LSU Practice Report Fall Camp: Day 2
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Today was the first evening practice of fall camp, and I spent most of the media viewing period on the Ponderosa watching the defense.
The biggest thing that stood out today was the fact that the first-team defense featured two true freshman defensive tackles, Richard Anderson and Deuce Geralds, along with redshirt freshman safety Jhase Thomas. LSU has never featured two true freshman interior defensive linemen with the first unit, and the progress Richard Anderson has made since the end of spring practice has been nothing short of amazing. He has transformed his body, gotten himself into shape, and it’s already starting to pay dividends early in fall camp.
Playing two true freshmen isn’t a knock on the older players in the room. If anything, it highlights just how special these young players are.
The same can be said for Jhase Thomas. Thomas starting over Temarcus Cooley is a relative surprise. Coming out of the spring, Thomas didn’t generate much buzz. Most of the conversation centered around Faheem Delane, and very few people believed Cooley’s role was truly in jeopardy. After all, Cooley played the most snaps on the defense last season, so it was almost assumed he would continue as the starter. However, through the first two practices of fall camp, it has been Thomas leading the way.
This also reinforces one of the major points Lane Kiffin has stressed heading into camp: the best players will play. There is competition at every position, and it’s clear this coaching staff sees something that has separated Thomas from the rest of the group at this point.
Overall, this defense looks and feels like an LSU defense. The defensive front is intimidating and athletic. The linebackers are aggressive, instinctive, and incredibly fast. The defensive backs can cover, and they are constantly rallying to the football to limit explosive plays.
What really puts this defense over the top, though, is the coaching staff. The intensity is being brought by every coach at every level of the defense. It’s not just Coach O. Kevin Peoples, Blake Baker, Chris Kiffin, Jake Olsen, and Corey Raymond are all demanding attention to detail while coaching with tremendous energy, intensity, and focus. This defense is going to be very exciting to watch.
A few additional observations:
Lamar Brown rotated in with the first-team defense at edge during portions of practice. At one point, LSU had three true freshmen on the defensive line with the first unit, which is remarkable.
Another player worth monitoring is Dom McKinley, who is still working with the third team. His development hasn’t shown up on the practice field yet, but hopefully he can put things together soon and begin working his way into the rotation.
TJ Dottery and Whit Weeks continue to be outstanding at linebacker. They play with tremendous speed and outstanding instincts.
Finally, if I didn’t mention Ty Benefield in this report, it would be a disservice. Benefield is the type of player you want to be first off the bus, first out of the tunnel, and first onto the field. He is truly special. Words don’t do him justice as a player, and he is going to be incredibly fun to watch this season.
There will be no media access tomorrow, but we’ll be back out there Saturday morning. Lane Kiffin will also meet with the media following practice.
What are your thoughts on camp so far and how excited are you about this upcoming season?
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