The Injury Update: Starting LSU Football Offensive Lineman's Status in Jeopardy

LSU veteran offensive lineman Garrett Dellinger rehabbing an ankle injury, status up in the air.

Sep 30, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; LSU Tigers offensive linemen Garrett Dellinger (72) blocks during the second half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

No. 16 LSU (6-2, 3-1) returns to Tiger Stadium next Saturday for a clash against the No. 14 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in a pivotal SEC matchup.

The Bayou Bengals continue working through an open date this week where they have begun preparation for Kalen DeBoer's squad, but the status of offensive lineman Garrett Dellinger remains up in the air.

A player who has played in 41 career games for the Tigers, including 30 starts, all eyes will be on if the experienced lineman will be back next weekend in Death Valley.

“He had a high-ankle sprain, so we’re hoping that this week becomes a recovery week for him," Brian Kelly said on Tuesday.

When Dellinger went down last Saturday night against Texas A&M, it was freshman Paul Mubenga who slid in as the right guard.

LSU has worked with an offensive line unit of Will Campbell (LT), Dellinger (LG), DJ Chester (C), Miles Frazier (RG) and Emery Jones (RT) in 2024.

The "sixth man" in Tyree Adams looks to be out for the foreseeable future after undergoing surgery over two weeks ago with a "sports hernia" injury, according to Kelly.

With Adams out and Dellinger's status up in the air, it's imperative the veteran gets back on the field sooner rather than later.

“Look, he’s the starter, but one guy going down did not affect the running game to the level that it did,” Kelly said after the A&M game. “There are bits and pieces to it, and we did not win some individual matchups. We made some mistakes, uncharacteristically from some other guys that are on the offensive line, and quite frankly we made some choices to run into boxes that were not conducive and we should’ve been doing some other things. So it was a little bit of all those things.”

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