LSU's impressive O-line class eager to help turn the the tide

By Mark Clements

Ed Orgeron’s message was loud and clear.

The first words out of his mouth following LSU’s 29-0 loss to Alabama, the Tigers’ eighth consecutive defeat by their division rival, addressed the biggest hurdle he sees on his mission to top the Tide.

“We got beat at the line of scrimmage. We couldn’t block their defensive line,” Orgeron opened at the postgame podium. He later added, “You’ve got to beat Alabama at the line of scrimmage. We’ve got to recruit better offensive linemen.”

That sentiment has been reflected on the recruiting trail, as Orgeron has hauled in a substantial offensive line class for 2019. Five-star guard Kardell Thomas headlines the group that features five blue-chip prospects ready to make their mark in Baton Rouge.

Orgeron’s words resonate well among the tight-knit group, made up of 4-star linemen Thomas Perry, Ray Parker and Anthony Bradford, as well as 3-star center Charles Turner.

They know LSU is putting extra emphasis on recruiting the offensive line, and they feel they can be the class to do something special for the Tigers.

“Us in particular on the O-line … we think we’re the best in the country,” Turner said. “When that comes out of Coach O’s mouth, that’s just more inspiration for us. The 2019 class, that’s our main slogan: If you want to beat Bama, come to LSU. This 2019 class is a special class. This could be the class to actually do it. Just speaking it into existence, that’s how it actually comes about. It eventually turns into reality. We’re just trying to tell people, if you want to beat Alabama, come to LSU, point blank. Period. At the end of the day, the class we’ve got now and the class ahead of us in 2018 was pretty good as well. I feel like we can be the ones to do it.”

That sums up the mindset of the group as a whole, and with the skillsets they each bring to the table individually, there’s plenty of reason to be excited about the future on the offensive line.

Take Turner for example. The 6-foot-5 ½ inch (or as he put it, “damn near 6-6”) prospect is being recruited as a center, but he only moved to that position this year.

Turner previously played tackle for IMG Academy, but his bright football mind allowed him to seamlessly switched to center when called upon.

"I know the plays really well, so (IMG coach Kevin Wright) thought it’d be a good idea to put me at center because I have a high football IQ,” Turner said. “At that point I just rolled with whatever coach told me to do. The transition wasn’t all that hard, it was just some different types of footwork from tackle to center. It was just learning the different types of footwork and steps to get down. I didn’t really feel uncomfortable in that spot at all.”

Turner received some additional coaching from former IMG standout and current Michigan center Cesar Ruiz, who was the No. 1 center prospect in the country. He also got the chance to bounce around a bit at his old tackle position, showing off his versatility along the line.

“A lot of people can’t really do that because the change of speed and change of footwork and things like that,” Turner said. “But me personally, I think if you add versatility to your game, no matter what sport you play, you’re going to always be in the mix. I feel like versatility allows me to always be in the mix.”

That’s the plan for Turner when he gets on campus as well. He feels comfortable on both the left and right side, and has even dabbled a bit at guard in practices.

With his weight at just 255, he’ll to pack on a few pounds when he gets on campus. But once he’s game-fit, Turner will be able to plug and play anywhere across the offensive line.

On the flip side, a prospect like Perry has size that can’t be taught.

Checking in at 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, Perry is already bigger than starting LSU left tackle Saahdiq Charles and is five pounds shy of right tackle Austin Deculus.

Orgeron went in-home with Perry earlier this week for one final visit before he signs on Dec. 19. Perry, like Turner, was motivated by Orgeron’s message to future offensive line recruits and is confident the 2019 group will the difference makers down the line.

“I feel like if we all stick together and work as a team and work together every single day for practice and summer, us as an O-line group, we’re going to get together and show all the other teams what we’re made of,” Perry said. “For the past however many years, (LSU) has lost to (Alabama) every single year. It’s sort of a downer. Every single year, we all hype it up. But I think us coming in as the 2019 class, I feel like we can change that and show the world what the LSU Tigers are really made of. We’ve always talked about how we’re going to change the Tigers and make them great.”

Perry won’t be the first of his name to don the purple and gold, following in the footsteps of his father who played offensive guard for LSU from 1993-97.

The Teurlings Catholic tackle said he’s learned a lot from his dad, from the recruiting process and life on campus to the ins and outs of the game and position itself.

“He would teach me some things that would give me a step in my game tremendously,” Perry said. “That has helped me out now because he’s given me more class advice and all that academically, and doing everything right to get to the next level. We would watch film after every game, and he would comment on the things I did wrong and the things I need to work on and the things I did good and all that.”

With Perry’s size being SEC-ready, his biggest focus this season and throughout the offseason has been the little things: footwork, mental errors and technique.

He’ll aim to push for playing time as soon as he steps on campus and has a simple, straightforward mindset as he prepares for the next level.

“It’s going to be fun and a competition for sure,” Perry said.

He’ll not only have to compete with the current crop of players but also with fellow 4-star tackles in Bradford and Parker.

Bradford, a Muskegon, Mich., native, boasts offers from all the who’s who of college football, including fellow SEC foes Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, among others. He’s listed as 6-foot-5, 320 pounds and is rated as the No. 11 offensive tackle and the No. 67 prospect in the country.

Parker, a 6-foot-5, 260-pounder, hails from Ruston and is rated as the No. 22 offensive tackle in the country. He features as a tight end for the Bearcats but is likely to transition to tackle at LSU.

An added incentive to the offensive line haul is long snapper Quentin “Mad Dog” Skinner.

Skinner continues the pipeline of Buford, Georgia, long snappers to LSU, following in the footsteps of fellow Buford alums Reid and Blake Ferguson.

“I’m very close to those guys,” Skinner said. “I know the family very well. I first met them at my first Rubio (Long Snapping) Camp back in 2010 in Roswell. Blake was my partner for that camp. He did a great job taking me under his wing and we met their family there and we’ve just become friends ever since. It’s been really neat to just kind of see their whole progress with Blake following his brother and Reid going to the NFL and doing well with the Bills.”

Skinner will spend a season learning from the younger Ferguson before taking over the job full time in 2020.

“The timing with Blake (worked out well),” Skinner said. “Coaches are only allowed so many scholarships, so they don’t like to have more than one long snapper on scholarship. So with the timing of Blake … I’ll get to have him be my mentor for about a year, then the job will be mine. I’ll be able to just focus on school and get my grades going there and still be a part of the football team and work out with them. It’s going to be great.”

LSU’s class currently ranks No. 5 in the country heading into the early signing period.