LSU Fall Camp: The four punt return options on day two
After getting the first few periods of practice done in the indoor facility, LSU took the outdoor practice fields on Friday morning and immediately went into punt coverage and punt return. On day one, special teams were not a focus, but on day two, Bob Diaco and others corralled the group of players potentially on the punt teams and got to work. For about 10 minutes straight they went over blocking, coverages, and punt location. On the other side, we got to watch the group of punt returners that LSU is training to be ready for game one against USC in four weeks.
The punter battle between transfer Blake Ochsendorf and Peyton Todd will continue throughout fall camp as both are getting reps in these special teams settings. Todd had an underwhelming spring camp which forced LSU to bring in another punter to add competition, so we’ll see who holds onto the starting job.
As for punt returner, the position LSU fans have been hoping can provide a spark after two years of muffs and fair catches, there were four players who were working as punt returners during this time: Aaron Anderson, Zavion Thomas, Kyle Parker, and Jelani Watkins.
Anderson started last year as the starting punt returner, but a muff in the first game of the season quickly put him on the sideline and brought in Gregory Clayton once again.
Thomas is the projected starter, seeing how he’s an all-conference return man coming off of two years of excellent production at Mississippi State. Thomas has the hands, the confidence, and the playmaking ability to be a gamechanger for LSU at the position.
Parker is always a very technically sound player with reliable hands and has a lot of punt returning experience in high school. He’s someone the staff trusts and could step into this role if Thomas misses time.
The final name here is the most interesting because he is a track sprinter in a football player’s body. Jelani Watkins is an exciting freshman because of that speed and the thought of him getting the ball in his hands in any capacity is enticing to LSU fans this offseason. We’ll see how he continues to develop in year one.
Watching the group for the 10 minutes or so they were returning punts, there was not one muff, everyone looked comfortable, and there was plenty of attention to detail. Of course, practicing returns compared to fielding them in an actual game are two completely different tasks, but for now, LSU has enough players with experience as returners in this group to feel confident moving into the 2024 season.
Stay tuned to the Bengal Tiger for the latest on LSU’s fall practices and everything to know.
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