LSU joined the wave of college programs that chose to make practice open to the public instead of holding a traditional Spring game. Although the framework was different on Saturday, the value of seeing live reps firsthand remained. Players, plays, and situational football during LSU\u2019s Spring practice left us with four takeaways that will help shape the season.<\/p>\n
Starting from game one, LSU struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone last season. The field shrank, and the offense’s lack of a run game led to field goal attempts unless the passing offense executed flawlessly. Those aren\u2019t great odds with the tight windows at the goal line.<\/p>\n
It appears that Garrett Nussmeier<\/a> has been coached up this Spring to keep the ball more often on read option plays. Nussmeier has shown more of a willingness to run this Spring, and it resulted in a touchdown on Saturday. Obviously, nobody will mistake him for Jayden Daniels. But the threat itself evens the numbers and makes things a little tougher on the defense.<\/p>\n To the delight of his teammates, Backup quarterback Colin Hurley returned to the team after injuries sustained in a car accident in January. Ju\u2019Juan Johnson<\/a> moved from running back to quarterback in his absence, but Johnson provides a unique skill set at the position. Johnson is a threat to run on read options, designed runs, and scrambles. He ran for multiple touchdowns on Saturday and passed for another.<\/p>\n Transfers Jack Pyburn<\/a> and Jimari Butler<\/a> teamed up with returner Gabe Reliford to wreak havoc on the defensive side of the ball. All three had multiple sacks during practice, but also played well against the run. We weren\u2019t sure<\/a> how well LSU would replace Bradyn Swinson and Sai\u2019vion Jones, but the edge seems to be in good hands. Brian Kelly commented on the group after practice.<\/p>\n \u201cThose guys are great workers. They do it the right way off the field. In this building\u2026These are really impactful players, not only from an edge standpoint in terms of what you see. But I can tell you from behind the scenes that they are really impactful as well,\u201d said Kelly.<\/p>\n The day that the edge players had could easily trigger doubt towards the Tigers\u2019 rebuilt offensive line. It\u2019s still too early to hit the panic button in that regard. Considering the discrepancy in levels of play between LSU\u2019s offenses and defenses since 2023, the staff should be encouraged that the defense is winning more battles.<\/p>\n The edge defenders deserve credit for their production during LSU\u2019s Spring practice, but they had help. There were several plays against the first-team defense in which there was simply nowhere to go with the ball. Again, newcomers were impactful.<\/p>\n Transfer cornerback Mansoor Delane<\/a> looked like a starter while breaking up multiple passes. DJ Pickett blanketed Nic Anderson<\/a> on an end zone target and even recorded a sack. There\u2019s a long way to go to Week One, but these two have stood out this Spring.<\/p>\n Safety has not exactly been a position of strength for LSU lately, but the group covered well. Javien Toviano<\/a> was all over the field and looks to have found his home after stints at the cornerback and nickel positions. Although Trey\u2019Dez Green<\/a>\u2019s action was limited due to an ankle, it was an impressive effort by the safeties to limit the offense\u2019s talented tight end group.<\/p>\n Freshman running back Harlem Berry doesn\u2019t catch the average eye with his size. The early enrollee is 5\u201910 and still filling out his purple and gold uniform. Yet, he\u2019s different than any other running back on the Tiger roster. Berry is known for his speed and elusiveness, but he didn\u2019t hesitate to run between the tackles during practice.<\/p>\nDefensive End Dominance<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Close Coverage<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Berry Bolsters Bengals Backfield<\/strong><\/h3>\n