WATCH: LSU football QBs during their team’s first preseason practice
LSU quarterbacks Garrett Nussmeier (13), Rickie Collins (10), AJ Swann (15) and Colin Hurley (16) work out during the first fall practice.
BATON ROUGE — In less than two weeks, LSU football’s season-opening game against USC will take place in the Vegas Kickoff Classic at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 1 (6:30 p.m., ABC).
The Tigers, ranked 12th in the LMB coaches’ preseason poll, have been preparing for the 2024 season and begin their third full week of practice on Monday. LSU head coach Brian Kelly told reporters on Saturday that the team will finish “fall camp” this Wednesday and begin game preparation for the Trojans starting Thursday.
LSU opened fall camp on Aug. 1 and will hold 17 practices through Thursday. With the third year under Kelly about to begin, which three position groups have stood out the most in practice through the first 14 team meetings so far and why?
Let’s take a look.
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Cornerbacks
Considering how much work this position group needed after a miserable 2023 season, LSU’s corners might be the room that stood out the most during preseason practice.
There are a lot of reasons for this, from Kelly bringing back cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond from Florida, a coach who has trained some of the best cornerbacks LSU has ever had, to new defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s defensive scheme.
There were also some personnel changes and new players. Junior Sage Ryan, who played safety for the first three seasons in Baton Rouge, has played cornerback all preseason and the “cross-training” change, as Kelly called it in this camp, seems to have taken hold.
Sophomore Ashton Stamps has made tremendous strides in his game and was the top defensive back during camp.
“The report I got was (Stamps’) man coverage relative to balls defended during camp,” Kelly said of Stamps. “Ball defended, pass defense, his numbers were the best in camp. I think he’s comfortable out there. He moves well, he’s stronger and I think he’s confident he can play against the very best in the SEC.”
The difference this year is the quality of depth at cornerback, as freshman PJ Woodland had a nice spring and appears to be doing well during the preseason, while JK Johnson and Jyaire Brown have both flashed their playmaking ability at times.
Kelly said he wants to see more consistency in the group. But overall, LSU’s cornerback room seems to have improved the most.
Tight ends
Everyone knows Mason Taylor, and rightly so. But he’s not the only reason the tight ends are on this short list.
That’s because Ka’Morreun Pimpton and rookie Trey’Dez Green have made the most of their opportunities and capitalized on them fairly consistently.
At every practice when LSU plays in the red zone and at the goal line, both Pimpton (6-6, 242) and Green (6-7, 245) have had their fair share of targets and made a ton of plays by throwing the ball high on backline routes and back pylon throws. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see three tight ends on the field for the Tigers when they’re inside the 20-yard line.
Of Pimpton, Kelly said he was impressed with his growing understanding of the position. “You have to do the dirty work and it was questionable whether he wanted to do that. Now he realizes how important it is to go in there and block.”
Running backs
LSU’s offense is experiencing somewhat of a renaissance under new offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Joe Sloan, with Jayden Daniels’ skills at quarterback gone. Junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier brings a different element to the Tigers, one that is more of a traditional dropback passer but can dodge and escape when needed.
The passing game will look different in 2024, and Sloan’s use of some positions in his system will get new life. Tight ends will be more involved in passing situations, as will LSU’s running backs.
Leading up to the season, the media has seen a lot of dump-downs and screens targeting the tailbacks, and senior Josh Williams, sophomore Kaleb Jackson, senior John Emery Jr., and freshman Caden Durham have all done well in that regard.
All of the backs have consistently demonstrated their ability as pass receivers, and each of them is athletic enough to turn forward and gain yards. Sloan said Williams has brought a lot of stability to the group, while Jackson and his approach to the offseason have received a lot of praise. He was 35 pounds heavier and is ready for a much more prominent role.
Emery is recovering from a cruciate ligament injury and is running hard again, albeit with a reduced training schedule. Durham is still learning but has shown his performance and strength a few times in training.
LSU’s running back stable appears well-equipped for its new role on offense this season.
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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Have questions about LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at[email protected].
