LSU Football: DJ Chark is Tigers’ secret star

LSU football has a secret weapon. Despite their reliance on power running under Les Miles, DJ Chark will make big strides in 2017.

The 2016 LSU offense was dominated by the run. Of the 757 offensive plays run by the Tigers, 459 of them were running plays. That’s a little more than 60 percent of plays on the ground.

When you have the tandem of Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice its more than excusable to feed your workhorse running backs and see what happens. However, one-dimensional teams seldom have sustained success in the SEC, at least not any more. Even Alabama, once renown for their physical ground-and-pound rushing attack now spreads the field from the shotgun.

When LSU did throw, Chark was a sneaky good pass catcher. His 466 receiving yards ranked third on his team, but nowhere near the upper tier of the SEC. Yet, his yards per reception (17.9) was the best mark in the SEC West. How does that curious combination work? LSU quarterback Danny Etling had his problems, but he was able to throw the ball up and let Chark chase it down.

Just a 3-star recruit, Chark has patiently waited for his time to come. The quick, shifty receiver from Alexandria, Louisiana has been buried on the depth chart behind the likes of Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural, both of whom have moved on from the team. Now it’s Chark’s time to prove that he’s more than a one trick pony that can burn an unwitting defender. His great hands should only be benefited by the insertion of new offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

Next: Ranking the top 50 players in college football in 2017

The offensive scheme that Canada ran at Pittsburgh last year wasn’t an air raid by any means, but it did highlight a pair of wide receivers that collected nearly 38 percent of all team receptions by themselves. Chark is the No. 1 guy in Baton Rouge this year. That means an increased target share and more opportunities to make game changing plays.