What Offensive Style is LSU Getting in Coordinator Mike Denbrock?

The history of Denbrock as an offensive mind and the types of players he prefers.

Every coach has a preference with regards to what they want to run offensively, as well as the types of players they want to be operating that system. Newly hired Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock is no different.

He’s a very experienced coach that’s been in the coaching world over 30 years, and he’s coached in the Midwest and on the West Coast. He’s been a part of a multitude of offensive schemes over the years, and he’s taken different aspects from different ones to create his own path. 

Stretch the Field

One of the things that LSU fans will likely become accustomed to is that Coach Denbrock likes to throw the football down the field. That may not have been as evident while he was at Cincinnati, but he did not have a ton of dynamic playmakers over the years. Alex Pierce was an exception the past three seasons, but LSU will have far more talent to work with than Cincinnati.

While at Notre Dame, he helped to coach Will Fuller, who hauled in 15 and 14 touchdowns in 2014 and 2015. Fuller was a burner that the Irish utilized with screens, incuts, double moves, and straight go routes. Few could stick with him so Coach Denbrock kept sending him long and it worked.

A player similar to Fuller is Kayshon Boutte, and that combination with Denbrock should be excellent. In short, look for a lot of bombs in Tiger Stadium the next several years.

Play-Action

Establishing the running game will be a major part of what he does, and it’s going to help with those deep shots via play-action passing. In fact, it’s a major part of what Coach Denbrock did at Notre Dame, and the offensive line talent at LSU will likely help him do that more in Baton Rouge than he was able to do in Cincinnati.

There will also be plenty of opportunities to hit the tight end in the flat after a play-action or a short route to a wide receiver after sucking in the linebackers. He has traditional roots in the passing game and the play-action aspect of his playbook proves that.

Will Adapt in the Running Game

Of course this means that depending on just how athletic the signal caller is (see below), Coach Denbrock will move his rushing attack around a little bit. Inside or outside zone can be a factor, as can pin and pull running plays if need be.

He has been around two running back offenses and even a part of the fast paced offenses that Coach Kelly operated while at Cincinnati in 2008 and 2009.

Whatever LSU has at running back, that’s what Coach Denbrock will adjust to. Considering the level of talent LSU generally signs at the running back position, this is a smorgasbord of opportunities, passing the football to the running backs included.

Mobile Quarterback/RPO

For most of his last 10-plus years, Coach Denbrock has utilized a mobile signal caller. This does not mean he has to be a truly elite athlete, but one that can definitely operate on the edge of the defense and scramble for a first down. Do not expect Coach Denbrock to recruit pure pocket passers based on his history.

Big Wide Receivers

Sans the absolute burners, look for Coach Denbrock to recruit outside talent that is at least 6’0” or taller. That’s been the case much like his penchant for mobile signal callers in the last 10 or so years.

He will still want players that can stretch the field and make plays after the catch, so he does tend to go after some elite names. It will be interesting to see how aggressive Coach Denbrock is with Louisiana wide receivers considering the recent past wide receiver talent coming out of the area. There’s really not much reason to leave the area.

Final Thoughts

Coach Denbrock’s expertise in a multitude of offenses will help him with his ability to coach an abundance of talent for the Tigers. There will be adjustments from season to season because he adapts. The one constant to look for would be his desire to hit big plays in the passing game, but that can also be adjusted depending on the size of the wide receiver corps.