Editor’s note: This week, we’ll take a quick look at each of LSU’s position groups as the Tigers prepare to open preseason practice next week. Up next is the defensive line.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Returning starters: DE Danielle Hunter (57 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 3 sacks), DE Jermauria Rasco (56 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 4 sacks). LSU coach Les Miles opined at SEC media days that Hunter and Rasco “may arguably be two of the finest defensive ends in the country.” They haven’t come close to proving Miles right, but they have that kind of ability. Hunter had a big spring and ranks among the Tigers’ top breakout candidates. Rasco missed the spring while recovering from shoulder surgery, but will apparently be good to go when the Tigers open preseason practice.
Starters lost: DT Anthony Johnson (35 tackles, 9 TFL, 3 sacks), DT Ego Ferguson (58 tackles, 3.5 TFL). Juniors Johnson and Ferguson were the leaders at the center of the line before entering the NFL draft, leaving Christian LaCouture (11 tackles, 1.5 TFL), Quentin Thomas (9 tackles) and a host of redshirt and true freshmen to take over a substantial amount of playing time.
Key newcomers: Travonte Valentine (No. 164 overall on ESPN 300, No. 11 DT) is the highest-rated of LSU’s three ESPN 300 line signees (the others are No. 213 Davon Godchaux and No. 273 Deondre Clark). Valentine missed out on LSU’s summer conditioning workouts, so his performance in August might determine whether he plays this fall.
Player to watch: Hunter. We could go with a number of players here -- maybe one of the redshirt freshman tackles such as Maquedius Bain, Greg Gilmore or Frank Herron -- but Hunter has the potential to become the Tigers’ next great sack artist. LSU needs him and Rasco to help return the Tigers’ pass rush to the dangerous force it has been in the recent past, as 2013 was a fairly quiet year for the group.
Overall: The interior of the line bears watching early in the season -- particularly in the opener against run-oriented Wisconsin -- since LaCouture and company have so much to prove. He and Thomas are the only regulars at tackle who aren’t freshmen, but the group has plenty of promise. Beyond Hunter and Rasco, the Tigers also have a breakout candidate in sophomore Tashawn Bower. The group was a bit of a disappointment last fall, but if the youngsters in the middle hold up, this could be a major bounceback season for the line.