LSU moves up in February update to ESPN's way-too-early 2024 college football rankings

Jan 1, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (13) throws the ball during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 version of the LSU Tigers is still almost a month away from beginning spring practice, but with signing day and the initial transfer portal window behind us, we now have a pretty good idea of how rosters will look next fall.

It’s been a surprisingly eventful offseason so far as the college coaching carousel continued to spin well into February. With that — and the roster domino effect it has created — ESPN needed to make some changes to its way-too-early 2024 college football rankings from January.

LSU ranked 14th in that edition, but it moved up two spots to No. 12 in the update.

Previous ranking: 14

2023 record: 10-3, 6-2 SEC

Winter update: There’s no question the Tigers are going to miss Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels and their pair of 1,000-yard receivers, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas. Denbrock returning to Notre Dame doesn’t help, either. But at least the Tigers have an apparent quarterback in waiting in Garrett Nussmeier, who was MVP of the ReliaQuest Bowl after passing for 395 yards with three scores in a 35-31 victory over Wisconsin. Transfers CJ Daniels (Liberty) and Zavion Thomas (Mississippi State) are proven receivers. Brian Kelly took big steps toward fixing a woeful defense by cleaning house on his staff. Plucking Baker from Missouri was a good move. The Tigers added three players from the portal — cornerback Jyaire Brown (Ohio State) and safeties Austin Ausberry (Auburn) and Jardin Gilbert (Texas A&M) — to help a surprisingly porous secondary.

The offense certainly loses a lot of talent, but there’s reason for optimism there. The defense, which was abysmal in 2023 and still has some apparent depth issues, remains a major concern.

But LSU will once again be among the more talented rosters in the country in 2024, and ESPN expects another solid season in Baton Rouge.

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This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU moves up in February update to ESPN’s way-too-early 2024 college football rankings