LSU Coach Ed Orgeron Impressed with Newcomers' Toughness in Workouts, Football School

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron is back in his element as the Tigers summer camp is completely underway along with recruiting in full swing. On his weekly Off The Bench appearance, Orgeron sounded like a kid on Christmas morning discussing the newfound energy of this LSU locker room and the beginning of this summer’s recruiting cycle.

"There's excitement to get people on our campus," Orgeron said. "One of the things you enjoy as a college coach is recruiting and that's the lifeblood of your program. So to get the people to campus, get them to camps, get them evaluated."

The building of a championship roster begins with the recruiting game, and lucky for Tiger fans, this is Orgeron’s specialty. With a special 2021 class arriving to campus last week, Orgeron and his staff are already beginning to see who is ready to make a difference for this group.

“I was really impressed with Chris Hilton,” said Orgeron. “Malik Nabers and even Jack Bech. We have some tough football players and these guys have impressed in the conditioning drills, very impressed with that group.”

One thing Orgeron has made note of is how pleased he has been with the walk-ons of this Tiger squad. The hard work and determination of these players has caught the eyes of the entire LSU staff, making Orgeron believe in the depth of this thoroughroster even more.

“We have some great men and guys who fit the needs (of this LSU football team),” said Orgeron. “We have three guys from St. Thomas More, a couple of them are All-State, All-District. Lane Blue from Neville High School, First Team All-District, Second Team All-State. So we have some great young men and quality football players that have come in to help our football team.”

With a dominant group of walk-ons looking to make a name for themselves in Death Valley, the addition of Nicholls State defensive back Quinton “Pig” Cage will be one to keep an eye on throughout his time at LSU. Before signing with Nicholls State, Cage was a Class 5A First Team All-State pick for Rummel in 2019 and a three-star prospect in the class of 2020. Cage accepted a walk on position as a player who has the chance to be spectacular for the Tigers and earn a scholarship in due time.

“He was a Freshman All-America at Nicholls State at a position of need, a nickel safety,” said Orgeron. “That’s a guy who’s phenomenal, I love him. I think all these guys are gonna be in position to come in and play.”

As the roster is virtually locked, the Tigers have their eyes set on focusing on the core values of this LSU team and getting their conditioning at a championship caliber level. With an influx of new talent getting to campus last week, the leadership of the veterans has been on full display as the new Tigers get settled in and accustom to what it’s like to suit up for LSU.

On the defensive side of the ball, Orgeron praised the leadership of upperclassmen Andre Anthony and Ali Gaye.

“I think we have a lot of leadership on defense and you find out who your real leaders are when things get tough,” Orgeron said.

On offense, Orgeron has seen tremendous strides in the guidance of both Myles Brennan and Max Johnson. The two have blossomed into a role of assisting the team when needed and making sure the team is handling business accordingly.

“Both of them are doing a tremendous job of leading and keeping guys together,” Orgeron said.

With a newfound energy within this LSU locker room and a roster that is dominant from top to bottom, the Tigers find themselves in premier position to steamroll through the summer in preparation for Week 1 at UCLA.

As Orgeron and his staff continue to see what this team is about, it appears as though this Tigers group has a championship or bust mentality. With an incredible offseason of top tier transfers committing to the Tigers along with a prominent recruiting class, this team has the chance to be special in Death Valley this fall.