Lane Kiffin’s high-octane system meets elite Louisiana talent as Harlem Berry and Trey’Dez Green headline a revamped offense poised to dominate the SEC with speed and size.
The LSU Tigers have nearly completely reworked their offense this offseason, with Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. taking over. The few players that they did keep were kept for a reason. There is a lot of talent on this offense for year one.
Having talent is nothing new in Baton Rouge, though. They have had a couple of good teams since that 2019 run, but nothing came of them. With Kiffin and Weis running things, though, the offense will be expected to be much more high octane.
That duo produced a ton of points with the Ole Miss Rebels, and they are only going to have access to even better athletes with the Tigers. The partnership between the play-callers and these skill-position players, in particular, is highly anticipated for this season:
RB Harlem Berry
Berry was one of the more dominant high school running backs Louisiana has seen since Leonard Fournette. That was reflected in the rankings as he was the top back in the nation and drew comparisons to Reggie Bush. He decided to stay home and play for the Tigers.
It was inevitable that an athlete like Berry would see the field as a freshman, the question was how much with Caden Durham ahead of him. As the team struggled to get yards, Berry saw the field more and more.
He ran the ball 104 times for 491 yards and two touchdowns with eight catches for 32 yards. It wasn't the most consistent production, but he had flashes of greatness. He should only be more comfortable and prepared as a sophomore.
Kiffin's offense has created stars out of Quinshon Judkins and Kewan Lacy. Berry should be capable of as much as they are, if not more. He's reportedly gotten a lot stronger this offseason, which could be scary when paired with his shiftiness.
TE Trey'Dez Green
Who doesn't love watching the 6-foot-7 matchup nightmare go up and bully defenders? No matter what, Green will always be a fun player to watch. The fact that he will now also be in a creative offense that can utilize his talents much more is a bonus.
Green broke out last year with 33 catches for 433 yards and seven touchdowns. His production was far from consistent, though. 247 of those yards came in a three-week span. Part of that was injury and part of that was poor offensive gameplans. Weis should be able to call much better plays for him.
WR Winnie Watkins Jr.
Watkins was a priority signing for Kiffin when he came over from the Rebels. It's clear why. They needed a ton of wide receiver help and Watkins is a fantastic athlete who appeared to be next up for Ole Miss. He had 26 catches for 373 yards and a touchdown, with five carries for 21 yards, as a freshman.
The coaches believe in him because of how much he saw the field as a freshman, even if it was mostly unimportant moments. He was a track star in high school and is supposed to be a yards-after-catch guru.