LSU football suffered a major loss to its offensive line on Monday ahead of the Tigers' upcoming matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Brian Kelly's team will be without left guard Garrett Dellinger, who suffered an injury earlier on in the season against Texas A&M that led to him undergoing tightrope surgery on his ankle.
Kelly said Paul Mubenga is “most likely” going to start for LSU in place of left guard Garrett Dellinger, according to a report from Wilson Alexander of The Advocate – Baton Rouge/NOLA News.
How long will LSU football be without Garrett Dellinger?
The good news for LSU fans is that Dellinger is not expected to be sidelined for a significant period of time, with Kelly also indicating that he hopes for the guard to be back in action when the Tigers face Florida on the road during Week 12.
This is not the Tigers' first rodeo having to take the field when a player has gone down with injury, but it definitely does leave some reason for concern with some of the hits LSU has suffered to the offensive line throughout the season and with the level of experience Dellinger provides that can't quite be replaced by the names behind him.
Dellinger isn't just any experienced offensive lineman, either. Originally a four-star prospect as a recruit out of Clarkston High School (Clarkston, MI), Dellinger is also currently listed by Pro Football Focus as the top-graded offensive lineman for the 2024 season. Offensive success all starts up front in terms of pass protection and opening up run lanes, and it will be essential for the Tigers to excel in both of those areas.
That has got everything to do with the fact that the loser of this game is, essentially, completely out of the hunt in the College Football Playoff race.
It will be interesting to see how things play out with LSU and Alabama set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday in Tiger Stadium.
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