2024 Early LSU Football Talk

[LSUDad]

 

[Jace78]

 

[LSUDad]

3 hours ago, Jace78 said:

 

Great job Jace. Like seeing the former QB spending time with you! 

[LSUDad]

Cortez Hankton's big NFL Draft weekend a glimpse at future for LSU WRs

by:Billy Embody•about 2 hours

LSU wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator Cortez Hanktonhad an NFL Draft weekend some colleges would love to have as a whole.

Hankton had five players he’s coached, developed and/or recruited land in the top 80 2024 NFL Draft picks.

On top of 1st round draft picks from his recent coaching run at LSU in Top 10 pick Malik Nabers and 1st rounder Brian Thomas, Jr., he had a trio of former players land with NFL teams. 

Georgia’s Ladd McConkey and Jermaine Burton went at No. 34 to the Los Angeles Chargers and No. 80 to the Cincinnati Bengals, respectively. Former Georgia turned Texas wideout AD Mitchell also landed in the draft at No. 52 overall, going to the Indianapolis Colts.

Joining an episode of Andy Staples On3 on YouTube earlier this month, Hankton Jr. told stories about Nabers and Thomas, and why they’ve been nothing but successful on the football field.

“Well, I had a little history with both of them because I recruited them coming out of high school, and so I was familiar with their skill set,” Hankton Jr. said. “Malik was always ultra competitive. He was the guy that played a game with a chip on his shoulder. You know, there’s this way about him that he can willed himself to make a play.

“Brian Thomas is probably the most gifted athlete that ever coached and also has high football intelligence. And so when you are blessed to coach those guys, they make your job a lot easier.”
 

Five of the first 13 wideouts taken in the draft are products in some way of Hankton’s tutelage. 

For LSU, that’s a good sign. The future could be bright, if Hankton’s past group is any indication.

Hankton’s got an opportunity to turn Kyren Lacy into a draft pick as he heads into his final season with the Tigers. He brought in Liberty wideout CJ Daniels, Mississippi State playmaker Zavion Thomas and has others in the mix to one day hear their name on draft day.

Hankton’s got more talent on the way for LSU. 

After signing a solid group in 2024, which includes a borderline Top 100 prospect in Kylan Billiot, LSU has the No. 1 wideout committed in 2025, Dakorien Moore. Toss in Louisiana standout and four-star prospect TaRon Francis, and LSU’s future appears bright at the position.

Hankton’s ascent into co-offensive coordinator is well-deserved since arriving back in his home state coming off a National Championship with Georgia.

Quietly, he’s shown why he’s a key staffer for the Tigers, who has kept the professional talent at wideout flowing out of Baton Rouge.

His weekend in Detroit might just be the start.

[LSUDad]

On 4/4/2024 at 9:09 AM, LSUDad said:

Kelly has always made use of TE’s on offense, when he has a good one, or more. We finally have a group of TE’s to get the advantage on defenses. Many NFL teams use 12 personnel. One RB, 2 TE’s and 2 WR’s. Minnesota Vikings use 12 personnel over 8% of the time. Remember they have Tiger Justin Jefferson as their #1 WR. 

6 TE’s taken in the first 63 picks of last years NFL draft. Kellys TE from ND went in the second round, the 35th pick. 


With the usage of 2 TE’s, it helps the QB in more of a ball control offense. As for TE’s, a cover LB, could be too slow, a CB, too small, making a Safety having to come down in the box, spread out wide, etc. It creates mismatches. Will we use 13 personnel this season? 

The extra TE’s help with the run game and play action. 

“Using more double tight end formations (12 personnel) isn’t a new idea in the NFL. It’s been tried with mixed success over the last dozen years or so as a counter to the rising trend of using more 11 (3WR) personnel since the Patriots first started using it back in 2011 with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. The general idea behind it is that as modern defensive personnel have gotten smaller, using formations with larger bodies will create mismatches the offense can exploit to its advantage. The use of 12 personnel can also put opposing defenses off balance, as it can be used effectively in both the run and pass. In that sense, it pairs well with play-action in the pass game as the formation invites the idea of a run play with an extra blocker at the offense’s disposal. Those advantages made 12 personnel the most efficient passing formation in the NFL 2022 season, despite it not being used all that often.”

I know I wrote about this a while back. The 12 Personnel can win you a National Championship, you don't have to look back too far to see it in action. How about to a few months back when Michigan won the NC. There best package was 12, yes the one back and two TE's. They were more of a 50/50 run pass. 
 

As comparing 22 to 23. 

They were at 238 yard per game in 2022. Thats 71 less yards per game, as to 2023. They also rushed for 5.6 yards per carry in 22. 

But the passing game tells another story. They were at a 75%(64% in 22) completion percentage and 3rd in college football on 3rd down being efficient 55% of the time( in 2022, 27th at 45%). They threw for 257 passing yards a game. In 22, they were at 219.

Now Kelly has utilized the TE position as much as anyone, at every stop he's made. Don't look for this to change. Last season Kelly used 4 TE's in the formation, short yardage, resulting in a TD. 

[houtiger]

25 minute interview with BK, state of the program today.

 

[LSUDad]

LSU has the No. 1 offensive line in the country per On3

 

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Kyle Richardson 

 

May 11, 2024 6:00 am CT

 

It is a widely known fact that the LSU Tigers have the two best offensive tackles in the NCAA this year. Will Campbell and Emery Jones are the cornerstones of an offensive line group that strikes fear in the eyes of opposing defensive coordinators.

Garrett Nussmeier sleeps a lot better at night knowing that his blindside is safe every time he drops back to throw. Hopefully, the running game will make a huge improvement from 2023 to 2024 as well.

Recently, On3 ranked the top 10 offensive line units as we get ready to head into the 2024 season. They have LSU as the No. 1 team and here is their analysis of why.

The Tigers have a pair of potential 2025 Top 10 picks at offensive tackle this fall, as Will Campbell and Emery Jones enter their junior seasons with two years of starting experience.

Campbell is in contention for the No. 1 overall pick next April, while Jones graded out as the fourth-best tackle in the SEC in 2023, per PFF. LSU also returns both starting guards in Miles Frazier and Garrett Dellinger. The Tigers are breaking in a new starting center (DJ Chester), but if there’s one concern with the unit, it’s that the depth was sapped a bit by the portal departures of Lance Heard and Marlon Martinez.

Even with the losses of Heard and Martinez to the portal, this offensive line has the chance to be one of the best in program history.