LSU Coach Ed Orgeron Says Players Will Return June 1 For Testing, Should Be Ready for June 8 Workouts
LSU coach Ed Orgeron and the entire administration can't wait to have their athletes start returning to campus. It's been a near three-month plan in the making, but Orgeron revealed that the players will start rolling in on June 1 to start the testing process.
If all goes well, players would start voluntarily working out with the assistance of strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt on June 8.
"We're so excited for the players to come back, they're excited, we've got a lot of great things going on," Orgeron said in an interview with "Off the Bench" Tuesday morning. "We're going to report June 1, we're going to have a team meeting June 2. We're talking to the parents, we're talking to everybody about the protocols.
"We're going to spend the whole next week testing everybody, teaching them the protocols that we have to go through and then we're going to start voluntary workouts with Tommy Moffitt on June 8. Obviously the conditioning and the weight workouts is the most important thing to help us get ready for the season."
Orgeron said the training staff and medical professionals will monitor the players daily while also feeding them. That June 2 meeting will primarily be for the incoming freshmen, most of whom haven't stepped foot on campus since signing with the program.
LSU had eight early enrollees but 14 players that signed didn't enroll early. Orgeron will have athletic trainer Jack Marucci and Senior Associate Athletic Trainer Shelly Mullenix talk with the freshmen about the health and safety protocols.
"The message is going to be what I told them before we got back for spring practice which is 'last season's over, this is a new team,'" Orgeron said. "There's going to be great opportunities, the expectations are going to be high but the LSU standard of performance will be met."
One of the cool moments to go viral on Memorial Day weekend was a sweaty Orgeron out for a jog while out in Florida over the weekend. Orgeron said he stopped for countless pictures while enjoying a few days off and said it speaks to the brand that LSU has built since winning the 2019 national championship back in January.
"I was so proud to see the Tiger family out and about, it was really the first weekend we could get out," Orgeron said. "It was great to see everybody still fired up about our football team and about LSU. We thank all of Louisiana and our fans because that's what it's all about."
Orgeron also talked about a few position groups that he's looking forward to seeing once actual practice is allowed, which could be in the works for mid July. The defensive line and receivers were the primary topics of discussion, with the defensive line minded Orgeron expressing his excitement about the depth up front.
Here’s a breakdown of what Orgeron believes the depth chart could look like:
Left Defensive End: Andre Anthony, TK McLendon, Ali Gaye
Defensive Tackle: Glen Logan, Neil Farrell, Jaquelin Roy, Eric Taylor, Jarell Cherry
Nose Tackle: Tyler Shelvin, Siaki "Apu" Ika, Jacobian Guillory, Nelson Jenkins
Right Defensive End: Justin Thomas, BJ Ojulari, Phillip Webb, Desmond Little
The players Orgeron is most excited to get on the field, are the freshmen like Roy, Ojulari and Guillory.
"We're four deep on the defensive line across the board," Orgeron said. "I think some how, some way Jaquelin Roy is going to be in the mix for a starting position. Also Eric Taylor out of Alabama, 6-foot-4, 292 and then Jacobian Guillory at nose tackle. We're deep enough to where we can have a very solid rotation."
As for the receivers, Orgeron said Ja'Marr Chase is arguably the best returning player in the nation while Terrace Marshall will make for the best 1-2 tandem at receiver in the country.
As for who will replace Justin Jefferson in the slot, the popular name continues to be Racey McMath but Orgeron said the Tigers will use freshman Arik Gilbert all over the field, including the slot.
"He's long, a big time receiver, Racey's 6-foot-2, 223 pounds, a great kid and this is his time," Orgeron said. "A guy that I'm excited about is Arik Gilbert. Arik's not going to just be a tight end for us, we're going to use him at the Z, at the X and in the slot. We've got speed and some guys that can really play."
