Fall from the summit comes swiftly for struggling Tigers

The drop off in talent in the LSU football program has been swift.

That’s the only conclusion a reporter could come to as LSU struggled on a Saturday night at home against FCS opponent McNeese State.

Two years ago, LSU had the best roster in college football. Now, after watching Arkansas topple Texas, you can arrive at only one conclusion: There will be no layup games for the Tigers when league play commences next Saturday in Starkville against Mississippi State.

In 2019, according to the website 247 Sports, LSU had the fifth-best recruiting class in the country.

That was then; this is now. And, the “now” is not pretty.

Five-star running back John Emery, with 566 rushing yards in 19 career games, did not play in LSU’s first two games of 2021.

Offensive lineman Kardell Thomas, a five-star gem in the class of 2019, was listed as third team on the LSU depth chart at guard for the McNeese game.

Pass rusher Marcel Brooks, a four-star, transferred to TCU.

Maurice Hampton, a four-star, two-sporter cornerback and baseball player, entered the transfer portal last spring.

Linebacker Donte Starks, another four-star, was dismissed from the team.

Quarterback Peter Parrish of Phenix City, Alabama, was suspended from the LSU football team and then transferred to Memphis.

Running back Ty Davis-Price was a big contributor in 2019, scoring six touchdowns. He had only three last year and has struggled this year behind an awful offensive line.

Amite’s Devonta Lee was moved to linebacker and then back to wide receiver. He played in eight games in 2020 but recorded no stats.

The best for LSU in the 2019 class is a pair of pre-season All-Americans, cornerback Derek Stingley and kicker Cade York.

York has been sensational. He kicked a 57-yarder in the rain in The Swamp at Florida last year to beat the Gators.

And, last Saturday night in Tiger Stadium, York set a Tiger Stadium record with a 55-yard field goal in the second quarter and then broke it with a 56-yarder on the first play of the fourth quarter.

York is special. But, when your kicker is one of the best two players in your 2019 recruiting class, you have issues.

And, that’s what Ed Orgeron has – plenty of them.

The 2019 class should be the backbone of the 2021 program. They have their experience and now it is their time to carry the load.

That sounds good, in theory. But seeing LSU, with a huge size advantage, not being able to push around McNeese, is a reality check that says something totally different.

And, what happens next year, when York and Stingley are likely in the NFL? And, when an experienced offensive line, which came back for the last dance, departs?

On the ride back from Tiger Stadium last Saturday, there was plenty of time to ponder what we watched two years ago compared to what we see today.

Ed Daniels is sports director at ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].