While it’s unlikely that the LSU football freshman defensive line group will be relied upon too much in 2024, things are certainly looking promising from a developmental standpoint. According to early reports, even after just a short period of time in the Tiger weight room, they’ve already put on plenty of size and look primed to make an earlier impact on depth than anticipated.
LSU football freshman defensive line group continues to impress as a whole this offseason
The LSU football defensive line needed some extra bodies heading into the offseason, and so far, it appears that they’ve found them.
Exiting the 2023 campaign, the Tiger defensive interior was set to lose its three best members, as Maason Smith, Jordan Jefferson and Mekhi Wingo were all drafted into the NFL. In turn, experience was set to be a major weakness for the purple and gold defense, with Jacobian Guillory and Jalen Lee sitting as the only returning impact players from last season.
Relatively unsurprisingly, this led coach Brian Kelly and his defensive coaching staff to make defensive tackle a priority, utilizing the transfer portal, recruiting and even his own offensive line to fill in some depth along the line of scrimmage.
Plenty of moves later and just a couple months remaining until the 2024 season, the group is finally beginning to look settled, but things might actually be moving faster than many anticipated as far as overall development goes.
The 2024 freshman class includes four players along the defensive line, with five-star Dominick McKinley leading a group that features four-star Gabriel Reliford, along with three-stars De’Myrion Johnson and Ahmad Breaux. While none of said recruits were particularly dominant from a physical standpoint heading into the offseason, it’s becoming more and more clear that the last half year or so has been abundantly kind to them in that department.
Dominick McKinley and De’Myrion Johnson were previously listed with the heaviest weight on their recruiting profiles at roughly 280 pounds. However, as of late June, those numbers are now nothing more than the past, with the pair reportedly sitting at 316 and 294, respectively.
Furthermore, fellow freshmen Gabriel Reliford and Ahmad Breaux have also taken steps forward on the weight room side of things, now sitting at 270 and 275, after being listed at 255 and 250, respectively, as recruits.
While it’s unlikely the group of LSU football freshman defensive linemen see the field too much in 2024, it’s incredibly encouraging to know that they could at least compete from a physical standpoint if their services do end up being needed at any point this coming season.
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