Dominant. Unbreakable. Immovable.
These are just some of the adjectives associated with the best offensive lines in the history of football. Since the late 1800s, the most important position on the field has been and will always be the “big fellas” pushing the pile for running backs and protecting the pocket for quarterbacks and wide receivers.
As the 2024 LSU Football season has begun, the starting offensive line unit that consists of seniors Garrett Dellinger and Miles Frazier, juniors Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr., and redshirt freshman DJ Chester are fully focused on not only bringing championships back to Baton Rouge, but also on the Joe Moore Award, which is given to the best offensive line in the country.
This group of experienced players has caught the attention of Tiger fans as well as the national media. On3 ranked the Tigers’ offensive line as the best in the country in its preseason rankings, while the SEC Network’s Cole Cubelic (a former offensive lineman for Auburn) ranked the unit as the best in the Southeastern Conference.
In college football today, especially in the SEC, there are offensive lines across the country loaded with talented and determined players. However, Jones Jr. believes LSU’s unit has everything it needs to separate itself from the rest of the bunch.
“I feel like what separates us from others is just how much we want to be successful,” Jones Jr. explained. “I feel like we got a position coach (Brad Davis) who we put everything out on the line for, and to be successful and make him successful in that process, it means the world to us. I feel like we go out every day with that mindset and try to make ourselves successful.”
The coach Jones Jr. mentioned is none other than Brad Davis, the high-energy leader of the offensive line room who is entering his fourth year with the Tigers. A Baton Rouge native, Davis understands better than anyone what the expectation is for both his unit and the team as a whole year after year.
“We want to be the best offensive line unit in the country this year, and we are not afraid to talk about it,” Davis said. “The expectation, the standard, is a national championship. We do not come out here for any reason but that.”
“He pushes us every single day. There is always something he is stressing to us to work on, whether it be with our steps or our hands,” said Dellinger, when asked about his offensive line coach. “It’s constant coaching.”
Along with their position coach, their teammates, including wide receiver Zavion Thomas, know just how special this offensive line group is, while also understanding the high expectations that come with playing football for LSU.
“I feel like the whole world knows we have the best offensive line in the nation behind Garrett, Will, Miles, DJ and Emery,” Thomas said. “So much so that when we see the opposing defensive line, it’s not much that we have to worry about. Just knowing that we got those five guys makes our lives so much easier.”
While the Tigers might be known nationwide for their playmakers such as Garrett Nussmeier, Kyren Lacy and Mason Taylor, offensive coordinator Joe Sloan has stressed to the unit that their group is the most integral part of the Tigers’ offense.
“Coach Sloan has preached that we are building this offense from the inside out. We know that we make this offense go,” Campbell explained. “We know that we set the tone, with the physicality, with the juice. Because whenever we do it, when our teammates see us dogging people, trashing them into the turf, they know that the tone is set. That just gets everyone hyped up, and we know we have to come with that every week.”
Any person who has played a sport, especially football, knows that a team that has great chemistry usually plays great on the field together. This is most definitely the case for LSU’s offensive line, as Jones Jr. describes the camaraderie within the unit as “one of the best I have been a part of.”
“I love playing with these guys,” Jones Jr. said. “I feel like everybody’s a little bit different. We all come from different parts of the world, and I feel like everybody has a different standpoint to bring to the table and conversation. I really love being around those guys, and I feel like I really can trust them with anything, not just on the football field, and that just makes it so much easier to trust them on the football field. It’s really fun to get to play with these guys, and it’s an experience that I’m loving right now.”
The “fun” aspect is an important part of the experience these guys share with each other, but it is not the main focus. In fact, the unit has one major goal in mind for the 2024 season: to return the largest of the college football award trophies to Baton Rouge.
“Last year, we were the runners-up for the Joe Moore Award,” Jones Jr. recalled. “So, this year, we are attacking that, trying to go get that goal, because I feel like we fell a little bit short last year. That’s a goal that we kind of set as a group.
“There is a picture of (the Joe Moore Award) that sits on the wall in the offensive line room. We have it up there to look at every day so that we know what we’re doing this for, and that we know that we’re not just in here to lollygag around. It helps put some pep in our step when it comes to preparation. That award, that’s our big goal in 2024.”
Although the season may not have started how the Tigers wanted, they know that the opener versus Southern California will only help them get better and improve as the fall marches on.
“You never want to lose a game, but when you do lose a game, you know something went wrong,” Jones Jr. said. “We knew we just had to come back in, not freak out, and know that we’re better. We’re focused on fixing those little mistakes, going back and correcting everything and making sure we correct those little details, so that when we are in a high-stakes situation, we know we can execute.”
This group is aware of the responsibilities assigned to it: to set the tone, be physical, and “bring the juice.” Jones Jr. is confident in the ability of this Tiger squad to reach its goals of competing for championships, and he couldn’t be happier with the group of offensive linemen he gets to battle with week in and week out on their journey together.
“Everyone in our offensive line room are really great guys, and they have great cultures that they bring to the table,” said Jones Jr. “I feel like we’re very close as a group, and we all love each other.”
With the sense of togetherness and the love that these players have for each other – in combination with the skills they have worked on all offseason and one of the best position coaches in the nation – the LSU offensive line is poised and ready for the challenges the season might bring, whether it be claiming the Joe Moore Award or dominating an opposing defense.