As Spring Practice Nears, LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron Seeing a More Spirited Team

The approach to this offseason has really taken on a different tone. Now more than ever, LSU football coaches are wanting to get to know their players on a more personal level, including coach Ed Orgeron himself.

It's a strategy Orgeron wanted to implement to his new hires, starting with offensive coordinator Jake Peetz and defensive coordinator Daronte Jones as soon as the hires were made. Both Peetz and Jones talked about the importance of first getting to know the players before drawing up schemes.

Though the team is in the early stages of a critical 2021 offseason and spring ball is just around the corner, Orgeron says there's more of a connection between the players and coaching staff than before.

"Whatever it may be, we want to let them know we care about them and we want them to have success," Orgeron said Tuesday on Off the Bench. "We have seminars and just spending time getting to know our guys and I enjoy it because we get to know them a little better on a personal basis and I see our coaches investing in them a lot more. You're gonna see the results on the field, I'm sure of it."

One of the question marks entering this season is the depth behind the five expected starters on the offensive line. The Tigers have some veteran players who are inexperienced behind the starters who could end up seeing the field at some point.

Orgeron says there's a noticeable gap between the starters and the depth behind them, which is an issue they hope to close soon.

"These guys have played for four years and there's a gap for us to close," Orgeron said of the offensive line. "Guys like Anthony Bradford and Marcus Dumervil are getting stronger, Marlon Martinez has been solid. Those guys are closing the gap but there's still a ways to go."

LSU is in the middle of its intense "Fourth Quarter" training before spring practices start up next week. As part of the physical stresses that come from these intense workouts, more than anything it's a time to see which players step up as leaders for the program.

On defense, it's been Andre Anthony and Ali Gaye who hav really stepped up according to Orgeron with Myles Brennan, Liam Shanahan and Jaray Jenkins leading the offense.

"Myles Brennan is competing. Leadership is gonna happen and I just let it go. You gotta let it happen, it doesn't manifest itself. When it gets tough we'll see who the guys are leading out there and right now Myles is doing a great job of leading the offense. Liam Shanahan, Ed Ingram, Austin Deculus, those guys have been very solid and another one of our top leaders is Jaray Jenkins.

"Our new coaches, our old coaches, everybody's doing drills exactly how we want to. Very demanding but you gotta give it to the team, there's been some tremendous leadership. We've had some good fourth quarter drills last week, we'll have two more this week and then start spring practice on March 16."