Admit it, although it was just a small blurb in a weekly news release from the Southeastern Conference, it was something you never thought in your wildest dreams you’d read this season.

But there it was:

“LSU tackle named co-SEC offensive lineman of the week.”

For most of the season about the best headline you could hope for was along the lines of “Tigers’ offensive line survives to fight another day.”

Sorting out the offensive cattle up front, seemingly plugging holes weekly, has been Brian Kelly’s most trying task in his first season with the Tigers.

Maybe it gives LSU’s offense some hope of keeping up with Ole Miss’ track meet Saturday in Tiger Stadium.

So hats off to LSU freshman Will Campbell and his …

Wait.

Did we just say freshman?

And Campbell is a true freshman at that. This time last year he was playing at Neville High School in Monroe.

So in today’s society when everybody gets a trophy, there’s an SEC freshman offensive lineman of the week?

Hold on.

No. My bad. I checked. Each Monday there is an SEC freshman of the week honor, but it’s not position-specific.

For the most part linemen need not apply for that one, of course, there being little in the way of stats — and even less, seemingly, in the way of freshmen participants.

Frosh, as some call them, though welcome most everywhere else these days, are just not supposed to see meaningful time in the offensive line.

Especially at tackle. Maybe you can let one of the tykes get his feet wet hiding him at guard for some seasoning.

But out there at tackle, that’s where the biggest difference between the SEC and the rest of college football roam supreme — all those demon, lickety-split 270-pound pass rushers. You could scar a freshman for life throwing him into that fire pit.

So this Campbell honor is all square, head to head against the older, relatively grizzled guys who’ve spent 3-4 years in college weight rooms. It’s quite a moment for him.

But Campbell is only half the story.

LSU’s other offensive tackle, Emery Jones, is also a true freshmen.

That’s borderline suicidal, but at the moment it’s LSU’s best option.

Kelly didn’t need to think long when asked if in his 33 years as a head coach he’d ever started two true freshmen tackles.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever started two freshmen in the offensive line (anywhere), period,” he said.

That includes a long hitch at Grand Valley State, which isn’t quite the SEC.

It turns out that Ole Miss has two starting freshmen tackles, but they are both redshirt freshmen — and in the case of offensive linemen, the redshirt makes a big huge difference. Not the same.

Not surprisingly, LSU’s offensive line has been the biggest stumbling block among many for the work in progress that is the Tigers.

They’ve been forced into five combinations on the line but the best option, when available, is the two freshmen, two sophomores (Garrett Dellinger and Miles Frazier) and a junior (Charles Turner).

So that was real progress last week when quarterback Jayden Daniels was sacked only once with enough time to throw for 349 yards while the Tigers rushed for 179 yards.

There were some adjustments. Running back Josh Williams ran for 106 yards, but he got the game ball, Kelly said, because of the way he persistently “chipped” those Florida rushers while lending a hand to the O-line.

But it’s still what’s up front that counts, even if what’s there got there still using training wheels.

“It’s not necessarily the physical,” Kelly said. “You cannot play in this league unless you have physical traits … Emery Jones and Will Campbell physically have the traits to go in the weight room and be as strong as anybody and are able to move their feet.

“But their mental approach to the game is so far above any freshman that I’m used to having.”

More help should on the way as the next recruiting class has been the major focus and Kelly figures to hit the NCAA transfer portal hard again this year.

When a latest round of raw recruits aren’t forced into immediate duty, he’ll know he’s getting somewhere.

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Scooter Hobbs covers LSU athletics. Email him at scooter.hobbs@americanpress.com