LSU starting lineup: A look at Brian Kelly's team ahead of Week 1 showdown against USC

The LSU Tigers start their 2024 season against the USC Trojans. The game will be held in Las Vegas and will kick off at 7 pm ET.

The Tigers are in a similar spot to the Trojans as both teams lost their starting quarterback from the previous season to the NFL. For LSU, this means they have needed to find a replacement for Heisman Trophy-winning QB Jayden Daniels.

Here is how Brian Kelly's side could line up like this evening.

LSU Tigers Projected Offense

Quarterback: Garrett Nussmeier

Nussmeier has shown himself to be a strong quarterback and is the only suitable choice for the Tigers. While he is unlikely to put up numbers similar to what Daniels did, expect good performances for the new LSU starting quarterback.

Running back: Josh Williams

This will be Williams' final year in college football, and during his career, he has been consistently good. However, he should get more yards than the 284 he made last year due to the absence of Daniels.

Wide Receivers: CJ Daniels, Chris Hilton Jr, Kyron Lacy

Lacy, and Hilton are two of the stronger returning wide receivers and should have a good season replacing Malik Nabers. Daniels is a transfer from Liberty, where he recorded over 1,000 yards last year.

Offensive Line: Will Campbell, Garrett Dellinger, DJ Chester, Miles Frazier, Emory Jones Jr

The O-line for the Tigers this year is made up of returning players and is seen as one of the best offensive lines in the SEC. Both Campbell and Jones are likely to be first-round picks at the 2025 NFL draft.

LSU Tigers Projected Defense

Defensive Line: Sai'vion Jones, Gio Paez, Jacobian Guillory, Bradyn Swinson

Both Swinson and Jones are set to lead this line, and these two should improve on their 30-tackle season from last year. Paez is a former Wisconsin Badger who has transferred to Baton Rouge and should be able to play well.

Linebackers: Greg Penn III, Harold Perkins Jr

Both of these players were strong points in an LSU defense that struggled at times. Their return will only help the Tigers.

Defensive Backs: Ashton Stamps, Jordan Allen, Jardin Gilbert, Sage Ryan, Major Burns

Major Burns was one of the best players on the defense last year, with his 90 tackles being a team-high. Sage Ryan should improve on his 41 tackles, with Jardin Gilbert transferring in from Texas A&M to add more depth to this defense.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Glen Danquah