Barely two weeks before starting his first full season as LSU head coach, Ed Orgeron is dealing with his first major personnel complication.

It’s not unexpected and it figures to be short term.

Nonetheless, Orgeron’s revelation that junior pass rusher extraordinaire Arden Key likely will miss the season opener was a reminder that the former defensive line coach has more responsibility than plugging in and coaching up the next guy on the depth chart.

Arden Key had 12.0 sacks last season. The rest of LSU's returners combined for 3.5.

He has to determine when to go public with the news, how to convey it through the media and how to address it within the team.

Orgeron went public with the news Thursday after being asked a direct question about whether he was counting on Key for the game against BYU on Sept. 2 in Houston.

Key’s availability for the opener was always uncertain because of offseason shoulder surgery,  and Orgeron said Key’s recovery is “ahead of schedule.” The shoulder surgery was preceded by him missing spring practice for “personal reasons,” so being without him isn’t unfamiliar to LSU.

But the revelation that Orgeron doesn’t expect Key to suit up for the opener means the Tigers must get an inexperienced player ready to replace him and the Cougars can adjust their preparations accordingly. Certainly any game plan for facing an LSU defense with Key would include more attention to his outside linebacking position than one featuring a replacement for Key would.

When asked if Key would play in the opener, Orgeron didn’t flatly rule him out, but he sounded as though it’s just a matter of time before he does.

“I’m not expecting (Key to play), but nothing that dude does surprises me,” Orgeron said. “He’s going to go to his doctor next week and we should know pretty soon when he’s going to play.”

Orgeron left the door for Key playing open just enough to keep BYU on its toes and allow for significant progress in Key’s rehab over the next two weeks.

Key practiced but was not involved in contact Thursday, a limitation he has faced since preseason camp began July 31.

“He’s not hitting,” Orgeron said. “He’s going through some walkthrough stuff and he had his pads on. I had to take him out the drills. He wants to go. He’s stepping through stuff, using his hands, reading his keys. Does some pass-rush moves. Runs around. But he’s not taking any contact.”

Withholding Key from contact 18 days and counting until kickoff suggests holding Key out of the opener of a 12-plus game season would be prudent.

Key, 6-foot-6, set a school record with 12 sacks last season and his 56 tackles are the most among returning players. He has increased his weight by some 25 pounds to around 260 with the expectation that he will be a high first-round draft choice by an NFL team next spring.

Either redshirt freshman Ray Thornton or true freshman K’Lavon Chaisson, neither of whom has game experience, will start in Key’s place. Redshirt freshman Andre Anthony would have also been in the mix, but Orgeron said he is a little “gimpy” due to an undisclosed injury.

“It’s either going to be Ray or K’Lavon,” said Orgeron, who described Chaisson as “dominant” in the Tigers’ first preseason scrimmage..

When defensive coordinator Dave Aranda arrived from Wisconsin before last season, one of the most important things he did was move Key from defensive end to outside linebacker. Key went on to become a first-team All-SEC player last season and figures to be the conference’s top pass rusher in the SEC this season.

Key had an immediate and consistent impact after arriving from Atlanta as a consensus 4-star recruit two years ago, playing in all 12 games and starting the final nine as a freshman. He had a sack in nine of the 11 games in which he played last season, capping things with two sacks in a Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl victory against Louisville. One of the sacks came when he tackled Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson for a safety.

Coincidentally, the news about Key came on the same day that BYU announced that one of its presumed starting linebackers — sophomore Francis Bernard — will redshirt his season for “personal reasons.” Though Bernard, 6-1, 240, isn’t the type of pass rusher that Key is, he was still a key member of the Cougars defense, having started all 12 games last season while making 80 tackles, two sacks and three interceptions.