INSIDE THE TRENCHES: WHERE LSU'S 2025 TITLE AMBITIONS BEGIN.....& END...
- Lonn Phillips Sullivan
- Mar 13
- 3 min read
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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
During all 3 of Brian Kelly's seasons in charge, Head Trainer Jake Flint always has handfuls of critics among the fanbase...usually creeping up only after defeats, but wherever you land on Flint's qualities at the job, one thing you can't contest???
Whether the players were able to cash in on their molded, sculpted, Adonis footballing physiques or not, each and every season Flint has physically improved or even transformed damn near every single Tiger, with just a few weight mistakes concerning Saivion Jones and Kaleb Jackson, raising the levels of their personnel....and he's done it again:
That is apparent once again through the first week of 2025 Spring camp.
For Kelly critics or die hard Tiger fans alike, who are left wanting, no, demanding LSU upgrade their talent levels up front, there is a prevailing focus on both LSU's defensive and offensive lines, looking for the Tigers to be stronger, more athletic, more elite, and straight up meaner...a more aggressive bunch inside the trenches than we've all witnessed from LSU for too long.
Yes, LSU has always and will always possess unbelievable DL and OL talents, and LSU had a few over the past 5 years, BJ Ojulari, Will Campbell, Mekhi Wingo, Emery Jones, Maason Smith, Garrett Dellinger, Jaquelin Roy, etc, but never collective D-line or O-line units that bossed opponents around for 60 minutes every Saturday....
....for 3 years under Brian Kelly, outside of pass blocking in 2023 & 2024, LSU has not been able to sustain or establish a punishing, game-dictating brutality within the trenches....hallmarks of every single National Championship-winning squad in LSU history.
Blake Baker's 2024 defense may have improved over 2023's historically awful Matt House debacle, but they still only generated 3 more sacks than 2023's nearly anonymous pass rush.
Illustrating the improvement over 2023, specifically with increased turnover creation and lesser points allowed, pass rushers Bradyn Swinson, Saivion Jones & Co produced 67 more QB pressures, we all witnessed the rise of LB Whit Weeks, dynamic defender / edge rushing presence Harold Perkins Jr returns for one last dance, and now Kelly's NIL push landed potential superstars up front such as Patrick Peyton, Jack Pyburn, Braelin Moore, Josh Thompson, and Jamari Butler.....
Coaching may be the unit's strongest point, led by Broyles Finalist Kevin Peoples at the edge & pass rushing spots, while LSU & Buffalo Bills' legendary DT Kyle Williams returns to the Tigers in his first collegiate coaching campaign at DL Coach (although his role is more of an interior D-line assistant).
I think Peoples & Williams could work together beautifully, but let's remember one key factor: Williams has only ever coached at the high school level....there will be growing pains at some point.
There are plenty more names to keep an eye on up front, from sophomore DT duo Ahmad Breaux & Dominick McKinley to longtime Tigers biding their time or simply getting buried on the depth chart since their arrival (red shirt junior OL Bo Bordelon, 2nd year DE Gabe Reliford, super senior DT Jacobian Guillory making his comeback from a torn Achilles)....
The most decisive trenches issue remains LSU's available proven depth....Will LSU possess the up front manpower to overcome Clemson's "revival" in Week 1, followed by a gauntlet through the dregs & tooth-removing abyss of the SEC?
This year's LSU trenches might contain more speed than girth, more fury than power.....
More than anything else, I believe LSU's ability to run the ball & protect QB Garrett Nussmeier offensively, while rushing the passer, finishing off sacks & stuffing versatile running schemes on defense, will seal their championship or bust fate in 2025...one way or the other.
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
©️ 2025 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
This is the best depth on defense we have had since Kelly took over, and I could even argue we have more interchangeable depth on the O Line. I’m not saying any one player is a Will Campbell, but the depth is at least two deep on the O Line. I may have a bit of rose colored glasses, but It really seems this way when the roster is closely examined.