Better Know a Freshman: Bo Bordelon

One of the biggest areas of concern for LSU this season is along the offensive line. This will be the first full season for Brad Davis as offensive line coach, whom LSU hired as a late replacement for James Cregg in 2021. Last year’s o-line was a mess for reasons beyond the unexpected coaching change, but that’s in the past now. When you look at the names of the new offensive linemen, there’s one that might stick out to fans of LSU in the 1990s, that of freshman Bo Bordelon.

The Story

247sports ranked Bordelon a 3-star recruit and the 57^th-best offensive tackle in the nation coming out of Newman in 2022. He committed to LSU in January of 2021, which isn’t too shocking since his dad, Ben, was a four-year starter at LSU along the offensive line and a 1996 second-team All-SEC member. Bordelon earned a spot on the 2022 Under Armour All-America Game roster. He spent much of the past two seasons at Newman protecting Arch Manning’s blindside, but showed the versatility to play other spots along the line. 247 lists him as 6’5” and 265 lbs., but he’s listed as 6’6” and 292 lbs. on LSU’s official website, adding the additional weight needed to excel in the SEC.

The Film

The Future

Bordelon is unlikely to be an immediate starter for a couple of reasons. First, he needs to get used to being larger than he was in high school. Second, he has to better his technique. One criticism I’ve seen is that he relies on his physicality to beat smaller defensive linemen instead of physics, things like hand placement and playing low. That’s okay in high school when the competition isn’t as good, but he needs to improve it if he’s going to make it in the SEC. He’s one of the guys Brad Davis will have to work with so he can play to the best of his abilities. He’s got a lot of room to grow into a solid member of the Tiger o-line in the years to come.

High End: Bordelon redshirts after playing in a few games this season to get some good experience, then blossoms over time into a versatile offensive lineman that can play tackle or guard when needed. He ends up being a four-year starter like his dad.

Low End: He flops because he can’t adjust. Either he can’t adjust himself to being a 290+ lb. offensive lineman, or he can’t adjust his technique to the level needed to beat smaller defensive linemen.

Realistic: I think he would benefit from redshirting this year just so he can take the time needed to get better. After that, he becomes a solid rotational offensive tackle who can play guard if needed. He may not start every game, but it’s not a problem when he does start.

Hopefully, he’s given the time and he puts in the hard work he needs to develop into a solid offensive lineman.