5 THINGS TO WATCH AT LSU'S FALL CAMP

By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

@LonnPhillips

With fall camp beginning today, the real thick of it begins now...

....in lieu of a quarterback competition & despite the bone thin numbers at QB, the Tigers will settle for high upside consistency under second year QB Max Johnson, LSU's definitive starter heading into the season.

The team now understands who will be leading the way, what his skills are and who he is as a person....so now, at least offensively, fall camp will be all about formulating the team around Johnson's dual threat talents & Peetz's Johnsonian philosophy.

But my my my there are far more players, scenarios and position battles to keep your eye on, especially now that the QB position has been officially established as Max's job.

Max Johnson will be great in 2021, especially when supported by an illustrious bevy of weapons in which he can distribute the ball to. He plays QB like a point guard at times, almost as if he can make any movement or pass to make plays happen.

But other than a large amount of skill position weapons, a strong defense & solid special teams also help a quarterback achieve success.....

On a team with a fresh crop of dynamic new blood combined next to a squad of some of LSU's longest tenured ever players (including RT Austin Deculus who has a great chance to play the most games of any LSU Tiger ever), there's no shortage of storylines, experience or youthful exuberance.

Could it be guys like Sonia Fonua, Neil Farrell Jr, Trey Palmer, perhaps Glen Logan, or maybe Jontre Kirklin reprising his 200+ yard Spring Game performance, possibly Cam Lewis at nickel....there will be no shortage of candidates or possibilities.

After last year's maniacal Pelini sacrilege, can Defensive Coordinator Daronte Jones pull off the 180 degree turnaround and deliver a defense that finally plays up to their ability?

He has the establishment and pieces to make it happen:

1. FAMILIARITY:

Regardless of last year's mistakes, this squad have played a lot of football together, most of these players have been together since at least 2019....and plenty would possess tighter bonds after 2020's criticism and flood of disappointments / bad headlines.

Now, with Daronte Jones coaching this group, that unity & ingrained collective experience has to count for something.....

Damone Clark has been with the program since 2018....following Devin White's every step as a freshman; Glen Logan & Neil Farrell Jr were both recruited by Les Miles' coaching staff and joined back in 2017; safety Todd Harris has been at LSU since 2017, too, Cam Lewis red-shirted through his freshman year of 2016....

Even a younger guy such as Jay Ward has been at LSU since the 2019 campaign, batting down 3 passes on Jalen Hurts during the 2019 Peach Bowl.

2. TALENT:

Even amid 2020's shocking 370+ passing yards and 169 rushing yards allowed per game, LSU's defense were riddled with talents....guys who will play on Sundays.

In 2021, that number increases....alongside that upward mobility, our defensive Tigers will have a strong chance for success under a new defensive staff:

This group are versatile all over the field, they're fast & instinctive within the secondary and at DL, while the collective pace & prowess of Blake Baker's linebackers is still somewhat unproven, though I trust in their growth.

Our secondary is vast and deep, especially at safety:

There's UGA transfer and Baton Rouge native Major Burns, Jordan Toles, Lafeyette area freshmen Matthew Langlois (a physical & cognitive freak) and Sage Ryan all competing for a single spot. Safety went from a weakness to a strength overflowing with talent, coupled by Pig Cage at nickel, too.

3. THE SPINE:

The biggest leaders in each phase, aka "The Spine of 2021 LSU" who's own individual success could end up dictating wins or losses?

At LB, former Clemson transfer Mike Jones Jr is expected to be LSU's starting Mic LB, using his side to side afterburners, ball hawking range, and high football IQ to fortify himself as a high draft pick at the NFL level.

At DT, Neil Farrell Jr will be that veteran Orgeron will lean on, Joseph Evans will take the role of an interior bruiser who geauxs nonstop, comes out and takes a breather before heading back out there to do it all over again; then you have Jaquelin Roy, probably the #1 guy on the inside, all while Maason Smith will be that young buck who could not only shine in 2021, he could hit multiple sacks in a single game without anyone feeling surprised....and he's a DT.

At CB, the Tigers boast the best tandem in the country, the #1 overall CB and his #2 partner in pass coverage desecration, All-Americans Derek Stingley Jr & Eli Ricks. These two are ball hawks always looking to make a play, posting a combined 13 created turnovers after 2 1/2 combined seasons (10 INTs, 1 FF and 2 FR).

At safety, Jay Ward is the establishment of pain:

Across 2020 at CB, Jay hauled in 3 interceptions (taking one to the house), blocking a potential game-tying field goal, and forcing a fumble.....but his rate of play skyrocketed once Daronte Jones took the Defensive Coordinator job:

Jones' first order of business???

Switch Ward from cornerback to safety, an act first reported by this site.

Since the move, Ward has picked off 4 passes and returned 1 for a score, even giving the national television audience a preview of his brilliance during the spring game.

OVERALL:

I feel this defense will be aggressive, lit up and ready for vengeance...

The punishment is nigh at hand....

Watch for the chemistry of this defense, how well they can gang-tackle, how often they fly to the ball as a group, the strength of their gap integrity, their pre-snap communication especially, and how well they'll adjust after explosive plays...

Will Daronte Jones & Corey Raymond put a stop to the madness if certain players continue their profligate play from 2020, (i.e Cordale Flott, Damone Clark, Darren Evans)???

Surely with such a wealth of options, Jones & Raymond won't hesitate.

Will guys like Sonia Fonua, Raydarious Jones or Jared Small rise to the top and prove their excellent spring campaigns were far from flukes?

Will Ojulari and Gaye wreak havoc as the two most insidious sack kings inside the conference?

Throughout the player's only 7 on 7 practices and the conditioning drills, we know Derek Stingley Jr still practiced alongside his DB teammates and stayed at the cornerback position.

However, today we know all of that could change.

Today could be the first day Derek Stingley Jr will take a snap at wide receiver or running back, coming across the formation for a dump off, or being used as a cleverly disguised decoy (helping afford Boutte, Bech, Moore, Jenkins etc an extra foot of space)....all options are on the table.

There will be a Stingley package in the offense, but will he have more of a footprint?

Will he be nothing more than a decoy?

Or will he get the ball once or twice a game, even?

Who knows how much of a factor Stingley's appearances on offense will be, although I have a sincere feeling our opponents will fill their pants seeing #7 cross in motion....

It's on Jake Peetz to use that fear against our opponents at every turn....

Let the chess match begin....

When you look at the list of LSU's receiving / tight end options, you begin to feel excitement and a sense of "2019 power" coming on....especially when you consider the strength of our starting quarterback's chemistry with Mickey Joseph's receiving corps:

At any given time, Max Johnson will have any assortment or assemblage of Kayshon Boutte, Jack Bech, Deion Smith, Koy Moore, Trey Palmer, Chris Hilton Jr, Brian Thomas Jr, Jaray Jenkins, Jontre Kirklin, Devonta Lee, Malik Nabers, Kole Taylor, Alex Adams, Jack Mashburn, Evan Francioni....the list is ridiculous and outrageous.

LSU have a mix and match array of aerial talent, and a group which the Tigers cannot afford to swing & miss on:

Among Mickey Joseph's WR room, LSU have every body type and profile available, from hulking physical specimen who will be tough to challenge in the air (Bech, Lee, Smith, Thomas Jr), speedy burners who make the field their playground (Kirklin, Hilton Jr, Palmer, Moore), burly block-first TEs (Taylor, Storz) and madmen who can do it all (Boutte, Smith, Bech, Hilton Jr, Jenkins, Nabers).

The options are bountiful and they are ludicrous, plus LSU have that confirmed #1 star in Kayshon Boutte, a sophomore who plays like an NFL rookie.

Watch how Peetz arranges and combines different WR profiles to gain mismatches; try to see who's catching the ball most after Kayshon;

Watch for the influence of DJ Mangas' energy levels as well as his keen talent for one on one individual coaching up.

This is the best wide receiving corps in the nation...listing the names, their talents and abilities doesn't even come close to doing these players justice.

Watch the tape on guys like Kayshon Boutte, Jack Bech, Deion Smith, Chris Hilton Jr, Jaray Jenkins and Malik Nabers and you'll understand exactly what I mean.

These Tigers are ready.

I hate to keep bullying LSU's 2021 O-Line, because so many are....however, Austin Deculus, Edward Ingram, Chasen Hines, Liam Shanahan, Anthony Bradford, Cam Wire, Garrett Dellinger, Marlon Martinez, Marcus Dumervil, Charles Turner, Kardell Thomas....they all know there's a microscope on their willingness to succeed this campaign.

After getting blown off the line of scrimmage for most of 2020, with some simply damning rushing statistics signifying their putrid play (32 yards from 27 carries vs Auburn), new O-Line Coach Brad Davis will have his work cut out for him. The loss of "supposed to start" LT Dare Rosenthal was also a big time blow, although one they can absorb if they stay healthy.

As far as the chemistry, this OL should be farther ahead than they currently are.

Sure, center Liam Shanahan and a few others are new to the SEC, but guys like Ed Ingram and Austin Deculus have been playing alongside each other for 3 full seasons. Potential right guard Chasen Hines played 36 snaps at left guard vs Vanderbilt and appeared throughout 10 games in 2019, backing up Lloyd Cushenberry at center; Anthony Bradford has been around the program for a considerable amount of time and has constantly been one of the biggest hypes on roster.....it's evident there's more experience on the Tigers' O-Line than many let on.

The problem isn't the experience...

It's the functionality of their chemistry.

Watch for how many times you see our O-Line become comfortable enough to improvise....watch for the OL's recognition of each other....look out for their collective physical conditioning: pay attention to how well they fight until the whistle, if their bodies give out early under the pressure, or how many false steps they take....

Many believe Max Johnson's athleticism allows our OL to just turn off its brain....and you couldn't be more wrong or foolish:

Remember....after Max, we have a true freshman (Garrett Nussmeier) on board and then Marjory Stoneman Douglas walk-on Matt O'Dowd, one a great QB, the other a serviceable unknown....both unproven and neither holding the experience or arm of Myles Brennan.

We need this OL to get the running game geauxing, and thanks to OC Jake Peetz working in concert with our promising new OL Coach Brad Davis, spending extra time consulting the 49ers OL staff, and the tricks he learned from his prior gig as a running backs coach at Carolina, I feel like we have the right personnel, the proper tools & athletic structure....we just need the guys to produce.

Watch out for LSU's badass 2021 freshmen.....they may just take the mantle and dominate this fall camp, earning starting spots all over the place:

Judging by the footage I've seen of the big boy in purple & gold action, I would agree, though he'll likely see limited reps behind Anthony, Ojulari and Fonua.

What the hell has Tommy Moffitt done to this young man?

Has Moffitt transformed Jones from a Terminator into a dragonslaying Tiger of Fortune?

An LSU staffer told us Saivion Jones was "already imposing" when he first came on campus, but after Tommy Moffitt put him through his weight-gaining regimen, now he's "straight up scaring guys shitless".

If Dellinger is among our most aggressive O-linemen, then he must be given further reps.

I think that is a distinct possibility considering the compliments I hear about Sage's time at LSU thus far.

Will Coach O's 2021 freshman class lead the way, stepping up in moments of uncertainty or doubt, making big plays when the Tigers' veterans are absent?

Affirmative.

Get used to it.

By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

@LonnPhillips

Copyright 2021 Uninterrupted Writings Inc

SHOUTOUTS: LET'S GEAUX 2021 TIGERS!!!! LET'S F*#$*%N GEAUX BOYS!!!!!

TIME TO STAPLE SOME SEC RIVAL ASS!