Lonn Phillips Sullivan
Aug 21, 20225 min
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-According to Head Coach Brian Kelly, LSU's session inside Tigers Stadium ran for 50 plays and sustained no more further injuries.
-Due to his finesse, progress, quick adjustment to life at LSU and the academic issues arising with John Emery Jr, it's starting to feel as if Brian Kelly will be trusting Noah Cain as his #1 running back for Week 1, admiring the former Penn State back's physical, violent running style.
As we reported in our last few Fall Camp updates, Cain is also delivering in the passing game out of the backfield....making sure offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock takes full notice of his dual threat abilities.
-LSU's first unit offensive setup went: QB Daniels, RB Cain, WR Boutte, WR Jenkins, WR Nabers, WR Lacy, LT Campbell, LG Frazier (moved over from right guard), C Dellinger, RG Bradford (moved back to his home spot from RT), RT Wire.
-LSU's second unit offensive setup went: QB Nussmeier, RB Emery Jr, WR Bech, WR Hilton Jr, WR Thomas Jr, TE Mason Taylor, while Jones, Hill, Martinez, Turner at center and Kardell Thomas were the O-Line in a combination our source on the ground couldn't figure out completely, which speaks to Brad Davis & Brian Kelly's propensity to mix, match and experiment with the offensive line.
It's evident Kelly and Davis share the same platoon philosophy, mostly due to the uncertainty of their current roster: In short, this O-line staff are much like how LSU will operate at every position this season: they want to be able to pull anyone out during any game at any position at any time, while also being able to replace that player with almost anyone from the bench to either fill the hole or dominate the role.
-Kelly mentioned he was very happy with how converted center Garrett Dellinger snapped the ball, joking about reporters being unable to capture his screaming histrionics once again on Saturday.
-Lots of talk about running back John Emery Jr's academic issues, as Brian Kelly absolutely alluded to during his press conference....saying that John is in fine standing with football, only to leave it open to interpretation, mentioning the Buckley confidentiality and student privacy law as to why he couldn't divulge further details.
Kelly's full response: “You guys know the situation with John Emery. I really can’t get into the specifics of that because of the Buckley amendment, but he’s certainly going to be part of what we do this year. There’s obviously some things I can’t talk about. He is in good standing with football. Everything that he’s done, he’s done a good job with us in football. Anything else that arises is something I can’t comment on because of privacy rights.”
After doing some digging, it appears Emery Jr may not be academically eligible in time for full participation against Florida State, with further early contests against Southern and SEC opener Mississippi State now in question.
Following an entire missing 2021 season, Emery Jr is having his past haunt him yet again. I am told by a source close to the family that "errors made by (Ed Orgeron's) staff are somehow affecting John's NCAA status" once again....though I am not sure what those errors are.
How could the same error rear its head again to take down the same player for yet another campaign?
That would make zero sense and call into question everything we know about the academic ineligibility case.
-QB Jayden Daniels tore it up in front of a mostly empty Death Valley with many former Tigers looking on, nodding in approval as he commanded his offensive line and skill position teammates in a way that said "I've been here before"....
Though Brian Kelly hinted that his staff would name a starter "sooner rather than later", it's quite apparent Jayden Daniels is LSU's 2022 starting quarterback.
-WR Malik Nabers continues to dominate, playing with intimidation, intensity and a quiet assassin demeanor...that is until he beats you....then Malik may break out the trash talk.
Nabers routinely made transfer DBs Mekhi Garner, Jarrick Bernard-Converse and nickel Greg Brooks Jr appear clueless, almost lost during their one vs one reps.
He's not just slippery after the catch, Malik is nearly impossible to track throughout the route.
For my money, Nabers has separated himself as the #2 wide receiver, only behind Kayshon Boutte right now.....he is an absolute dawg who excites everyone watching him.
-As for Kayshon Boutte himself, LSUs newest member of the #7 club wasn't to be outdone by a sophomore, reeling in a pair of long 30-35 yard gains, showcasing an improving deep threat capability. Despite being out for much of 2022's calendar year, Boutte actually seems to have developed into a complete overall receiver while out injured.
He is thicker than ever before, ripped and chiseled as we've never seen, from the shoulders to the legs....hopefully this intensive training from Strength Coach Jake Flint will help Boutte avoid the kind of injuries which took half of his 2021 campaign away.
While there is such an incredible amount of talent at receiver, Kayshon really does stand alone as the best receiver on the team, within the SEC and, in the opinion of this author, he will prove he is the top pass catcher in all of college football.
If Boutte could be properly unleashed, he could score touchdowns for fun this season. If he does, propelling LSU to the top of both their conference and college football's rankings, it could end in Boutte heading to New York City with his family....and I'm not just talking about the Biletnikoff Award....
-On defense, Matt House's lineup went with Major Burns & Jay Ward at safety, Mike Jones Jr and Greg Penn III as the two mostly used linebackers, only deploying two linebacker sets for much of Saturday (Micah Baskerville the third most deployed), Jarrick Bernard-Converse & Colby Richardson at cornerback (Mekhi Garner & Laterrance Welch as the second string corners), B.J Ojulari, Ali Gaye, Maason Smith and Jaquelin Roy as the front four (Desmond Little and Saivion Jones behind Ojulari and Gaye on the edge), although there were many lineups anchored by Mekhi Wingo, Maason Smith or Jacobian Guillory through the middle.
-Desmond Little received a big mention from Head Coach Brian Kelly during his media press conference, making sure to point out how important the veteran has become. Last year, Little surprised in limited reps for 3 TFLs and 2.5 sacks over just 3 games.
-Armoni Goodwin continued to reel off big runs, smash through defenders and chew up yards on the ground but he paid the price with a bit of an injury, yet it doesn't look too serious.
Although you cannot help but be extremely worried about LSU's dwindling numbers at running back, possibly losing John Emery Jr for the first few weeks of the season (giving LSU just 3 scholarship running backs), Goodwin is a fantastic specimen at the position and must receive playing time.
He's just that good.
-Freshman tight end Mason Taylor is a colossus at the tight end position, slotting in quickly despite only arriving on campus this past June.
Well, he arrived ready. As the son of Hall of Fame NFL superstar Jason Taylor, Mason showed up prepared and has progressed at an alarming rate within LSU's weight room, during Jake Flint's rigorous summer conditioning program and now across fall camp.
Affirming his rise, at today's press conference, Head Coach Brian Kelly told Jacques Doucet "yes, he is going to play right away..."
-Javen Nicholas has shown up in fall camp as a fast-paced receiver who's being used as a backfield weapon, as well. He burned Sage Ryan and Mekhi Garner on back to back reps just the other day and continues to be strong catching the ball in short yardage plays.
Special Teams First Unit:
Punter: Jay Bramblett (booting 50 yard punts and looking seasoned)
Kicker: Damion Ramos
Returners: Malik Nabers & Sage Ryan
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
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