‘23 LSU transfer OT Zalance Heard (Tennessee)

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kamoshika said:
Dec 30, 2022: Zalance Heard may have been the most college-ready looking prospect among the offensive linemen on Friday. The LSU signee has tremendous arm length and carries his weight well. Heard showed off his light feet and knee bend during the individual period of practice. He later flashed tenacity and brute strength at the point of attack during the team period. We’ll see more in upcoming practices, but Heard appears to have made some technical progress with his technique as a run and pass blocker.
Under Armour All-America: Day 1 Eye-Catchers

Jan 1, 2023: After a solid performance in Saturday’s session, Zalance Heard took his game to another level on Sunday afternoon. Heard lost his first rep during the 1-on-1 period and then pitched a shutout for the remainder of the day. His ability to strike defenders first and stay attached is the best we’ve seen at Under Armour. Heard has also shown the ability to beat defenders to the point and stay square throughout the rep. When he’s on time, you have a wall at the tackle position. Heard also shined during the team period burying multiple defenders and consistently finishing his opponents.
Under Armour All-America Top Performers: Day 3

Jan 3, 2023: LSU seems to have a bookend offensive tackle in Zalance Heard. He was extremely impressive during practice and he stepped it up a notch during the game, driving defenders backward and making key blocks downfield in the running game. Heard was essentially perfect in pass protection as well. He kept his man out of the backfield and finished his blocks with the aggressive attitude he's become known for in game situations. Heard confirmed he has the skill set to play early and often once he arrives in Baton Rouge.
Rivals.com - Under Armour Next All-America Game: What we learned

Zalance Heard looked like the top offensive lineman all week – both in practice and in Tuesday’s game. The 6-foot-5.5, 315-pounder pairs elite length and high-end upper body strength to manifest in a brick wall on the edge. It took Heard a few reps to adjust during 1-on-1’s but he quickly got his feet and turned in impressive play the rest of the week. In Tuesday’s game, Heard used his strength to create a push. There were several plays where he completely bullied opposing defensive linemen. Make no mistake, the offensive line group at Under Armour was not strong, but Heard looked the part of one of the top prospects at the position nationally.
Zalance Heard Scouting Journals

Sep 14, 2023: During his December press conference to discuss his newest signing class LSU coach Brian Kelly shared some insight into the mindset of offensive tackle Zalance Heard of Neville High. It proved to be quite telling. Heard, a five-star prospect, was Kelly’s highest-rated high school signee and was the nation’s No. 4 offensive tackle in the country according to On3 Sports.

During his in-home visit with Kelly, Heard informed his future head coach of his intentions to start this season at left tackle. “We’ve got a freshman named Will Campbell playing left tackle right now. He’s pretty good,” Kelly responded of the All-SEC second team selection Freshman All-American. Heard countered. “Oh, I’ve seen Will Campbell play,” Heard said. “I played with Will Campbell. I’m playing left tackle.” Kelly learned early of Heard’s self-confidence and candor, a pair of traits that have served him well. “Ever since then, I’m like, ‘I like this kid’,” Kelly said. “Just his confidence. It wasn’t cocky. He’s been that way in the recruiting process. Has a great confidence level, believes in what he’s doing and what he can do for this program."
Lasting impression: Freshman Zalance Heard earns way into rotation with LSU’s first team offensive line
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Also 2023 Freshman All-SEC, no small thing.
 
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SoullessGinger32_ said:
Pretty funny considering how this thread went 🤣. Some people are still upset about it. He's enrolled that's all I care about
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I’m pretty sure somebody found Jay Hardy in the directory the day before he committed to Auburn. I’ve been told by non-VN sources that it’s a done deal now with Heard tho.

Couldn’t be a bigger boom. And Hardy? Well he’s at Liberty now 😂
 
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vol_in_ga said:
No way he gets that much money. Maybe an 1/8 of seatons money. But I do think we need at least: 1 starting guard and 1 tackle (as good as mincey or better).

Edit: if mincey leaves maybe he does get that much. What do I know.
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@vol_in_ga ..why did you say this? This cat is a 5* also...that was good enough to actually play a lot as a TF on the LSU OL...I don't see much difference, so why shouldn't he get Seaton money? It looks like an even better investment to me 🤷‍♂️

Not wanting to argue just curious...I purposefully stayed out of here because I didn't want to get pumped up about it until it was a done deal.
 
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volfan_28 said:
I think it’s fair to say we could have the best OL as is. Think of all the guys competing for the LG spot. Some of the OTs could probably play inside and I’m sure Elarbee will want his best 5 out there. Just need Karic, Lampley, Davis, Lang, Umarov, Grant, Reddick, or Bussell to have a great offseason.

All this assumes Spraggins returns. Which I haven’t seen confirmed anywhere.
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We really need a solid backup at center. We can’t afford for the line to come unglued whenever Cooper misses some playing time. If Lang is the future center, now would be a good time to make his case.
 
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VAVol85 said:
We really need a solid backup at center. We can’t afford for the line to come unglued whenever Cooper misses some playing time. If Lang is the future center, now would be a good time to make his case.
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Very good point and I do believe Lang will be ready next season (in a backup role). The 2024 line does need another experienced IOL if it wants to reach elite status.
 
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volfan_28 said:
I think it’s fair to say we could have the best OL as is. Think of all the guys competing for the LG spot. Some of the OTs could probably play inside and I’m sure Elarbee will want his best 5 out there. Just need Karic, Lampley, Davis, Lang, Umarov, Grant, Reddick, or Bussell to have a great offseason.

All this assumes Spraggins returns. Which I haven’t seen confirmed anywhere.
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We need a few guys out of that group to step up and develop. Top tier OLines have 8-9 guys who can play like a starter. Think about how many starters missed time last season. It was rare we had all 5 together. That’s why adding someone like Kalepo is so crucial. If you do, your starting 5 is set. You just need other guys to get better so we have those final 3-4 quality depth pieces.

I think Lampley is already there after the bowl. Umarov looks like a guy who is about ti make a jump at OT. Lang at Center. Then Davis is your versatile piece.
 
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