LSU Offense to Have Familiar Cadence With New Wrinkles Mixed In
Every year when it comes to scheme on either offense or defense, the most common phrases are "versatility" or "spreading the ball around to playmakers." It's the broad description of how every team hopes to operate on the field but for LSU this spring, a completely new coaching staff is attempting breathe new life into the familiar idioms.
When head coach Brian Kelly took over, there were certain facets he immediately needed to address and many came on the offensive side of the football. Now as spring ball heats up, the goals were to construct a scheme around the talent LSU has offensively.
Quarterbacks are being encouraged to extend plays with their legs, get the ball out quicker and really keep the defense on its toes. Up front, it's hard not to recognize the tall task offensive line coach Brad Davis has in finding the right mix of talent to ensure better run and pass blocking than the previous two years.
As for the receiver room, likely the deepest on the roster when fully healthy, the expectations haven't changed. This offense wants to get the ball in their hands and use their athleticism to make plays. With Kayshon Boutte and Malik Nabers dealing with injuries, it's opened up more opportunity to see just how deep this group really is.
Jack Bech is now working with the receiver group full time after spending most of his freshman year as a hybrid tight end. The terminology may be a bit different but he's noticing the energy and execution have been different in these first few practices.
"It's going to be more versatile and it's gonna open up everything," Bech said. "It's only the second day but the way we run our offense, it gives the QB the sense of doing what he needs to do to get it to the open player. A lot of our offense is going to be built around getting the ball to somebody in the open field and making our athletes make plays in open field."
For Bech personally, getting that extra time with the receivers to work on technique and catching more balls has really helped in his development since the end of a very productive freshman season for him.
"This year I'm really excited to be in the receiver room fully," Bech said. "I get to learn a lot of new technique, practice all the receiver drills and can catch a lot of balls. Coach [Cortez] Hankton is one of the best in the business so I'm really excited to be back in that room and be a main target."
Again, these aren't necessarily different statements from what we've heard in past seasons since the 2019 championship run. Getting the ball to the athletes offensively is always the goal and quarterback Myles Brennan understands it probably sounds like a broken record at this point. Perhaps the biggest difference will be the emphasis on the quarterbacks running down hill with the ball a bit more, being able to extend plays with their legs, something LSU didn't do a whole lot of the last few years.
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and Kelly both have a history of success with more mobile quarterbacks so there's definitely a blue print of what the two are looking for in who leads this offense behind center.
But the reality is the Tigers haven't had the offensive line nor the consistency at the quarterback and skills positions the last few years that make for a smoothly run offense. Kelly and the new staff spent countless hours addressing the first issue and there's going to be true competition up front but getting the ball out quickly is something Brennan and the other three scholarship quarterbacks have stressed in the first few days of spring.
"We're going to spread the ball around and what we're emphasizing is getting the ball to our playmakers and make them runners," Brennan said. "Let them get the ball and go make plays. They're gonna be the guys to out run people, out jump people so as quarterbacks we're going to get the ball out as quick as possible."
The chemistry this offense develops over the now 13 practices remaining in the spring session will tell Kelly and the staff a lot about what needs to be tweaked before implementing some more nuanced play designs and schemes. And the only way to find the answers to the lingering competition across the roster is through repetition.
"I love intensity through repetition. I think it's the best way to learn and creating that environment has been really good," Kelly said. "Everybody's got really good players but I think it's about preparation and this has been a way I've learned to prepare a football team for Saturday's."
