2023 LSU Fall practice notes: Day 4

On Monday morning, it was the second opportunity for the media to watch a full LSU practice, bringing plenty of notable content for fans to enjoy with less than a month before kickoff against Florida State.

Here’s a rundown of what took place, who stood out, and everything I saw.

Who missed practice?

Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr was sidelined for undisclosed reasons, but was seen at practice walking around. Safety Greg Brooks started practice but left for a large portion before returning to watch practice with his helmet on, potentially signaling a return later in the day or tomorrow.

JK Johnson missed practice with an apparent left leg injury. He was not suited up and had his leg propped up on a roller.

We’ll keep an eye out for more names to add to the list.

Tempers flare

Early in practice, Charles Turner and Maason Smith got into it and had to be separated during the early drill work period of offensive line vs defensive line. 

Then, once things moved outside, it didn’t take long for tensions to flare up again as Malik Nabers and Kyren Lacy got into a brawl with Harold Perkins and Denver Harris. The fight quickly merged with all of the offense and defense getting involved. Plenty of words went between one another. Nabers and Lacy were kicked out for the remainder of the practice.

Brian Kelly then called the team together and laid into them, giving a brief, but poignant talk about how they need to have more emotional control and maturity, finding leadership, and understanding that they will be a .500 team if they can’t stop fighting with one another.

Overall, it was a stressful practice for Kelly who was clearly tired of all of the bickering and mistakes stacking on top of one another. 

Youth shines

Throughout the day, it was young players who continuously stood out. Ka’Morreun Pimpton, Ashton Stamps, Zalance Heard, Jackson McGohan, Dashawn Womack, Javien Toviano, all had really strong outings today.

Even looking past the true freshmen, players like Aaron Anderson, Landon Ibieta, Bo Bordelon, and Laterrance Welch had some impressive moments. 

Anderson looks better with every practice. The combination of hands with his quickness made him unguardable in one-on-ones and he also had a great 7-on-7 session. Pimpton also excelled in the one-on-ones, using his size to box out the defensive backs and reel in catches. Tight end Connor Gilbreath also made a few appearances on the first team, blocking in the snaps I saw.

QBs are on point

It was a really strong practice from both Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier. Daniels’ comfort is evident, and while he was not super aggressive down the field, he made a couple nice intermediate throws and had no turnovers. 

Nussmeier did what he always does. He had multiple deep balls that were completed in 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 periods. He found Shelton Sampson, Kyle Parker, and others on 25+ yard passes that were dropped perfectly into place. He had one interception where he was a bit late on an intermediate crossing route and Andre Sam picked it off. The following drive, he found Aaron Anderson between two defenders about 15 yards down the field. 

Special teams work

There was a ton of time spent on special teams, from extra points, to field goals, to punts and kickoffs. The punt and kick returners got a lot of work with Cortez Hankton. Here’s the list of players who worked on the kick returning: Aaron Anderson, Gregory Clayton, Jalen Brown, Kyle Parker, Logan Diggs, Noah Cain, Javen Nichols, Trey Holly.

The punt returner group was Aaron Anderson, Gregory Clayton, Kyle Parker, and Jalen Brown.

Everyone had one drop or bobble besides Clayton, Diggs, and Nichols. At this moment, I’d still assume Anderson is the starting punt returner.

Once again, Bob Diaco’s energy was apparent. He tries to make the most of the special team time periods. It’s very a much a team effort from the coaching staff on special teams, but Diaco does a good job leading the way.

Overall

*** The offensive line and defensive line both had their moments going against one another. Early on, Wingo and Oghoufo were really impactful pressuring Daniels and Nussmeier, but then there was a string of plays where both QBs had ample time to deliver. Those are clearly two of the strongest units on the team.

*** It was a productive practice for the team, but one that will need to be a turning point. In the two practices we’ve seen, there have been too many mistakes and bickering. The offense feels scattered right now, even with so many returners. The defense is clearly shuffling things around still, but it’s up to Perkins and Speights at linebacker to step up in a big way. We have a lot more access to come, so I’m interested to see how much practice cleans up the rest of this week. 

*** More players who stood out to me

Logan Diggs got a ton of starting reps at running back and looked good. Jacobian Guillory will be an impactful nose tackle for this team. He’s too strong for most of LSU’s interior offensive line.Andre Sam is a legit SEC safety and a baller at that. He’s going to make some plays this year.Quency Wiggins still flashes some really high upside that I think will show this year.

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