LSU Coach Ed Orgeron Has Good Idea of Who He Can Rely On In Leadership Role

LSU Coach Ed Orgeron has been searching for those leaders on the field since the start of spring and with such a veteran group, there certainly isn't a lack of candidates. Orgeron joined 104.5 ESPN Baton Rouge for his weekly appearance on Off The Bench where he dove deep into the locker room energy coming into this summer.

After a spring camp full of scheme adjustments and personnel changes, the Tigers relied on the leadership of their veterans to step up and give the young guys help when needed.

With summer ball vastly approaching, Orgeron knows his veterans can provide as leaders off the field to get the team prepared for battle when the time comes.

"Summertime is when you get close as a team. Coaches are not always around. Do your job out there and you're pushing each other,” Orgeron said. “Some days you're going to have good days, some days you're flipping a darn tire and don't feel like flipping it and you're running gassers, you're pulling on each other and after that everybody goes out and gets a hamburger together and talks about it and laughs.”

The off-season is where boys become men and with upperclassmen such as Myles Brennan, Austin Deculus, Liam Shanahan and many others paving the way for the younger guys, Orgeron knows their leadership will do wonders to build camaraderie coming into the Sept. 4th opener at UCLA.

“When you look at the offense, the guys that were leaders in the spring were Myles Brennan, Austin Deculus, Liam Shanahan, big Ed Ingram. Those guys were leading the way. They did a tremendous job,” said Orgeron. “And Jontre Kirklin, Jaray Jenkins, outstanding leader. I'm counting on those guys. Max Johnson, he's always there. He's a quiet leader, but he does it by example. He's a hard worker. Always first in line.”

The leadership at the quarterback position will be a prominent figure this summer as Orgeron and his staff begin locking in on who will be the Day 1 starter for the Tigers. After a phenomenal spring from Brennan and Johnson, the Tigers feel comfortable with whoever takes the first snaps in the fall.

“Him (Johnson) and Myles are going to be a great competition,” said Orgeron. “You'll see that those guys battle. I believe that both of those guys are championship quality quarterbacks. Let’s see what happens.

Defensively, the Tigers have seen significant strides in the right direction after a shaky 2020 season. With potential top-five pick in Derek Stingley Jr. leading the way, Orgeron feels this defense can emerge as dominant as ever.

“Derek Stingley has become an outstanding leader for us, you guys saw where we gave him No. 7, deservedly so,” Orgeronsaid. “One of our best players to ever play here and he has emerged as a leader. I can't wait to see these guys show up and take over the team."

As this LSU team begins clicking as a group, the veterans will surely continue stepping up to make sure the Tigers bounce back after an underwhelming last season. With the leadership of Brennan and Stingley Jr. leading the way, Orgeron’s squad looks to find their groove and come out firing this upcoming season.