BEAUMONT, Texas – Over the course of the next couple weeks we will be breaking down the 2019 Lamar University football team, position-by-position, leading into the season opener against Bethel (TN) University Thursday, Aug. 29 at Provost Umphrey Stadium.
                                                                                                                        
Today LamarCardinals.com will look at the LU offensive line.
 
Quick Facts:

Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/1
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/1
Newcomers: 5
Top Returner: The four returning starters – OK, this can be viewed as a bit of a cop out and that is understandable, but LamarCardinals.com believes that it is also the only correct answer. With four of five starters returning, and the overall upgrade of the position under coach Bill Bleil, these guys worked as one cohesive unit last year and without them a run to the postseason was not likely.
Stats: We could list the Cardinals' dominant ground attack, or its success in the red zone here as the key stat, but we are choosing to go with an attitude here instead of a stat (again, something that will probably be viewed as a cop out). Despite having several new members to the unit, the 2018 O-Line was a team unto itself. The most outstanding "stat" for the offensive front was their mentality – they strive to be the best. That mentality started last year and it has continued into the start of the new season.
Noteworthy: In addition to the four returning starters, the Cardinals also return several other players who have recorded starts during their career. The depth on the offensive line may be the best since Mike Schultz arrival in Beaumont.  
 
The Storyline
There is no doubt that the Cards' one loss on the offensive front was huge – Garrett Bowery. He became the first Cardinals to be named Southland Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year and was a consensus All-America. The old cliché is "you don't replace a guy like that," and with the returning talent Bowery's departure might be minimized. The core of Hayden Kaaiohelo, Tamatoa Neher, Stephon Cooper and Aires Gilmore-Gardner will cause numerous headaches for opposing defensive coordinators. That group averages 6-3, 295 pounds. Each one bigger and stronger that the year before, which falls in line with Coach Schultz's desire for the line and the team upon his arrival – get "bigger, faster and stronger."
 
In addition to that group, Colton Peterson and Corey Nance also recorded starts last season and they will both be back. Prior to his injury during the 2018 preseason camp, Chase Bridgeman was coming off a redshirt season that saw him start the final five games of the year. Junior Jesse Brewster has also seen a lot of snaps during his career and is versatile enough to play different positions on the line.
 
The majority of this unit has now been on the roster for two years, with several guys utilizing their redshirt adding to the Cardinals' depth. Big Red will enter the season with arguably the deepest line in the Southland. As it is in all sports, the Cardinals are just one play away from that depth becoming a concern. The coaching staff did a solid job of addressing this concern through recruiting.  
 
The Cardinals added Nick Dunomes (6-3, 307) and Donovan Edwards (6-1, 297)  in the most recent signing class and Bless Harris (6-4, 295) in 2017, to go along with Julio Cuello (6-4, 280) and Humberto Lopez (6-6, 323) prior to that. The Cardinals most recent wave of talent won't necessarily have to come in and compete right away but are already showing bright flashes of the future, which could get here quicker than anyone expects.