LSU Football: Tigers Have Plenty of Holes to Fill This Offseason

Les Miles' LSU football team went from good to great in just one year. Now, they will try to go from great to "the best," which is a lot harder than it may sound.

The Tigers had a memorable 2011 season, which was highlighted by an undefeated record in the regular season. However, the season came to a sour end with a 21-0 loss to Alabama in the National Championship Game.

So we ask: What went wrong for the Tigers in that game?

Perhaps the better question is: What didn't go wrong for Les Miles' team?

It is no secret that this team has to get better on the offensive side of the football if they are going to win a national championship in 2012.

Gone are quarterbacks Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee. Before you stand up and cheer about that, ask yourself: Is the alternative really better?

Zach Mettenberger is a talented kid who will likely step in at quarterback for the Tigers in 2012, but his experience is limited, and asking a kid with limited experience to come in and take on SEC defenses on a weekly basis is no easy task.

Offensive line is also an issue that the Tigers need to handle during this offseason.

Sure, it is easy to blame Jordan Jefferson for his poor play in the BCS National Championship, and describing it as "poor" might be the understatement of the year. But the offensive line certainly didn't make it any easier for the Tigers senior quarterback.

Gone are starting guards Will Blackwell and T-Bob Hebert (part-time starter). While the rest of the offensive line should return in 2012, this LSU team is a run-first team, which makes replacing those guards a top priority for this club.

La'el Collins was a top-notch recruit last year and should be looked at to step in and fill one of those starting guard spots. But the other spot should be up for grabs between Josh Williford, Josh Dworaczyk and perhaps 4-star freshman Vadal Alexander.

Meanwhile, the Tigers lost more then half of their defense to either graduation or the NFL draft this year. Morris Claiborne and Brandon Taylor should both be NFL draft selections this April, which means that defensive backs Tharold Simon and Craig Loston need to be ready to step into full-time starting roles.

LSU reloaded at the linebacker position in this year's recruiting class, which, along with a solid young group of players already on the roster, should help replace the loss of Ryan Baker and Stefoin Francois.

On the defensive line, the Tigers have a ton of young depth, but replacing defensive tackle Michael Brockers will be no easy task.

Fortunately for the Tigers, Miles has already proved to all of us that he is able to recruit top-level talent on the defensive side of the ball. We often let ourselves get excited about incoming freshman classes and trying to tag which players will make an immediate impact in their freshman season.

Well, guess what? Many of those players who we tagged as standout freshmen last year have yet to see the field, which is certainly a good sign for this program going forward.

The LSU Tigers have the foundation to be a national championship contender again in the upcoming season. Now, they need to define those roles and get this thing rolling again for 2012.