Scott Rabalais: There are a lot of reasons to be bullish about LSU's offense in 2023

LSU offensive coordinator coach Mike Denbrock on the field before kickoff against Texas A&M, Saturday, November 26, 2022, at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.
There was a persistent smile playing about Mike Denbrock’s face Thursday that would take a mountain of three and outs to wipe off.
A year ago this time, LSU’s then first-time offensive coordinator was trying to figure out what he had from a personnel standpoint and the players were trying to figure out what he wanted them to do.
Now, as Denbrock said, there is “a different vibe” to the LSU offense. There are returning starters galore, meshed with a crop of playmaking newcomers that have the potential to see LSU’s offense shift into warp drive in 2023.
“I think about going into the Florida State game a year ago and there were a lot of unknowns,” Denbrock said. “I don’t know how well they (players) knew us (coaches) or how well we knew them.”
The biggest unknown early in camp last year was who would the starting quarterback. Remember, it wasn’t until Aug. 15 last year when Myles Brennan decided to retire from football, opening the door to Daniels grab the job by nudging aside Garrett Nussmeier.
Of course, Daniels had a lot of growing into the role as did the offense as a whole. There were good days – 45 points in back-to-back games against Florida and Ole Miss and that 63-7 demolition of Purdue in the Citrus bowl – and there were creaky ones. Just 13 points against Tennessee and Arkansas and 23 against a Texas A&M team that had already bagged a losing season.
Through the ups and downs, though, there was growth. Growth that through the wealth of talent LSU has coming back has created justifiable optimism surrounding this offense.
“The growth we made during the season allowed those guys to have a little bit of a head start on what we possibly could become,” Denbrock said. “We started about three rungs up from where we ever were last year when we got together in the spring, and that continues. It’s got some excitement surrounding it, for sure.”
I’m personally very bullish on what this LSU offense can be. The astonishing amount of continuity that the Tigers have this season gives rise to it.
Daniels and Denbrock returning in 2023 to continue their collaboration is only the tip of the offensive iceberg. Depending how you figure it, LSU has eight returning offensive starters. On top of that, the entire offensive coaching staff returns as well. That’s a consistency of message being delivered and received that you rarely see on the NFL level, much less in college when players by nature of the college game change over so often.
Then you add playmakers like wide receiver Aaron Anderson, who Denbrock flatly said LSU must figure out how to get the ball to every game. Players like freshman tight end Ka’Morreun Pimpton, a 6-foot-6, 245-pound “raw physical talent” as Denbrock described him. And running backs transferring in and returning like Logan Diggs and Tre Bradford. It’s hard not to expect that LSU’s season scoring average of 34.5 points per game in 2022 is the baseline for what this offense can accomplish.
“You watch last year’s tape and we were out there in survival mode offensively,” Denbrock said. “Now, we’re deeper into the details. You understand the defensive looks better, what causes us issues and how to adjust.
“With the veteran guys we have, their recognition level has gotten better and better and better. Hopefully what that leads to down the road is our ability to move those guys into different positions and let ‘em go and cause some angst on the defensive coordinator’s part.”
The versatility allowed by LSU’s collection of offensive talent is potentially astonishing. Denbrock ran through a few of the scenarios Thursday:
“We can be in four wide receivers and put a lot of speed on the field,” he said. “We can be in 11 personnel (one running back and tight end) with three speedy receivers and a tight end who can be physical or get out in space and run routes. We could put two tight ends on the field and play big heavy personnel or play smaller players.”
With eight running backs to pick from, Denbrock floated the idea of a two-running back system. Or 12 personnel, which is a running back and two tight ends. Or back to the four receiver package.
“We have the depth and athleticism to be versatile in what we do,” Denbrock said.
And to be truer to the vision of what Kelly and Denbrock, head coach and assistant at multiple previous stops, have for the offense. Expect LSU to go more tight end and power heavy in 2023, while retaining the ability to have more quick-strike capability with a talented raft of skill players.
I don’t know how many points per game the Tigers will score this season, but it should be enough to put a smile on Denbrock’s face and those of all those armchair LSU play callers out there.
Most of them, anyway.