LSU football season is still months away, but there’s a sense of optimism and excitement surrounding this year’s group as the team looks to bounce back from a 5-5 season last year.

Of course, returning players are something taken into account when ranking teams and predicting how they could finish ahead of the season.

But there’s also a lot of intrigue surrounding freshmen, and there are a handful of new faces on the LSU roster who could quickly make themselves known in Baton Rouge.

When Chris Hummer of 247Sports released his list of 100 true freshmen who could impact the 2021 college football season, there was a trio of Tigers on it.

Defensive tackle Maason Smith was among the LSU players to make the list. Here’s a look at what Hummer had to say about the outlook on Smith and what he’s already shown.

“Smith is already making waves in Baton Rouge as an early enrollee with strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt comparing him to a “more flexible” Michael Brockers. LSU will take that. Smith enters LSU with a college-ready body and some polish to his technique already. The Tigers return both of their interior starters off last year’s team as seniors Neil Farrell and Glen Logan opted to come back. That limits Smith’s opportunity to start right away. Yet I’m confident that Smith will, at worst, work his way into the rotation. At best, he’s an interior upgrade following a season in which Farrell and Logan combined for just two tackles for loss.”

Defensive back Sage Ryan was also named in the Top 100. He’ll be one to watch as LSU looks to return to “DBU” status in 2021. There’s still a lot that’s unknown about where exactly he’ll fall on the depth chart, though.

Even with Jay Ward sliding over from cornerback to safety and the addition of transfer Major Burns from Georgia, the Tigers need some help in the secondary. Ryan is capable of providing that right away, be it at nickel, safety or cornerback. Without Ryan being on campus, it’s difficult to know where exactly Ryan will fit on the Tigers’ depth chart. No matter what happens, though, he’s going to be a big part of the LSU defense as a true freshman just like Derek Stingley and Eli Ricks have been the last two years.

Wide receiver Deion Smith could also make some noise in the upcoming season.

It didn’t get as much attention as Alabama and Ohio State’s wide receiver hauls, but LSU quietly signed three of the top 13 receivers nationally as part of a five-player group. Given the team’s need at receiver outside of Kayshon Boutte, it’s a pretty good bet at least a few members of that class will play in 2021. Smith, the only early enrollee of the group, has the best chance. The No. 1 player in the state of Mississippi was injured part of this spring but showed some flashes of brilliance upon his return. Given his natural playmaking ability and size at 6-foot-3, 203 pounds, Smith would be a different sort of target who could complement Boutte and Jontre Kirklin as starters.

It will be interesting to see how these players can make a difference for LSU on the field this year when the Tigers kick off the season against UCLA on Sept. 4 and how their careers will play out in the long term in the coming seasons.