The media got access to a full practice today and got to see a lot including 7v7s, 11v11s, position drills, and special teams.
Offensively, it was a great day after it looked as if the defense had the upper hand on Thursday. Saturday was about the offense. Kyren Lacy obviously has been making plays throughout the entire fall camp, but a lot of the other receivers stepped up including Chris Hilton Jr., who made the catch of the day when on 7v7, he caught a touchdown from Garrett Nussmeier in tough coverage by PJ Woodland.
Shelton Sampson Jr. and Aaron Anderson arguably had their best day up to this point in fall camp. The former five star receiver from Catholic High was very impressive during 1v1s while Aaron Anderson was putting on a show during 7v7 with several catches including a touchdown.
Sampson, Anderson, Kyle Parker, and Zavion Thomas all got some reps with the 1s and 2s. After dealing with a hamstring injury the last couple of days, it was good to see the Mississippi State transfer return to practice. There were a lot of quick screens to the outside and dump off passes showing that the offense is not afraid to get the ball out quickly to their playmakers.
The biggest highlight during 11v11 that stands out was when Kaleb Jackson did his Leonard Fournette impression by trucking a LSU defender for a first down. The collision was so loud that the media could hear it from the opposite end of the field just showcasing the raw power of the 235 pound running back.
There are a lot of talented receiving options as the three receiving tight ends in Mason Taylor, Ka’Morreun Pimpton, and Trey’Dez Green are too good to keep off the field and today, there were a variety of formations featuring two tight ends including when it was Lacy, Daniels and the combination of Taylor and Pimpton. All three tight ends were heavily involved during 7v7 and each caught passes from the quarterbacks.
Nussmeier continues to impress during the 7v7 by completing 7 of 8 passes with four touchdowns to Hilton, Anderson, and CJ Daniels.
The only hiccup from Nussmeier today was during 11v11 when Jyaire Brown was able to get an interception. That was the only bright spot for the secondary today along with Major Burns recording a PBU and a tackle for loss.
Defensively, Harold Perkins Jr. shined today during 11v11 as he also got involved with a sack. The pass rush during 11v11 was an improvement as the defensive front was able to put some pressure on Nussmeier. Defensive coordinator Blake Baker did speak with the media and talked about the evolution of Perkins along with the rest of the defense.
The defensive line did receive some good news when Jalen Lee and Bradyn Swinson returned to practice after completing coursework for graduation. Although the defensive line returned two players, it also was without Wisconsin transfer Gio Paez, who was not available at practice today. Paez has been the other starting defensive tackle besides Guillory.
With Paez not available, players like Shone Washington and Kimo Makaneole took on some of the first team reps. In LSU’s dime package, Jyaire Brown remained as the starting nickel and the second team featured Dashawn Spears and Kylin Jackson at safety with PJ Woodland, JK Johnson, and now, Michael Turner receiving cornerback reps. The freshman from John Curtis has emerged the last couple of practices and is starting to earn more playing time in practice. Javien Toviano was also in the rotation getting cornerback reps. Zy Alexander is also making his way back into the thick of things after tearing his ACL last year.
Finally, on special teams, Damian Ramos was seen kicking a long field goal from the 40 yard line and making it. It was also the first time that we got to see what players were getting reps at kickoff returner. It was Zavion Thomas, Caden Durham, Aaron Anderson, Josh Williams, and Jelani Watkins.
LSU will get a day off tomorrow and will return back on Monday. There will be no practice footage, but another report will be released. For more of our LSU Football coverage, make sure to visit out website at www.gridironfootballusa.com!
Check out our earlier LSU Football practice reports HERE!
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