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Thursday, February 28, 2013
 2014 recruiting preview: Offensive Line
By Gary Laney
Garrett Brumfield
LSU is working hard to get Garrett Brumfield, but will have to battle Alabama.
This is the third in a series of players LSU might target in the 2014 recruiting class. Previously, we looked at wide receivers and tight ends and running backs and quarterbacks.

BATON ROUGE, La. -- In 2011, La'el Collins was rated among the nation's top offensive linemen coming out of Baton Rouge, La.

Currently, he's one of the stars of LSU's offensive line, but possibly not for long. He'll enter his junior season after starting at left guard. With a good junior season -- possibly back at guard and maybe at left tackle -- he'll be the latest Tiger to leave school early for the NFL.

Good thing Louisiana has its next Collins this year.

If Cameron Robinson (West Monroe, La.) isn't the nation's top offensive lineman for the 2014 class, he's on the short list. And he tops LSU's wish list to be the next big-time anchor of the LSU offensive line.

Here are some LSU targets in a year when LSU will likely take three or four linemen.

OT Cameron Robinson: While Robinson might be the next truly elite offensive line prospect out of Louisiana after Collins, he's not the same player.

Where Collins is an athletic-for-his-size player, LSU has valued his ability to get out in front of ball carriers in the running game more than they have for his pass-blocking skills. Robinson is more of a long, bulky tackle. He's huge and just collapses defensive lines.

LSU will have plenty of competition from just about every major team in the country.

OG William Clapp (New Orleans/Brother Martin): Clapp's a legacy player whose father starred for the Tigers on the defensive line in the 1980s. If the younger Clapp plays with anything near the mean streak his father played with, he'll be an effective player.

The book on William, is that he has inherited his father's mean streak, which is good news for LSU, which has already secured a commitment from the younger Clapp.

OG Garrett Brumfield (Baton Rouge, La./University Lab): The third Louisiana offensive lineman on the ESPN Watch List, Brumfield is a prototype inside big body.

As with Robinson, LSU will have a lot of work to do with Brumfield as Alabama, Florida and Florida State have worked him hard.

OT Andy Bauer (St. Louis, Mo./De Smet Jesuit): A year ago LSU reached up to the Midwest to land offensive tackle Andy Pocic.

Bauer, an ESPN Watch List member, could be the Tigers' next Midwestern offensive tackle prospect (though, as odd is it is still may seem to say, Missouri is technically SEC country these days). At 6-foot-6, Bauer has the same kind of length that made Pocic an attractive prospect.

OT Bentley Spain (Charlotte, N.C./Providence): North Carolina is another place where LSU has enjoyed recent recruiting success, picking up defensive linemen Greg Gilmore and Lewis Neal in 2013.

Spain is an ESPN Watch List recruit with an LSU offer. Like Bauer, he brings good length and size to the tackle position.

OT Donell Stanley (Latta, S.C.): Another ESPN Watch List member, Stanley is a bit shorter than LSU's other tackle prospects, but is powerfully built. LSU had success with South Carolina's Sam Montgomery on the defensive line. It's hoping the state gives it an offensive line boost this time.