Three Things We Hope To Learn During LSU's Spring Camp
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LSU kicks off spring camp on Thursday with a number of questions surrounding this program and what their ceiling can be in 2023.
With significant production returning offensively and a new identity looking to be created on defense, there’s much to look forward to in camp over the next eight weeks.
For Brian Kelly, he enters Year 2 in Baton Rouge after a successful introduction in 2022. It doesn’t get better than the SEC and Kelly has praised the competition level and how impressed he was in his first go around.
"I've been in this for three decades, and no disrespect to any of the other schools that we play outside of the SEC, but they just don't excite me," Kelly told ESPN this week. "I want to play the best. I came down here to the SEC because I wanted to play against Alabama. I want to play A&M. I want to play Auburn, the great teams, and in our new scheduling we get to play Alabama every year, Ole Miss every year and A&M, and that's really why I came down here. I want to play those games, and I think playing nine SEC games is great for your schedule, and it prepares you for the opportunity to play for a championship but also play for the national championship."
Here are three questions we have surrounding this program as spring camp gets underway:
Who Will Be The Most Impactful Transfer?
All signs immediately point to Oregon State transfer Omar Speights. The veteran has been successful at the Power Five level and brings stability to an inside linebacker position that the Tigers will be looking to get significant production from in 2023 under defensive coordinator Matt House.
Speights, a First-Team All-PAC-12 selection, fits the mold. After entering the portal, Speights received significant interest from LSU, along with a number of other top programs including Alabama, before ultimately committing to Brian Kelly and the Tigers.
It was a dominant final season with the Beavers in 2022. Speights ended the year with 83 tackles and eight tackles for loss with Oregon State. In four seasons up north, he finished his career with 308 total tackles.
LSU will now have five scholarship linebackers on roster for spring ball as of right now in Speights, Harold Perkins, Greg Penn III, West Weeks and early enrollee Whit Weeks. The final linebacker that will be on roster for the 2023 season is Christian Brathwaite.
Does Garrett Nussmeier Get First Team Reps?
At some point there will be questions surrounding the quarterback room. It’s LSU. There will always be something stirring the pot. With Jayden Daniels returning, it’s easy to point to your 2022 starter and immediately give him the keys again, but there is another NCAA Transfer Portal window opening in May…
Which carries into the next point What do you do with Nussmeier to ensure he stays in Baton Rouge? In order to keep him interested in the long term plan, his involvement this spring with be key, which means running with the first team a little bit during camp.
Kelly has said a two-quarterback system won’t be the plan, but Nussmeier has certainly proven he’s more than capable of producing when on the field. With another offseason in Baton Rouge, could he take that jump and make this quarterback room interesting?
Just How Big Of A Step Will Brian Thomas Jr. Make?
Thomas Jr. enters his third year in this LSU wide receiver room. We saw Malik Nabers take that next step during his sophomore campaign, as did Thomas Jr. in 2022, but he has the chance to level up in a big way in 2023.
With 31 receptions for 361 yards and five touchdowns last season, the sophomore wideout displayed what truly makes him such a lethal red zone threat. The ability to go up and catch virtually any ball thrown his way, it was a wakeup call for this receiving corps knowing the talent Thomas Jr, has. Playing with tremendous physicality, Thomas Jr. has the chance to be a key piece to this offense in 2023 if he plays his cards right during camp.
Look for Thomas Jr. come out of his shell even more this offseason as he looks to assert himself as the Tigers’ WR2.
