Coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers have claim to one of the best offenses in college football. While quarterback Jayden Daniels and the wide receivers have been impressive, no doubt, the LSU football offensive line has kept things moving. Earlier this week, coach Brian Kelly spoke about the position group and how good freshman Zalance Heard has been.
The LSU football offensive line is in good hands with freshman Zalance Heard
Last week vs. Auburn, the LSU football offensive line suffered a significant loss. Starting right tackle Emery Jones Jr went down with what was later described as an ankle sprain, and it was time for the next man up.
Luckily for the Tigers, that next man up happened to be former five-star freshman Zalance Heard.
While unproven, Heard is one of the best players on the entire team, and it showed in a major way with his performance on Saturday vs. the Tigers of Auburn.
“When you have a true freshman that you can plug and play in an SEC game and not have to worry about fanning to that side, chipping, leaving a tight end in, I believe that’s a luxury from my perspective,” coach Brian Kelly said at Monday’s press conference.
As soon as the Auburn defense saw a freshman coming in at right tackle, they likely thought they found a weakness in the Tiger offense. However, they quickly discovered that wasn’t the case.
“He went in, played 69 snaps, and he had a couple of – false start penalties, had a holding penalty – but those are things that you’re gonna live with, with a young guy that’s going in there,” Kelly continued. “But his poise, his ability to work with the five guys, the communication, really pleased with his play.”
Getting Emery Jones Jr back and healthy as soon as possible will be essential for the Tigers as they head into the remainder of the 2023 season. However, freshman Zalance Heard has shown everyone that he’s more than capable of taking over in the meantime.
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