LSU Football: Tigers Desperately Need to Strengthen Depth at Defensive Line

LSU head coach Les Miles had to act. 

Miles has seen his defensive line struggle the past two seasons. The Tigers' annual domination in the trenches had faded, so he made the decision to replace defensive line coach Brick Haley with Louisiana legend Ed Orgeron. 

The Tigers once struck fear into their opponents with names like Glenn Dorsey, Tyson Jackson and Sam Montgomery. But this is no longer the case. Orgeron will need to work arduously to get LSU's defensive line back among the nation's elite. 

The biggest sign of the decline has been sack totals. LSU's defensive line only raked in 15.5 sacks in 2013 and 13.5 in 2014. 

The Tigers have struggled to put pressure on the quarterback with only four rushers. This forced former defensive coordinator John Chavis to blitz frequently to create havoc in the backfield. 

Starting defensive end duo Jermauria Rasco and Danielle Hunter combined for a paltry 5.5 sacks last season. Thirteen SEC players had more than that alone. 

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LSU's rushing defense has also taken a hit. It has declined by at least 10 yards per game in every season since 2011, which was the last time the Tigers made the SEC Championship Game.

Despite Rasco and Hunter's poor pass-rushing acumen, they were great run defenders. Their hustle in chasing down ball-carriers for tacklers was an underrated aspect of their game. 

Unfortunately for Miles, Rasco's eligibility has been used up and Hunter, a junior, decided to declare for the NFL draft. He is now left with huge holes at both defensive end slots. 

Players Coming Back

Orgeron will have his hands full developing his defensive ends next season. 

Tashawn Bower returns with the most experience. Bower played in all 13 games as the first replacement off the bench for either Rasco or Hunter. He raked in only 16 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries.

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Deondre Clark and Sione Teuhema played sparingly and had little impact in 2014 as true freshmen. Clark managed nine tackles, all assisted, in 12 games. Teuhema's two sacks came against Sam Houston State in garbage time. 

Bower, Clark and Teuhema all have the potential to be solid contributors next season, especially under Orgeron's tutelage. LSU is also hopeful Lewis Neal and M.J. Patterson can provide some depth.

As of right now, defensive end looks to be LSU's weakest position on defense. But defensive tackle is a different story. 

The Tigers will return the starting duo of Christian LaCouture and Davon Godchaux. After a rough start to the season, the duo gradually got better and finished with a combined 82 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. Now they must take their game to the next level. 

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Quentin Thomas was slated to be the starter alongside LaCouture in 2014, but a preseason injury limited him to only 11 tackles in nine games played. A healthy Thomas will make the position deeper next season. 

The biggest defensive duds, though, also came at defensive tackle. Preseason hype built up the names of Frank Herron, Greg Gilmore and Maquedius Bain. The trio rarely played meaningful snaps and combined for only 20 games played and 13 tackles.

Herron, Gilmore and Bain all have the measurables to be SEC-caliber defensive tackles, as do redshirt freshman from the 2014 class Travonte Valentine and Trey Lealaimatafao. If Orgeron can get at least one of these five to be a decent contributor, it would boost the depth at defensive tackle. 

Reinforcements Coming?

Orgeron and new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele's elite recruiting reputation will be put to the task in the next few weeks. They both know they need some help in their defensive front seven. 

LSU's 2015 class is ranked No. 10 overall in 247Sports' composite rankings despite only having 17 commitments. The biggest holes currently are at linebacker and along the defensive line, where the Tigers only have one commitment.

LSU will take a massive step back if 3-star defensive end Isaiah Washington is the only lineman Miles can get. Orgeron has been looking to change that on the recruiting trail. 

The biggest name on Orgeron's radar has been defensive end CeCe Jefferson. "Coach O" has visited Jefferson in South Florida multiple times, including once with Miles at the 5-star prospect's home, per Shea Dixon of Geaux247. 

Orgeron's efforts paid off. Jefferson plans to make an official visit the weekend before national signing day, per Dixon. He is also being heavily recruited by Alabama, Ole Miss, Florida and Auburn. 

Orgeron has also visited defensive end prospects Arden Key, Prince Tega Wanogho Jr. and Byron Cowart, per Dixon. Any one of the three would be massive additions to the Tigers. 

LSU is hoping for the best when it comes to defensive tackle. The explosive 5-star Daylon Mack once considered the Tigers a finalist for his services, but the departure of Chavis and the demotion of Haley changed his tone.  

There is a chance LSU walks away with no defensive tackle commitments. The Tigers are probably not as desperate there as they are at defensive end, but it would still be a disappointment. 

Conclusion

The Tigers' problem up front in recent years has not necessarily been talent. LSU has had some good players. But speed and strength mean little when they are not coached and developed properly.

Haley was an awesome motivator and solid recruiter, but he was also a below-average coach. LSU's defensive line consistently played with sloppy technique under his leadership. This was clearly evident in pass rushing.

There is no excuse for a player of Hunter's caliber to have only 1.5 sacks in 2014, especially considering the high volume of snaps he played. Bryan Broaddus, a scout and analyst for DallasCowboys.com, said his form was awful: 

"

“@ColtManis: @BryanBroaddus how's hunter the DE from LSU?” Going to need a ton of technique work. Stands straight up off snap.

— Bryan Broaddus (@BryanBroaddus) January 18, 2015"

Orgeron, who has coached players such as Warren Sapp and Cortez Kennedy, cannot and will not let potential be wasted. Fundamentals are as important as athleticism in the trenches. 

Miles knows he needs better defensive line play if he wants to get back to Atlanta in early December. If Orgeron can deliver, the Tigers will be tough to beat in the SEC West.

Stats, rankings and additional information provided by cfbstats.com, ESPN.com and LSUsports.net. Recruiting information provided by 247Sports.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow me on Twitter at @CarterthePower.