With LSU Spring Football well underway it’s time to start thinking about all the roster battles we have set up going into this fall.

While we won’t see the kind of wholesale change we did after LSU had 9 players drafted in both 2013 and 2014 there are some major position battles shaping up, with defensive line probably the biggest competition on the team.

Today’s article will focus on the Offensive Line…

Big loss from last year:

Anytime you lose your starting left tackle it’s a major loss.

With La’el Collins expected to go in the top half of the first round of this years NFL Draft he is leaving some very big shoes to fill anchoring the Tigers line. Also gone is last years oft troubled starting center, Elliot Porter, and right guard Evan Washington.

Returning Players: In spite of losing three key players the team is actually in a pretty good position when it comes to returning strength. Last year’s starting RT Jerald Hawkins is taking over La’el Collins’ vacated LT spot.

All reports have him doing very well so far, this should be a position of strength.

Last years starting Left Guard Vadal Alexander will flip out to the RT spot in place of Hawkins, giving LSU two very solid bookends at tackle.

Ethan Pocic, who started at both RG and Center last year in spot duty and did very well at both looks to be the full time starter at center this year. That gives LSU a very strong veteran foundation for the line.

The major spring battles:

Both starting guard positions have been vacated, and neither has a veteran starter holding down the first team slot. That makes the battle here one of the most competitive in camp.

The top four at guard right now are William Clapp, KJ Malone, Garrette Brumfield and Josh Boutte. There is also a chance that Andy Dodd could start at Center and Pocic flip out to one of the guard spots but that possibility looks pretty thin.

This is one battle that could go down to the wire.

Watch Out This Fall:

The line battles are normally over early and the lineup barring injury stays set for the year. That may not be the case this year.

Offensive Line Coach Jeff Grimes came in with a reputation as a stud recruiter and he backed it up in his first full year recruiting cycle, hauling in one of the best offensive line classes we have ever seen at LSU or any other school.

Adrian Magee and George Brown Jr. are both 3 star recruits that the team is high on. 4 star recruits Toby Weathersby and Chidi Valentine-Okeke were among the top tackle recruits in the country this year.

And 5 star recruit Maea Teuhema was one of the top players in the country at any position this year. He has a real chance to come in and take over one of the guard slots as a true freshman…..