Today, LSU had their first fall camp under Lane Kiffin, and we had a brief two period access to practice.
Much of the focus during the 10 minutes of availability was on quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is back to being a full participant after missing spring football because of his right foot injury he was dealing with at Arizona State. Leavitt looked good as the ball came out crisp and got a lot more accurate on the deep ball as the session progressed. Coach Kiffin raved about Leavitt saying that this is the best he has looked since arriving in Baton Rouge.
Caden Durham, Harlem Berry, and Wisconsin transfer Dillin Jones were getting most of the reps at running back and running backs coach Kevin Smith was very vocal with the group as he has been during spring football.
An interesting number change was that freshman All-SEC cornerback DJ Pickett changed his number from 3 to 5. It is the first time that somebody has worn the number five jersey at LSU since Jayden Daniels was the quarterback. Coach Kiffin said the reason for the jersey swap was that it was a promise made to Pickett when he was getting recruited.
There were a couple of interesting notes on the defensive side of the football. In terms of the depth chart, Deuce Geralds was getting first team reps at defensive tackle alongside Malik Blockton with Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Ross on the outside. Then, perhaps, the biggest surprise was Jhase Thomas getting starting reps at safety instead of returning starter Tamarcus Cooley. Expect Cooley to be back with the first team, but it is a promising sign to see the Destrehan product get some reps as the depth behind the starting five defensive backs of Pickett, PJ Woodland, Ty Benefield, Cooley, and Dashawn Spears is a question mark. For now, Ja’Keem Jackson and Michael Turner are getting the second team reps at cornerback with Faheem Delane getting second team reps at safety. Whit Weeks and TJ Dottery were getting first team reps at linebacker.
The second team defensive line had five-star freshmen Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson. Both are highly talented and part of the highest recruited defensive linemen class in LSU history. Kiffin was asked about Brown as somebody who has the combination of height, weight, and speed. He also praises his maturity and intelligence. Both are expected to be in the rotation this fall. The rest of the second team defense includes Stephiylan Green and Dylan Carpenter on the defensive line, Tylen Singleton and Davhon Keys at linebacker, and CJ Jimcoily at the Star position.
Stay tuned to www.gridironfootballusa.com for more LSU content. The next LSU practice report will be posted tomorrow.