2nd straight strong Louisiana OL class places 15 in top 100

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Former LSU coach Ed Orgeron and his staff ultimately didn't get the chance to reap the benefits of Louisiana's 2022 class, to which they had long looked forward for its rare offensive line talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers signed four in-state offensive lineman for that cycle — alone as many high school linemen (from any state) as the program had signed since 2017 — and ultimately saw two Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr. earn starting tackle spots early in their true freshman year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The state's 2023 class includes 15 offensive linemen in the final Prep Redzone Louisiana rankings — nearly as many as the previous cohort's 17 —&nbsp;including two LSU signees, three other SEC signees and eight others joining in-state programs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NEXT TIGERS UP</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the second straight year, Louisiana's top offensive lineman comes from Neville, where <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138389' first='Zalance' last='Heard']</strong> follows his former and future teammate in Campbell. And the impressively explosive athlete at his size, a former defensive lineman as an underclassman, has shown enough talent that his potential to push for immediate playing time in a group that returns all of its starters is already a topic of discussion. Joining heard in Baton Rouge will be St. Augustine standout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='188944' first='Tyree' last='Adams']</strong>, a long and athletic tackle in his own right who isn't far down the overall rankings list at No. 13. Between the 2022 and 2023 groups, the Tigers appear to have the foundation for success up front offensively for years to come.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>AROUND THE SEC</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three other senior offensive linemen, each of whom drew varying recruiting interests from LSU through the years, will head elsewhere around the SEC. Longtime De La Salle starter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138412' first='Caden' last='Jones']</strong>, breakthrough Natchitoches Central talent <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='361374' first='Tyler' last='Johnson']</strong> and decorated Dutchtown standout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138414' first='Ethan' last='Fields']</strong> signed with Florida, Auburn and Ole Miss, respectively. Jones and Johnson bring big, athletic frames with basketball backgrounds to the Gators and Tigers, while Fields is expected to be a guard in Oxford, Miss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LA TECH RACKS UP</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ten of Louisiana's top 15 offensive linemen for the 2023 class are staying in state for college, and four of them are heading to Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs signed Tioga tackle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='276217' first='Hayden' last='Christman']</strong>, versatile Woodlawn (Baton Rouge) lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138410' first='Roy' last='Brackins III']</strong>, St. Augustine guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='361377' first='Troy' last='Smith']</strong> and athletic two-way Northwood (Shreveport) lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='405722' first='Ja'Marion' last='Kennedy']</strong> as part of first-year coach Sonny Cumbie's first full cycle in Ruston, which includes five offensive linemen in all.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>AROUND THE BOOT</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tulane, Louisiana (Lafayette), McNeese State and Southeastern Louisiana each signed a top-100 offensive linemen in the 2023 cycle. Big, mobile guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138413' first='Landry' last='Cannon']</strong> will make the short trip from Destrehan to New Orleans, and the Ragin' Cajuns land underrated E.D. White leader <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='276214' first='Matthew' last='Broussard']</strong>. The Cowboys will keep one-time Houston commit <strong>Jamall Franklin Jr.</strong> from Scotlandville in-state in Lake Charles, and the Lions bring Edna Karr standout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138408' first='Brandon' last='Spincer']</strong> to Hammond.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TALENTED TACKLES OUTSIDE THE BOX</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Colorado State managed to pull arguably one of the top half-dozen offensive linemen out of Louisiana this year in long, athletic Destrehan standout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='361376' first='Christian' last='Martin']</strong>, the left tackle on a strong state championship unit up front. Meanwhile one-time Air Force target <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138409' first='Tyler' last='Kimble']</strong> of Denham Springs, an underrated tackle and quiet leader for the Yellow Jackets often this winter to forego college football options and focus on academics at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->