LSU's five most intriguing players entering fall camp

Spring camp is just two days away now as the calendar turns to August. With the season right around the corner and the Tigers locked in with one of the top ten teams in the country entering the season, LSU will have ample attention on it this month.

We’ve previewed position battles, top players on the team, and now we look at five underrated players and storylines entering the fall. The returners know what the expectations are, while the new additions hope to be the difference between LSU being good and LSU being in the College Football Playoff. Here, we’re looking at five names who could surprise people this fall.

Fitzgerald West, Defensive tackle

West was a defensive tackle in high school, but was recruited as an interior offensive lineman at LSU. After one year at center, the coaching staff moved him back to the defensive side of the ball, where he showed potential to be a run-stuffing nose tackle in the bowl game against Purdue.

Over the offseason, LSU added a slew of defensive line transfers, but West should be squarely in the mix for playing time after Maason Smith and Mekhi Wingo. West will be competing with Jalen Lee, the transfer from Florida, as well as Paris Shand, the transfer from Arizona, and Jacobian Guillory, a veteran returner. There’s a lot of competition, but West is someone who could take a significant step forward now that he’s focused on the defensive tackle position again,

Dashawn Womack, EDGE

Womack is definitely not underrated or forgotten, but his situation is unique. He’s going to play this year, but figuring out where and exactly in what role is the challenging part of that equation. Initially, it was believed Womack would fit nicely at JACK, replacing B.J. Ojulari, but when he got to LSU and was the same size as Saivion Jones and Quency Wiggins, he was moved to defensive end.

Similar to Harold Perkins’ situation last year, he’s potentially between two positions, but also too talented to be on the bench all game. He’ll have his packages on pass-rushing downs and be a playmaker off the edge, but what makes him so intriguing is the fact there’s a lot of other talent also looking to make plays this year. 

Mason Lunsford, Offensive line

There’s a reason LSU added Lunsford over the offseason, and it wasn’t just to add depth to the offensive line. With starting experience at a quality Big 10 program, Lunsford should be able to come in and compete on the interior offensive line. I’ve maintained he could challenge Charles Turner at center, but he’s going to be valuable at any of the three interior spots on this line. 

Could there be more questions on the offensive line than we think? On paper it seems straightforward that Garrett Dellinger and Miles Frazier will be the starting guards based on last year’s performance, but with Lunsford and Marlon Martinez in the mix, there could very well be some movement along the line that we don’t expect.

Matthew Langlois, Safety

Langlois is perhaps the biggest unknown on the roster entering 2023. After back-to-back seasons of being injured, it’s hard to know what to expect if he remains healthy throughout the season. The starting safety spots are locked down with Major Burns and Greg Brooks, then LSU added veteran Andre Sam from the transfer portal. After that, it’s wide open for Langlois to step into.

Freshmen Javien Toviano, Kylin Jackson, and Ryan Yaites are all capable, but with a two-year head start, Langlois should be able to work his way into the rotation early on. It all depends on his durability, first and foremost, but it would be nice to see him in action for the duration of the fall and throughout the season.

Armoni Goodwin, Running back

There’s a reason Goodwin averaged 5.9 yards per carry last year on 45 rushes. He’s as dynamic of a back that LSU has in its backfield. Unfortunately, he suffered a significant knee injury last year that sidelined him for the second half of the year, through fall camp, and through summer conditioning. After spending all of that time rehabbing, can Goodwin bounce back and avoid getting buried in the deep running back room at LSU?

There are eight players fighting for playing time at running back, including Goodwin. Some are more experienced, some are more productive, but few have the upside that Goodwin does when healthy. This fall will be a critical period for Goodwin to show that he’s back in shape and ready to compete for carries.