Spring Practice 2022

[LSUDad]

https://www.si.com/college/lsu/football/lsu-three-players-impressed-spring-camp

[houtiger]

 

[houtiger]

 

[houtiger]

 

[COTiger]

The more I see & hear from him, the more I like him.   I hate Notre Dame so it's taken some time to rethink my position on him.  

[houtiger]

14 hours ago, COTiger said:

The more I see & hear from him, the more I like him.  

I agree.  He has never mentioned an X or an O.  He has talked about character, preparing, being good teammates, being good students, discipline.  He's talked about changing the nutrition program and the strength and conditioning.  But at all times, he seems to have command of DETAILS, and the details of INTANGIBLES.  He seems to have an overall plan, and it seems he is laying in the plan in layers, a bit at a time.  They have said they have only put in 30% of the offense and defense.  They are learning to prepare right now.  They will put in the rest of the offense and defense in August.  If this works, he may be a frickin genius.  All of the coaches seem bought in to his plan, and they all talk similarly.  I like the coaching staff, and I think the players do also.  The player interviews, they seem to like what is going on.  Buddy Songy said you can see a physical change in the players due to the nutrition and strength training, they are transforming their bodies.  Buddy said he hears some players have lost 15 lbs. of fat and replaced it with 15 lbs. of muscle.  He said he sees a difference, from January to today.  He said he can't wait to see what the team looks like in August, and that the full impact of the new regimen will take two years.

[houtiger]

Walker Howard hits a long one in practice, the last play.  I think he threw it about 50 yards in the air, hit Kyren Lacy (transfer from ULL, raised in Thibodeaux), who had gotten a step on Sage Ryan (who was playing corner).  Just one play, but Howard showed he has some arm strength.

 

[houtiger]

All the questions about the roster are about how LSU will fill the final 3 spots.  The transfer portal closes May 1st.  I have a different question.  Will LSU lose players to the transfer portal following the spring game?  Kelly is not mentioning depth chart and naming starters because that could be a signal to some players that if they want to be a starter, and they are not going to start here, maybe go to the transfer portal.  I doubt Kelly wants to see that happen.  A name like Todd Harris comes to mind, was a starter, got injured, lost his starting spot.  If he's 100% healthy now and wants a shot at the NFL, he might go looking for a starting job for his Sr. year.

[COTiger]

8 hours ago, houtiger said:

I agree.  He has never mentioned an X or an O.  He has talked about character, preparing, being good teammates, being good students, discipline.  He's talked about changing the nutrition program and the strength and conditioning.  But at all times, he seems to have command of DETAILS, and the details of INTANGIBLES.  He seems to have an overall plan, and it seems he is laying in the plan in layers, a bit at a time.  They have said they have only put in 30% of the offense and defense.  They are learning to prepare right now.  They will put in the rest of the offense and defense in August.  If this works, he may be a frickin genius.  All of the coaches seem bought in to his plan, and they all talk similarly.  I like the coaching staff, and I think the players do also.  The player interviews, they seem to like what is going on.  Buddy Songy said you can see a physical change in the players due to the nutrition and strength training, they are transforming their bodies.  Buddy said he hears some players have lost 15 lbs. of fat and replaced it with 15 lbs. of muscle.  He said he sees a difference, from January to today.  He said he can't wait to see what the team looks like in August, and that the full impact of the new regimen will take two years.

Yep.  He's the CEO of LSU football.  I wonder how much, if any, he is involved in the design of the offense and defense?

[Herb]

25 minutes ago, COTiger said:

Yep.  He's the CEO of LSU football.

Kelly's biggest impact will be on the organizational behavior of the players.

After Saban left, both Miles and Orgeron let the organizational behaviors of the players devolve into the behaviors one might expect at a frat house. What Kelly is doing is creating a new set of behavioral expectations that demand a level of responsibility, attention to detail, professionalism that has been lacking for a long time. This is what the expression "running a tight ship" is all about.

It's expected that this might take longer to achieve with the players that have been on the team for a while and are used to the relatively lax atmosphere of the past. The incoming freshmen figure out pretty fast what is expected and what is allowed. As a result, it might take a couple of years for all of these changes to become fully rooted.

All of the press conferences I have seen of the assistants (and Kelly) stress that they are thankful that there is time between now and the 1st game (Florida State) because the team - overall - is a work in progress and what is echoed is that "we're not there yet".

The honesty is refreshing. I'd rather have players continue to strive than have players be overconfident and think "I'm the shit...I got this" only to see them get burned repeatedly in games (which is essentially what we saw all last season).

What we got from our last 2 coaches is the equivalent of someone peeing on our leg and telling us it's raining.

[houtiger]

On 4/17/2022 at 10:40 AM, houtiger said:

All the questions about the roster are about how LSU will fill the final 3 spots.  The transfer portal closes May 1st.  I have a different question.  Will LSU lose players to the transfer portal following the spring game?  .

Well that was quick.  RB Corey Kiner has entered the transfer portal.  There are a lot of RB at LSU, and Noah Cain comes in this summer.

[LSUDad]

 

[houtiger]

22 hours ago, houtiger said:

Well that was quick.  RB Corey Kiner has entered the transfer portal.  There are a lot of RB at LSU, and Noah Cain comes in this summer.

Dandy Don reported Kiner was falling down in the depth chart, and would likely fall more when Noah Cain showed up.  Kiner committed to the Cincinnati Bearcats, which will take him close to home.

On a different note, CBK made a few comments about Tre Bradford after Saturday, like he was finally learning the position.  I don't know what happened to him the first time around, but hopefully his second time around in BR will be more productive.

[houtiger]

The Sports Illustrated Top 25, early 2022 poll.  a$m #6, Gumps #3, Ga. #2, Ohio St. #1.  LSU not ranked by SI and I agree with that.  Too many question marks.  I hope we earn a ranking by the end of the year.

https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq/ncaa-football-rankings/college-football-rankings-espn-top-25-2022-preseason-poll#gid=ci029c4d1fa0002795&pid=25-auburn-tigers

 

[houtiger]

Folks, this may be our new starting left tackle.  I enjoyed the interview, true freshman, came in as a 5*, early entry in January so he can participate in spring practice.

 

[LSUDad]

How Left Tackle Will Campbell Has Adjusted So Quickly to LSU, College Football

Campbell's maturity, development over last few months has him in prime position to start day one for Tigers

• GLEN WEST
• 3 HOURS AGO

Walker Howard and Will Campbell have been linked together for years. As two of Louisiana's top prospects in the 2022 class, when each committed to the LSU program by the start of 2021, there was over a year the two had to build their relationship.

They appeared at numerous games, visits and camps together and became fast friends as two of the pillars of this 2022 class. Now while Howard is learning how to run a college offense as a true freshman, it's his counterpart Campbell who has taken this spring by storm for the Tigers.

Campbell's dedication, work ethic, ability and athleticism are just three traits that Howard has seen for years that make him such an intriguing player for the Tigers. Howard, who is roommates with Campbell, says he's the first one in the weight room and that from day one he's come to get better.

"It doesn't surprise me at all. I've told everybody he's the best player in the country, there's no doubt about it he's a stud," Howard said. "I've known it from day one, didn't know when it was gonna happen but it happened quick and I'm happy for him."
 

LSU made the decision a week into spring camp to move the freshman Campbell to left tackle and it's a move they've stuck with ever since. Coach Brian Kelly mentioned the elite maturity and growth as the primary reasons for Campbell's fast rise up the LSU depth chart. 

He's been the most consistent player in terms of first team rotations because of that athleticism that's on display nearly every play. Coming to school in January, Campbell's goal was to add strength and he was able to tack on 17 pounds of muscle to his 300-pound frame as a result. It's allowed him to be more physical while also not losing the speed and quickness he has blocking off the edge.

But for Campbell, the easy transition has been a combination of a number of factors, including the impact offensive line coach Brad Davis has had on him the last several months. 

"Coach Davis, he's prepared me the guys around me have helped me get better and taught me some of the smaller things that I need to know. Going against guys like [Maason Smith] every day it's gonna get you prepared," Campbell said. 

There isn't a matchup on the defensive line that Campbell doesn't embrace going head-to-head with. One of the more intriguing parts of camp have been the battles between the offensive line and defensive line and for a freshman like Campbell to rep against guys like Smith, Jaquelin Roy, Ali Gaye and BJ Ojulari, it's really helped mold him into a ready made college o-lineman.
 

"Not a lot of schools can say they have four guys across the front that can be the difference in the game. I personally believe we have one of the top d-lines in the country and going against guys like them, it'll get you prepared," Campbell said. 

Along the way he's picked the brains of some older veterans on the team like Cam Wire, who really helped him understand some more nuanced technique and fundamentals early in the process. Campbell has cemented himself as the primary left tackle but didn't start out that way.

He was also getting reps at right tackle during the spring while a number of his fellow teammates have rotated at guard and tackle, something Campbell thinks has been good for the group in terms of knowing what others responsibilities are. 

"It's good for us, really everybody learning everything just in case we do get beat up at some point. For all of us to be ready for different positions, it's a good thing," Campbell said. 

He knows the kind of heat this offensive line has taken the last few years and the opportunity to be a part of the solution was one he couldn't pass up. Now that he's earned a place on this line, Campbell doesn't plan on giving it up anytime soon.

"It was irritating for me to hear that even though I wasn't here," Campbell said. "Definitely taking that as a chip on our shoulder, preparing each other and we'll be ready by Florida State. I just wanna come out here and go against the best. I wanna play, so I'm gonna do whatever I gotta do to get on the field."

 

 

 

[houtiger]

 

[houtiger]

CBK speaks before the spring game.  I like listening to him.  He said a few things that are non-traditional coaches views, quite refreshing to me.

 

[houtiger]

Good long article recapping the end of spring practice.

https://theathletic.com/3274146/2022/04/27/lsu-football-spring-practice-what-we-learned/