LSU was on its way to having a pretty good 4-3 defensive line this year.

Pretty much every defensive lineman who played significant snaps last season was set to return, including senior defensive end Lewis Neal and senior defensive tackle Christian LaCouture, two players who could have left early for the NFL Draft but opted to instead return to school.

It should have added up to a pretty effective front four.

Except it’s not really a front four anymore. And there is the rub.

New defensive coordinator Dave Aranda has scrapped the Tigers’ 4-3 base defense for a 3-4 front, sending proven 4-3 defensive linemen to new positions.

Will it work? Here’s the outlook:

2015 Rotation

STARTERS: DE Lewis Neal (48 tackles, 8 sacks), DE Arden Key (41 tackles, 5 sacks), DT Davon Godchaux (41 tackles, 6 sacks), DT Christian LaCouture (35 tackles, 1 sack). RESERVES: DE Tashawn Bower (18 tackles, 1.5 sacks with 3 starts), DE Isaiah Washington (3 tackles), DE Sione Teuhema (13 tackles, currently suspended); DT Greg Gilmore (13 tackles); DT Frank Herron (23 tackles).

Projected 2016 Rotation

STARTERS: NT Davon Godchaux (Jr.); DE Christian LaCouture (Sr.); DE Lewis Neal (Sr.). RESERVES: NT Greg Gilmore (Jr.); NT Rashard Lawrence (Fr.); DE Deondre Clark (Jr.), DE Frank Herron (Jr.); DE Tashawn Bower (Sr.).

Five Issues to Watch

  1. Mix and Match: Key is now being called a linebacker, as is Bower, and they play a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker position in the 3-4. LaCouture moved from being a one-gap defensive tackle to a two-gap nose tackle until midway in the spring when he swapped positions with Godchaux. LaCouture, a traditional “2 technique” defensive tackle last year, now plays straight up against a tackle as a 3-4 end. Are either a good fit at the position? The bottom line is this: Aranda is taking a gamble teaching a group of players proven to be able to perform in one scheme a totally different scheme.
  2. Where’s the pressure?: One would expect Key’s position as an outside linebacker playing a stand-up to allow him to be able to have some opportunities to pressure the quarterback. But how about Neal? He’s going to go from a wide defensive end to a technique playing straight up on the tackle. In general, 3-4 defensive ends aren’t known for being big stat producers. Can a player like Neal, who led the team in sacks last year, build on those numbers in this scheme?
  3. More on the way?: Reports indicate LSU is still working on bringing former defensive tackle Travonte Valentine back to LSU from junior college after he was kicked off the team a year ago. That could be a huge addition (literally, given Valentine’s 350-pound bulk) because 3-4 defenses tend to favor big, space-eating nose tackles, something Godchaux is not. If Valentine does come back to Baton Rouge and competes for that role, where Godchaux ends up — perhaps competing with LaCouture or Neal — is anybody’s guess.
  4. “L” and “L “equals leadership: The two “L’s,” — Lewis Neal and LaCouture — returned to school to give the defensive front plenty of leadership. If there’s any doubt about the group’s ability to shift to a new scheme, it should be tempered by the knowledge that these two veterans are back to help add maturity, not to mention playmaking ability, to the process.
  5. Linebackers or ends?: Key and Bower have both moved to a position LSU classifies as “linebacker,” but those who watched LSU’s daily drills say that outside linebackers have been spotted practicing with the defensive ends instead of the linebackers. So what is this new position? The truth is, it’s a hybrid of both. It should work to Key’s advantage. If there was a knock on him a season ago, it was that he was thin for a down lineman. Now, he’s not technically a lineman anymore and playing a stand-up technique that will emphasize his athleticism. That might fit him perfectly.