New quarterback will decide how far offense can go
J’Mar Smith may very well have been the best quarterback in Louisiana Tech program history. He threw for over 9,523 yards in his time with the program and he will not be easily replaced.
There are going to be three main contenders for the starting job: Aaron Allen, Westin Elliott and Abiliene Christian transfer Luke Anthony. None of the three have extended experience at this level and the offense will probably sputter a little bit until the new quarterback finds his footing.
Being able to go through spring practice would have been a great thing for this offense to help find a leader at the quarterback spot.
Whoever starts at quarterback will get the luxury of handing off to one of the C-USA’s best running backs. Justin Henderson ran for 1,062 yards and 15 touchdowns last season and he will be counted on to do even bigger things with the uncertainty of the quarterback battle still looming large. Last year’s backup, Israel Tucker, is once again set to be the main backup for the Bulldogs and he has been a steady runner since he arrived.
Louisiana Tech runs a very wide open offense and puts a lot of pressure on their receivers to make big plays to keep the offense humming. Griffin Herbert is back after enjoying a breakout season in 2019 in which he recorded 30 catches for 537 yards and six touchdowns and he will be joined by Adrian Hardy, who is hoping that he can return to his 2018 form when he caught 75 passes for over 1,100 yards.
Isaiah Graham is back to provide more depth for the Bulldogs and he is a big-play threat, averaging more than 19 yards per catch. This is a talented receiving corps that should help ease the transition for the new quarterback.
The Bulldogs have some questions to answer up front with three starters from the offensive line gone, but there is still talent on the line with Cody Russey being an all conference candidate at center and Willie Allen, who is a senior left tackle and they will also be relying on LSU transfer Donavaughn Campbell to provide some talent to an inexperienced unit.
This offense will go as far as the quarterback takes it and it could take a while for all the pieces to mesh.