LSU Football: Tigers could have an elite defensive line duo on the way in 2021 class

LSU football could be on the verge of landing two of the best defensive linemen in the nation.

LSU football head coach Ed Orgeron is one of the best in the business when it comes to coaching defensive linemen.

And Tigers defensive line coach Bill Johnson is pretty good at it too.

So it’s no surprise that LSU is consistently in the mix for some of the nation’s top defensive linemen.

One of those players is 2021 five-star defensive tackle Maason Smith, 6-foot-5/316 lbs from Houma, LA.

Smith is rated in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 1 player in the state of Louisiana and the No. 2 defensive tackle in the nation. He’s also rated as the No. 20 overall 2021 recruit in the nation.

Suffice it to say, Smith is high on LSU’s list of priorities.

And he’s actually developed a friendship with another highly rated defensive lineman the Tigers are pursuing.

2021 four-star defensive end Kelvin Gilliam, 6-foot-3/250 lbs from Highland Springs, VA, recently told Rivals that he and Smith keep in communication with each other via text. The two have apparently talked about playing together at the next level.

“He (Smith) and I have talked about how it would be cool to play together and when I got the LSU offer, I definitely had to reach out to him,” said Gilliam.

Gilliam is rated in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 4 player in the state of Virginia and the No. 5 weak side defensive end in the nation.

Smith made some waves earlier this month when he noted that he has a better relationship with current LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini than he did with former defensive coordinator Dave Aranda.

The Louisiana native told Rivals that Pelini is “easier to talk to” than Aranda.

Smith is planning to commit and sign during the early signing period in December.

If the Tigers can land both Smith and Gilliam, it would be quite a haul for the defending national champions.