BATON ROUGE, La. – Each week during LSU’s preseason practice, we will review five things we learned that week.
Here are five items from the Tigers’ second week of preseason camp:
1. Quinn, Chark getting ready at WR: Neither player was the No. 1 receiver prospect in the nation -- that was Malachi Dupre, who also signed with LSU in February but has been slowed recently by an undisclosed injury -- but freshmen Trey Quinn and D.J. Chark might be more prepared to contribute.
When asking LSU’s veteran receivers (or defensive backs) which freshmen have impressed them, it doesn’t take long before Quinn and Chark’s names arise. Especially Quinn’s. And don’t try to pigeonhole him as a possession receiver, either. The kid’s got good hands, yes, but he’s got the wheels and route-running ability to make plays all over the field. It sounds like we’ll see that happen sooner rather than later.
2. Good news at defensive tackle: LSU coach Les Miles named Frank Herron as a starting defensive tackle alongside Christian LaCouture once Quentin Thomas went down with an injury last week.
As it turns out, the Tigers might have both Herron and Thomas at their disposal at some point. Some within the program expected the worst when Thomas injured his arm in practice last week, but the team medical staff said he can rehabilitate the injury without surgery and might not miss the season after all.
Herron looked like was going to play a major role on the defensive line regardless, but it certainly won’t hurt for the Tigers to have their eldest veteran back in the fold. Miles said this week that he believes LSU has a potentially outstanding defensive line, and Thomas’ presence can only make it that much better.
3. Playing it coy about quarterbacks: If the Tigers are as disciplined on the field this fall as they are about discussing their quarterback competition, they’ll never commit a penalty. They’re definitely not tipping their hands when it comes to the QBs.
No matter who you ask, the general message is always the same: “Whoever the coaches choose, we can win with him. They’re both playing great right now. I don’t have a preference,” referring to quarterback contenders Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris.
Asked who threw the two touchdown passes in a scrimmage earlier this week, Miles replied, “A quarterback. I’m not going to share that if you don’t mind.”
This is nothing new. Miles pulled the same cloak-and-dagger routine in the spring, when he refused to reveal the quarterbacks’ passing stats after each of the Tigers’ scrimmages. Clearly this is just how Miles is going to handle it. With a tough opening matchup ahead against Wisconsin, there's no good reason to discourage one of the contenders yet.
4. Knowing their roles: LSU has established a reputation for playing freshmen -- and the Tigers will probably use somewhere around their normal 15 signees at some point this season.
But some Tigers newcomers display a mature understanding that this is probably not the fall where they make much of an impact.
Clifton Garrett -- one of the team’s highest-rated defensive signees -- showed that attitude, acknowledging that senior D.J. Welter and sophomore Kendell Beckwith are much better prepared to play at middle linebacker. So for now, he’s focusing on playing special teams and learning the intricacies of defensive coordinator John Chavis’ defense.
“I envision my role being a special teams kind of guy and just whenever coach feels like I’m able to get the plays down and everything, I’m going to be at [middle linebacker], so I’ve got to get the guys lined up,” Garrett said. “When Coach Chavis tells me I’m ready for that position, go out there and play on the field in primetime, then I’m going to do it and I want to be ready for that.”
Same with offensive lineman Jevonte Domond, who arrived from junior college just before the Tigers opened camp. This is probably a learning season, Domond acknowledged. The Tigers have a veteran offensive line and he still has three seasons of eligibility remaining, so the opportunity to learn LSU’s blocking schemes behind an established starter such as right tackle Jerald Hawkins will be incredibly valuable for him in 2015.
Plenty of LSU’s 2014 signees could make similar statements. Most recruits arrive and want to play immediately -- and some Tigers freshmen will do so this fall -- but it’s often good for them to bide their time behind experienced players without the pressure of learning in front of 102,000 people on fall Saturdays. It’s refreshing to see some newcomers possess the maturity to acknowledge that reality.
5. Kick return competition continues: The Tigers reportedly worked on kickoff returns in Wednesday’s first team scrimmage and will likely practice them again in Saturday’s first full scrimmage. But it’s difficult to predict who will handle kicks when the Tigers open the season Aug. 30 against Wisconsin.
Receiver Travin Dural said he’s practicing as a punt returner and kickoff returner and listed Tre'Davious White, Jamal Adams, Leonard Fournette, Quinn and Dupre among the other contenders. Dural said it’s difficult to detect a pecking order yet, however.
“As I see it, whoever lines up first gets the first punt or whoever gets there first gets the first kickoff,” Dural said. “There isn’t really a set order. It isn’t set in stone who’s the punt returner or who’s the kick returner.”
That could be a fun competition to watch over the next couple of weeks, as the players Dural listed have the skills to continue the LSU tradition of excellent return men.