LSU Defensive Lineman Maason Smith Not Playing Like a Freshman In Spring Ball
Neil Farrell might be a fifth year veteran on this team but he finds himself constantly picking the brain of freshman Maason Smith. The true freshman out of Terrebonne has been on campus for just a few months and is in the early stages of his collegiate career but is grabbing the attention of coaches and players alike.
Keep in mind, this is a defensive line that has welcomed back its entire starting defensive line that not only includes Farrell but Glen Logan, Andre Anthony and Ali Gaye. So for coach Ed Orgeron to come out earlier this week and declare Smith a starter is a true indication of the talent and expectations the team has for him.
"He's come in ahead of the game and you wouldn't even know he was a freshman," Farrell said. "He teaches me, we teach each other and I learn from him. He's a great pass rusher and he takes notes from me in the film room. We're just helping each other get better."
Farrell mentioned how Smith has come in and showed a willingness to learn, which is something veteran counterpart Ali Gaye has also noticed. The defensive line is one of the more veteran groups on the roster and Orgeron has said is a unit, that have been the most impressive through the first week of spring camp, including Smith in that grouping.
"Since he's been here, he's been really open to learning and asking questions and trying to get better," Gaye said. "He's really somebody that's buying in and he's really somebody to watch out for. He's really special and is going to do some special things."
Despite the early success, Smith is still in the learning process, something that was exemplified last week during the portion of practice open to the media. In the following video, you can see Smith get thrown to the side by Logan, prompting Orgeron to yell out "Hey, welcome to LSU big boy."
On the opposite side of the ball, veteran offensive lineman Ed Ingram has gone head to head with Smith a couple of times on the inside. He admitted that in the few times he's squared up with Smith, he's had his problems and is impressed with the "nasty" way he approaches the game.
"Maason, that kid is a dog. I can already see it now," Ingram said. "When he's out there playing, you can just see how mean and nasty he is. This dude, he's a hard player. I've gone against him a couple of times and he's given me problems. He's a good pass rusher, he rushes with intent. He's got a lot of stuff to learn but he's holding his own."
The early returns are overwhelmingly positive which is impressive after just one week. It would be surprising if the freshman didn't see the field every game as already one of the consistent interior pass rushers on the defensive line.
