LSU redshirt sophomore Dare Rosenthal, a front-runner to start at left tackle in 2020, has left school for "personal reasons," coach Ed Orgeron announced Wednesday.
Orgeron said that while Rosenthal will miss spring practice, he should be back in the summer.
"We expect him to be back for the summer and be ready to go," Orgeron said while addressing reporters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ahead of the start of spring practice Saturday.
Rosenthal started three games last season, backing up Saahdiq Charles the rest of the time. With Rosenthal away, Cameron Wire and Thomas Perry are expected to receive the bulk of the snaps at left tackle.
Coming off an undefeated season and the school's first national championship since 2007, Orgeron expressed optimism about the changes that took place during the offseason, most notably the loss of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow, passing game coordinator Joe Brady and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda.
LSU hired former NFL coach Scott Linehan to replace Brady, who left for the Carolina Panthers. Linehan will work alongside offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger.
Former Nebraska and Youngstown State coach Bo Pelini was tabbed to replace Aranda, who left to become head coach at Baylor. Pelini was previously defensive coordinator at LSU from 2005 to 2007.
Orgeron called the defense one of the most talented he has had since coming to LSU in 2015.
"There's a lot of speed out there," he said. "I do believe the 4-3 attacking defense fits our personnel as good as it's ever been."
Orgeron said Myles Brennan, the front-runner to replace Burrow, has had a great offseason and will compete with Max Johnson and T.J. Finley for the starting job.
"We expect those guys to be fighting for a position," Orgeron said.
Whoever ultimately wins the job will face huge expectations after Burrow threw for 60 touchdowns and just six interceptions last season.
But, according to Orgeron, the time has come to put what happened last season in the past. Not falling victim to complacency, Orgeron said, "starts with me."
"I made a vow to myself that I'm going to work harder this year, more attention to the detail," he said. "And people need to see that from their leader. The culture we've built is fantastic, but we need to keep that standard up. I do believe it would be a fault to keep on talking about last year. We have to turn the page. This is a new team."