LSU Football Set to Welcome Team to Baton Rouge This Weekend

Ed Orgeron knows how important this time of year is for the LSU football team. While it might be viewed as a quiet period for many casual fans, but inside the football ops facility, it's a time for personal growth through workouts and learning the offense before fall camp.

LSU is officially set to start its summer programs in workouts and through football school on May 24 but will be welcoming their team back to Baton Rouge before then. The remaining freshman class will arrive on Saturday to move into dorms, meet with Orgeron and the coaching staff on Sunday and then start football school, workouts with strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt and summer school on Monday.

"Football school, school and Moffitt all in one day," Orgeron said on Off the Bench. "Tuesday, the conditioning test, it will be interesting to see but I think most of our guys are working out and we'll find out what kind of shape our football team is in."

It's been mentioned throughout the offseason how important the player-coach relationship is for Orgeron and the staff. Last year it was hard to build those relationships and it was easy to tell how disjointed the team felt during that .500 season.

One of the reasons Orgeron went younger with his coaching hires is because of the relatability some of these coaches like Jake Peetz, DJ Mangas and Daronte Jones can have with the players. Part of that relationship building for the incoming freshmen will take place this weekend as the coaches that recruited the players, as well as position coaches, will help move the players in on Saturday before Sunday's meeting.

"The coaches that recruited him, his position coach will be there, we'll be welcoming the players, carrying refrigerators up the stairs," Orgeron said. "Two rules, be early and protect the team and then the next thing we talk about is how we handle ourselves. I want our guys to be a student, sit in the first three rows, be early and get on the right foot."

The shift in approach this offseason is one that is very player friendly but also reinforces the importance of getting the program back on track. A more traditional offseason will be critical for these players as workouts and team chemistry should help build the players' confidence in one another off the field and physically as well.

The time for LSU's season opener against UCLA was also released as it will be broadcast on primetime FOX Sept. 4 at night. Orgeron did say Tuesday that the team will depart on Thursday, one day earlier than the normal travel day for a road game because of the long distance.