The cigar smoke had hardly dissipated from LSU’s post-national title locker room before the 2019 roster began to depart en masse. In the end, nine LSU starters declared early for the NFL Draft — a sum that doesn’t include Heisman Trophy winner and graduate Joe Burrow. Joining those players in their exit were passing game coordinator Joe Brady (Carolina Panthers) and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda (Baylor).

By the time the smoke truly cleared, LSU had lost 14 starters, two coordinators and a myriad of key on- and off-field assistants.

The Tigers of 2020 will be the defending national champions. But it’s fair to say those left behind to defend the trophy only somewhat resemble that 2019 squad.

"LSU's losses on the offensive side — both on the field and off the field — are huge," Geaux247 analyst Billy Embody said. "Defensively, LSU is going to have to replace some key contributors, too."

247Sports examined the last 15 national champions and their title-game depth charts to get a sense of how LSU’s departures compare to title winners of the past. LSU joins Florida (2006) and Auburn (2010) as the only champions in that stretch to lose 14-plus starters.

Florida went 9-4 in its 2007 repeat effort. Auburn stumbled to 8-5 in 2011.

That Auburn team lost Cam Newton, who accounted for 62 percent of the team’s yardage and 66.7 percent of the team’s touchdowns, to the NFL Draft along with 14 other starters. Wide receiver Emory Blake caught more touchdowns from Newton than anyone in 2010. His next live action came against Utah State in Week 1 of the 2011 season. Blake needed to recover an onside kick to give Auburn the opportunity to storm back for a 42-38 win. Utah State would finish just 7-6 that season.

“You have a target on your back,” Blake told 247Sports. “Everyone knows that.”

Not every team that suffered heavy attrition struggled. Alabama lost 10-plus starters off each of its title-winning teams. The worst record the Tide had in their follow-up efforts was 10-3. Nick Saban always made it work.

Looking at history, however, the Tide are far more the exception than the rule.

The only other program to lose 11-plus starters and avoid a significant drop-off is the 2018 Clemson Tigers; the 2019 version of course reached the national championship. That Clemson team benefited from Trevor Lawrence’s return and facing just a single Top 25 team prior to postseason play.

Burrow isn’t returning for LSU, which only strengthens the parallel between it and Auburn.

When it comes to quarterback, both LSU (Burrow) and Auburn (Newton) lost historic passers. Burrow put forth the most statistically dominant passing season in history. Newton’s 2010 effort is considered among the best single-season efforts in college football’s 150-year run.

Blake remembers Newton’s 2011 replacement, Barrett Trotter, performing admirably. Clint Moseley played a lot late in the season as well. Fact remains, that pair combined for 17 touchdowns versus 50 the previous season from Newton.

“You don’t get quarterbacks like that – any players like that – to just come around.” Blake said. “He’s a once-in-a-blue-moon type player. It’s hard to replace a Cam Newton just like it’s hard to replace a Joe Burrow.”

Burrow just set the NCAA single-season passing (60) and total touchdown (65) record. He shattered the SEC’s single-season passing record. To expect anyone to replicate his production, even someone as talented as likely starter Myles Brennan, a highly-regarded recruit who’s waited his turn, would be foolish.

Historically, champions that lose their starting QB can experience a major drop. Here’s how those teams ranked from one season to another in yards per play: Texas (2005 – 2nd | 2006 – 26th), Florida (2006 – 18th | 1st), LSU (2007 – 34th | 2008 – 67th), Auburn (2010 – 3rd | 79th), Alabama (2015 – 46th | 18th), Clemson (2016 – 33rd | 2017 – 76th).

The are two obvious exceptions above with Florida and Alabama. One team went from Chris Leak to Tim Tebow, while the other transitioned from Jake Coker to Jalen Hurts. That’s the difference. Only one other team saw a mild decline: Texas. That Longhorn team saw Colt McCoy follow Vince Young.

There is hope Brennan can provide a McCoy-like transition for the Tigers, especially with offensive coordinator (and play caller) Steve Ensminger remaining in place.

“This is an offense he's comfortable in,” Embody said. “The system is in place, he's used to this style since high school, and that should allow him to be among the top quarterbacks in the SEC, considering all the talent he'll have to work with."

Thinking back on Auburn’s post-title drop, Blake admits the team’s inexperience mattered. Competition for certain spots, especially quarterback, stretched into the season. That Auburn team still managed to win eight games. Where things truly started to spin, however, was in 2012. That Tigers team lost just five starters from the year prior. Yet that group, just two years removed from winning a title, fell to 3-9 overall.

A big reason for that is coordinator changes. Offensive wizard Gus Malzahn left to take Arkansas State’s head job. The Tigers also switched defensive coordinators. Throw in the continued unsettled nature of the quarterback position, and things sort of fell apart.

“The personnel we had was really recruited for (Gus) Malzahn’s offense,” Blake said. “We brought in Scott Loeffler, who’s a good coach, but I don’t think, at that time, the personnel really fit the offense. We also had a different defensive coordinator that changed things up. It was just a switch of scheme with the personnel we had didn’t mesh well that year. And we fell short … a lot.”

Malzahn returned as head coach the next year, and Auburn went back to the BCS championship game.

LSU is rather unique in its losses. The Tigers are the only champion to lose at least half its starting lineup and a pair of coordinators in the same offseason. This is not to say LSU’s 2020 roster will lack talent. The Tigers will feature the nation’s top receiver (Ja’Marr Chase) and top cornerback (Derek Stingley Jr.) along with a roster that’s consistently ranked in the top five of the 247Sports Team Talent Composite. In fact, LSU's average recruiting rank the last four cycles (7.75) is considerably higher than Auburn's (14.75) when it tried to repeat. It is worth mentioning that Florida's average recruiting rank in 2007 checked in at fifth nationally, so great recruiting doesn't always stop a win-column recession.

Historically, Alabama, a recruiting juggernaut, is the only team to consistently buck major losses and continually contend. Can LSU join its fellow SEC West member in that regard next season?

We’ll see.