At Brian Kelly’s press conference today, the LSU head coach gave a big time update on how the Tigers’ starting offensive line is looking with 12 more days left to kickoff. He revealed that there were three confirmed starters for LSU’s season opener against Clemson.
“Tyree Adams is going to be our starting left tackle. There’s a battle between Paul Mubenga and Coen Echols for one of the guard positions. Josh Thompson has nailed down one of the guard positions. Braelin Moore has nailed down the center position. Then, there’s still a battle for the right tackle position. We moved Carius Curne over there to compete with Weston Davis to see who is our best. Maybe it’s a combination or maybe it’s one or the other.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly
From the very start of fall camp, it was pretty evident that Tyree Adams was going to be the fill in at left tackle for All-American Will Campbell. Although those are big shoes to fill, the 6’7, 310 pound former four star prospect from St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, Louisiana has waited patiently for his opportunity and Kelly feels that the time is now.
“We recruited what we thought was a talented player. We recruited somebody who we felt fit our culture. So you start with recruiting the right guys, and then they develop naturally within your program. Then, when it’s time to step in there, they’ve got to be prepared, and he prepared himself very well. He came to practice, prepared himself, was locked in, and essentially was waiting for his opportunity. When his opportunity arose, and in particular in the bowl game, he played really well.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly on Tyree Adams
Along with Adams, the other two confirmed starters are two transfers that were part of one of the premier transfer portal classes in the country. At center, Braelin Moore is a player that has consistently been spotlighted as a top performer from fall camp. The Virginia Tech transfer previously was a two year starter for the Hokies with 12 starts at center and 12 starts at guard.
Kelly did not specify what guard position Northwestern transfer Josh Thompson will occupy, but what is guaranteed is that he will be one of the starting offensive guards. Like Moore, Thompson comes in with a lot of college starting experience in the Power Four after starting 21 games over the previous two years at guard and tackle.
The other guard position has been a constant battle between numerous players, but most recently, it has come down to Paul Mubenga, who has started the last five games of the season at guard, and Coen Echols, who redshirted last season, but saw some action in the Texas Bowl last season.
While Adams has the left tackle spot secured, there is still an open competition to fill in fellow longtime standout tackle Emery Jones’ right tackle spot. One of the biggest storylines earlier this week was that five star freshman Carius Curne has been getting first team reps at right tackle. What is interesting is that Curne was rated as one of the best interior offensive linemen in the country coming out of Marion High School in Hughes, Arkansas. Now, he is in position to be a Day 1 starter as a true freshman at right tackle. Brian Kelly inserted Curne in on Monday to push Weston Davis, who has been getting first team reps at right tackle the majority of fall. Kelly hopes that the competition pushes both to be better.
“We moved Carius over there to compete with Weston to see who’s our best, and maybe it’s both of them. Maybe it’s a combination of them.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly
A notable name that was not mentioned by Kelly at first is DJ Chester. Chester started at center the entire season last year and throughout fall camp, was thoroughly in the rotation at guard. However, Chester has also been getting snaps at center behind Moore. With Chester moving around so much, it has hurt his chances of being a starter, but it has firmly solidified his chances of being the sixth man in the rotation as a swing player.
“In some ways, it’s a disservice to him because we have him playing center, guard, and he’s playing a little bit of right tackle. He’s competing for a starting position as well, but we can’t put them all out there. So, somebody’s going to have to be in a rotational position.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly
Brian Kelly stated that at the beginning of fall camp, there are going to be a lot of different rotations even at the start of the season. Coach Kelly still sees six or even seven different linemen all getting action in the game. Other players to keep an eye on are Bo Bordelon and Ory Williams as players that could see some action early in the season.
“I don’t think you’re just going to see five guys trotting out there every single play. I think you’re going to see some other guys definitely getting in the game as well.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly
There are a lot of high expectations for LSU to make a run at the College Football Playoff this season and it is going to come down to how Brad Davis’ group will develop and grow up together over the course of the season. Starting tackle Tyree Adams believes that the offensive line is ready to prove the doubters wrong.
“The group has been exceptional. We go out to eat almost every single day. We’re a close knit group. Coach Brad preaches to us every single day if we’re not close, we will not be a good unit and I feel like the emphasis of this year is really just to become close and I think we are making a big emphasis on that and we are doing that.”
LSU OT Tyree Adams
To read our other LSU Football position previews, check them out below!
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