Fall Camp Preview: Here's What You Need To Know About LSU Football
LSU football kicks off preseason camp this week as the Tigers begin their quest at conquering the 2023 season. With players reporting on Wednesday, football season is officially here with the first day of practice starting on Thursday.
Brian Kelly begins year two in Baton Rouge with expectations higher than ever. After doing the unthinkable in his first season down South, this program is no longer the underdog, and many are prepared to see them take that next step and punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff.
Here are five things to know about LSU ahead of preseason practice:
Quarterback Situation
Second-year Tiger Jayden Daniels returns to Baton Rouge with something to prove after a standout first season under Brian Kelly. Now, it’s a championship or bust mentality for the Arizona State transfer with tremendous hype surrounding this program.
Daniels, who’s regarded as a Heisman candidate ahead of the 2023 season, looks to carry his momentum from the 2022 season into this fall. A player who’s received rave reviews this offseason, it’s expected he takes that next step as both a leader and a player.
For backup quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, the third-year Tiger returns to Baton Rouge where he will be QB2 for LSU before taking over starting duties in 2024. The gifted signal-caller gives LSU one of the best backups in the nation. He’s ready at any given moment and will serve as a key piece for this program moving forward.
Crowded Running Back Room
LSU returns four members of its backfield from the 2022 season in Josh Williams, Armoni Goodwin, Noah Cain and John Emery. Despite this, the Tigers went out and added Notre Dame transfer Logan Diggs.
But why bring in Diggs given the number of guys on roster? LSU’s running back room battled the injury bug all season in 2022, and a player of Diggs’ caliber is too talented to pass up on. With Williams and Goodwin suffering injuries last year and Emery constantly having question marks surrounding his name, this coaching staff went out and secured the top back in the portal.
Along with Diggs, LSU brought back former Tiger Tre’ Bradford. It’s been a wild ride for Bradford, who now returns to Baton Rouge for his third stint, but he’s received positive updates since returning.
Now, after having six scholarship backs on roster, why not add two more? LSU also reeled in four-star 2023 prospects Trey Holly and Kaleb Jackson. Holly reported to Baton Rouge as an early-enrollee in the spring while Jackson made his way to campus over the summer.
With eight scholarship running backs, it’s a crowded room, but this program will have no shortage of depth in 2023.
Returning Offensive Line
The Tigers return several key pieces to its offensive line this season in Will Campbell, Emery Jones, Charles Turner and Garrett Dellinger, among others. This program struggled a season ago with their big guys up front, but ending the season seeing significant improvement, they’ll look to carry that success into this year.
For Campbell and Jones, the sophomore tackles burst onto the scene in 2022, but now they’re prepared to take that next step. It was rare for Kelly to start two freshman tackles, but the freshman phenoms shined when given opportunity and never looked back.
Along with the returning talent, LSU brings in five-star Zalance Heard from Monroe (La.) this season. Heard reported to campus over the summer where he and Maryland transfer Mason Lunsford will look to carve out a role in this offensive line room for the 2023 season.
Defensive Newcomers
The defense will be where many are looking during preseason practice. How will the defensive line mesh? Other than Harold Perkins, who will hold down the second level? There are many questions surrounding this defense that we hope to have answered sooner rather than later, but let’s start with the first two.
Up front, Maason Smith returns for the Tigers after suffering a torn ACL in 2022. Alongside Smith will be All-American candidate Mekhi Wingo. With the pair of menaces holding it down for the interior defensive line, the sky’s the limit, but what about the edge? Saivion Jones looks poised to take that next step in 2023 for this program. We’ll be monitoring his progression in a big way during camp.
At the second level, LSU knows what it's getting from Harold Perkins, but what about the others? How will Omar Speights look? Greg Penn III? It’s been a huge summer for Speights who came to Baton Rouge as an All-Conference selection in the PAC-12. Now, it’s time to show out in the SEC.
Fresh-faced Secondary
This is where things get tricky. It’s another season where virtually the entire secondary will be made up of newcomers. LSU brought in transfer cornerbacks Zy Alexander, Duce Chestnut and JK Johnson, among others, but how will this unit form continuity? After a summer of workouts, the time is now to see where this group stands.
At safety, this squad is thin. The Tigers return Greg Brooks and Major Burns, but after the pair of veterans, what’s next? Look for freshman Javien Toviano to enter the mix in a big way as a player who can make an immediate freshman as a youngster.
The secondary will be a position group many are circling for preseason practice to gauge where they are at. The next few weeks gives this program the chance to get on the same page, but for the defense, they must show life sooner rather than later.
