Fifth in an 11-part series. Coming next: defensive linemen. 

LSU offensive line coach Brad Davis was not sure if he would have a job after the 2021 season.

Head coach Ed Orgeron had been fired and Brian Kelly was coming in to replace him. That usually means major staff changes. Then, a recruit called him. Will Campbell was a senior at Neville High School in Monroe, La., at the time and was a high-profile commitment for the Tigers who Davis had recruited.

“I recall Will calling me one day and saying, ‘Coach, I don’t know if it matters or not, but I told them a big part of me signing with LSU is I want to play for Brad Davis, and I don’t know if it is going to carry any weight or not,’ ” Davis said last week. “I don’t know if it did or did not, but it meant an awful lot to me that this kid would go to bat on my behalf, that he believed in me that much.”