an edge rusher group that should have coach Brian Kelly very excited for the upcoming season.
LSU football has a slightly abnormal group of veteran edge rushers
When thinking of college football veterans, the first thing that comes to mind is generally a player who’s been on roster for several seasons and can form a bit of leadership.
While the leadership is more than apparent, it isn’t necessarily because of longevity within the LSU football program. Among the entire position group, just two players have been with the program for two years or longer (junior Sai’vion Jones and redshirt sophomore Lane Blue). However, this isn’t so concerning when you consider coach Brian Kelly is heading into just his second year with the program.
Still, despite the lack of experience within this specific program, plenty of college football experience is present in the room. This is primarily thanks to big-time transfer portal additions, including junior Bradyn Swinson, junior Paris Shand and senior Ovie Oghoufo.
In total, those three edge rusher transfer additions have an impressive 99 games of experience under their belt. While it may not have been in the purple and gold, there is plenty of experience in the group. Expect to see the coach Brian Kelly play the Tigers’ veterans quite a bit this college football season as the younger guys get their feet under them.
Several young studs could see the field early on
Speaking of younger guys, lots of talent has joined the LSU football program over these last two offseasons.
While the Tigers’ class of 2022 was a smaller group, there was certainly no lack of ability. At the edge rusher/defensive end position, the big name to know is Quency Wiggins. The former four-star recruit out of Louisiana appeared in five games in 2022, and while he didn’t entirely break out, he certainly showed flashes.
When looking at the class of 2023, however, LSU football gained an influx of impressive commitments.
Leading the charge was five-star Da’Shawn Womack, a native of Baltimore, MD. Standing at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, Womack doesn’t quite have the size you might typically see along the defensive line, but he more than has enough speed and strength to make up for it.
Other than Womack, the Tigers added two other future stars through this most recent recruiting cycle. Those two names include four-star Jaxon Howard and three-star Dylan Carpenter.
When considering the upcoming 2023 college football season, Howard and Womack likely have the best shot at seeing early playing time. Still, with how much depth they have at the position, we might have to wait until later in the season for them get consistent reps.
Breakout potential is abundant within this position room
Right away, one name that pops into my head when thinking of possible surprises is former four-star Quency Wiggins. While looking at the Baton Rouge, LA, native on the football field, the first thing you’ll notice is his size. Standing at 6-foot-6, 265 pounds, he has an imposing presence, to say the least.
Add in the fact that he has some top-end speed for a defensive end; it’s just a recipe for success.
The redshirt freshman is also still very new to the sport of football. If he can continue to work hard and show flashes, as he did in minimal time last season, it wouldn’t surprise to find his name pretty high up the depth chart in 2023.
Who will start?
This is a tough one, but especially regarding early on in the season, I expect to see plenty of the edge rusher veterans. More specifically, big names like Sai’vion Jones, Ovie Oghoufo and Bradyn Swinson have impressed this fall.
Aside from those three, three other names I could see sneaking into the lineup are junior Paris Shand, redshirt freshman Quency Wiggins and true freshman Da’Shawn Womack.
All six players possess elite size and speed that could keep opposing offensive lines on their toes all season long. The fact that the Tigers have so many options is almost unfair, as the group should have fresh legs throughout the year.
Based on early camp performances, my prediction for the starting group would likely be senior Ovie Oghoufo and junior Sai’vion Jones. Both have plenty of experience with Brian Kelly, which could aid them in the long run. Still, don’t be surprised to see plenty of names subbed in throughout the season. They have depth, and I expect them to take advantage of it.
We’ll be continuing this 2023 LSU football preview for all the position groups until the Tigers return to action on September 3rd versus the Florida State Seminoles. Check back on LSUGlory.com tomorrow to read our thoughts on the LSU running back room.
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