8/19/09 Depth Chart Review

8/19/09: Depth Chart Review


Key Losses:

Demetrius Byrd, WR
Herman Johnson, OL
Quinn Johnson, FB
Brett Helms, OL
Cold David, K
Darry Beckwith, LB
Marlon Favorite, DL
Tyson Jackson, DE
Kirston Pittman, DE
Rick-Jean Francois, DL


Linebackers: (Preseason Grade = B)

At linebacker, LSU returns two starters in Kelvin Sheppard (Sam LB) and Perry Riley (Will LB). Senior Jacob Cutrera (Mike LB) has also made 5 starts during his career. Converted safety Harry Coleman has made the move to strong side LB last spring. Coleman, who led the team in tackles last season, will bring a lot of speed to this position and I would expect that Coleman will win the Sam position from Sheppard in fall practice. Chavis understands the need for speed at this position, and he’s known for converting safeties to linebackers. Filling in the two-deep, LSU has a lot of good young talent including Ryan Baker, Barkevious Mingo, Kevin Minter, and Kyle Prater.


Defensive Line: (Preseason Grade = C)

On the D-line, LSU returns a 6th year senior at the tackle position in Charles Alexander. He was granted another year of eligibility due to injury. The other tackle spot is still up for grabs. Senior Al Woods and Junior Drake Nevis will battle for the starting spot, but both will see a lot of playing time. My guess is that Nevis will be the starter, and Woods will come in to relieve both tackle positions to keep fresh legs in the game. There’s not much depth at D-line, so a few injuries could put LSU in a real jam. Filling in the depth chart is JC transfer Akiem Hicks, RS freshman Cordian Hagans, and true freshmen Chris Davenport and Josh Downs. Once a perennial strength, the D-line is now LSU’s biggest vulnerability.

Replacing both defensive ends, including the #3 overall pick in the NFL draft, Tyson Jackson, won’t be easy. The defensive ends will most likely be Rahim Alem (Sr.) and Pep Livingston (Jr.). Both of these guys did great things in limited action last season. I’m not worried about the starters; however, every single backup at this position is a freshman. Talented…yes. But still very inexperienced. Two young players that stand out are Sam Montgomery and Michael Brockers.


Defensive Backs: (Preseason Grade = A)

The defensive backfield was rated as second worst in the conference in 2008. LSU intercepted only 8 passes, down from 23 in 2007. The D-line production was down as well, which gave opposing QB’s more time to throw. Combine this with softer coverage and an inability to check-off to different looks, and it’s not hard to see why LSU’s defense was not very good last season. Patrick Peterson will be the starter at one cornerback spot. The other will probably be Chris Hawkins, but don’t be surprised if Jai Eugene is in the conversation. All 3 of these guys are considered “shut-down” corners. They can be put on an island and play man defense without any problems. Brandon Taylor is also in the two-deep at the corner position. At free safety, you’ll see Chad Jones. This is his natural position, and he should flourish after playing most of 2008 at dime back. Senior Danny McCray and Brandon Taylor will vie for the nickel spot. It seems though, that new defensive coordinator John Chavis and new defensive backs coach Ron Cooper prefer a cornerback type player at the nickel spot, so that’s not good for McCray. The strong safety position will be filled by either Ron Brooks or Karnell Hatcher. Both of these guys are young, but very talented. Ron Brooks really emerged at the end of last season, and made some big plays on special teams. True freshman Craig Loston may get some playing time if they don’t put a shirt on him.


Offensive Line: (Preseason Grade = A)

On the other side of the ball, LSU looks to have one of the best O-lines in the conference. Although LSU did lose two senior starters in Helms and Johnson, left tackle Ciron Black turned down the NFL to return for his senior season. He is now projected to be taken in the first round of the draft. The left guard position will be filled by Josh Dworaczyk, a very talented sophomore. Replacing Helms at the center position will be either Patrick Lonergan or T-Bob Hebert, son of the Cajun Cannon. Hebert is still recovering from a torn ACL, but his rehab has gone very well and I project him as the starting center going into the season. At right guard will be Lyle Hitt, a very experienced back up who will get his chance to start. Junior Joseph Barksdale will man the right tackle position with plenty of experience. The two-deep roster has Greg Shaw and Alex Hurst at tackle. The second team guards will be Will Blackwell and Thomas Parsons.

LSU is very deep at tight end. Senior Richard Dickson, 2nd Team All SEC, is the clear-cut starter. Unless he gets hurt, he WILL set new LSU tight end records for receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. This is probably the deepest position on the team with backups Mitch Joseph, Tyler Edwards, and DeAngelo Peterson very capable of playing if needed.


Quarterbacks: (Preseason Grade = C+)

At quarterback, Jordan Jefferson will get a chance to start the season. However, Jarrett Lee WILL BE counted on at some point. And, I’m fine with that. Lee got a bad rap last season, but he didn’t play that bad for a freshman. Unfortunately, his mistakes were very costly and conspicuous. Everyone remembers his 16 interceptions, including 7 for touchdowns, but does anyone realize that he completed 53.2% of his passes and had a QB rating of 116.93. That’s not bad for a freshman in the SEC. In fact, those numbers were good enough for 6th best in the conference last year. Jordan Jefferson had a completion percentage of 49.3% and a rating of 112.87 in his limited action. The real difference between the two is the turnover/TD ratio. Jefferson’s ratio is a 0.25, while Lee’s ratio is over 1 (1.14 to be exact). If Lee can find a way to reduce the interceptions, and get a little more mobile, he could be a very good QB. Jefferson is the man to beat this season, and I’m excited to see how much he’s developed since the Chick-fil-A bowl. Also getting some PT at QB will be Russell Shepard. His greatest asset is his legs, and I’m sure Crowton is drawing up some nice plays for him. Chris Garrett will probably get a redshirt, but he will be a very solid backup one day. Both Shepard and Garrett participated in spring practice.


Wide Receivers: (Preseason Grade = A-)

The wide receiver corps will be led by Brandon Lafell, who briefly entered the NFL draft last spring before withdrawing his name. Lafell has shown steady improvement every season, and he will be the #1 option for the first time in his career. If Lafell has a good season, he’ll be a first round draft pick next April. The #2 guy will be Jr. Terrance Tolliver, who has made modest contributions since his heralded arrival at LSU as the #1 receiver prospect in the country coming out of high school. Another player who shares that distinction, Rueben Randle, will fill the #3 spot as a true freshman. For LSU to have a good season, both of these guys need to step up and play to their potential. RJ Jackson, Chris Mitchell, and Chris Toliver are very good receivers and will all see playing time this season.

LSU will have a lot of options for the slot receiver. In the past, we’ve seen Crowton utilize Trindon Holliday and Richard Murphy. This season, you can add Russell Shepard to that list. Shepard will be an exciting player to watch when he gets the ball in his hands. I’d love to see Shepard run the Skylar Green special, the slip screen. It’s an easy pitch and catch for a young QB and it gives the receiver some space to dance.


Running Backs: (Preseason Grade = A+)

LSU likes to use a lot of backs. Over the last 8 seasons, LSU has had 7 different players finish the season as the leading rusher. Only 1 of those players, Jacob Hester, repeated the next season as the leading rusher.

“Chuck the Truck” is the clear starter at tailback. Charles Scott (Sr.) rushed for over 100 yards in 6 of the first 9 games in 2008. He averaged 109 yards/game going into the 10th week of the season, when LSU’s offense fell apart. He finished the season with 1174 yards and 18 TD’s. He’s looking to give LSU back-2-back 1000 yard season for the first time since Kevin Faulk got 3 in a row from 96-98.

Keiland Williams (Sr.) is in his money year, and I hope he can hit the hole hard and break some tackles this season, or he’s not going to be drafted very high. His speed and quickness are NFL caliber, but his toughness is questionable. He is very timid with the ball in his hands. He has one more season to live up to his potential.

The rest of the group includes Trindon Holliday (Sr.), Richard Murphy (Jr.), and Michael Ford (Fr.), although Ford may redshirt this season.

At fullback, there is a lot of competition. Sophmore Steven Ridley is almost fully recovered from a knee injury he suffered in spring practice. Ridley is more of a tailback than a fullback, but fullback is probably where he sees the most playing time. He will compete with Junior Richard Dugas and true freshman Dominique Allen, who is an absolute beast at 255 lbs.



Upcoming Pre-season Reports:

8-26-09: 2009 Season Preview & Fall Camp Update


10 Days till Kick-off!!

8/12/09: Coaching Changes

Les Miles cleaned house on the defensive side of the ball after the2008 season, and we all know why so no need to re-hash those painful memories. Needless to say, the changes were mandatory, as far as the LSU fans were concerned.

Also, it should be pointed out that Les Miles handled the whole situation PERFECTLY. I don’t want to go into all of the details, but the way Miles conducted the firing/hiring process is the reason why he is more respected as a person than as a football coach.

As a coach, however, Miles went out and got some of the best coaches available, though he missed out on Ed Orgeron. Although it wasn’t a good fit between LSU and Orgeron right now, I hope that one day he is on the LSU sidelines. Here’s a brief description of the three new coaches on the defensive side of the ball.

JOHN CHAVIS, Defensive Coordinator

Age 52.
Nickname – “The Chief”. He is the only Native American coordinator or head coach in major college football and the NFL.
Played DL at Tennesse in late 70’s.
Chavis has been the Volunteer defensive coordinator since 1995. Since then, his defense has ranked in the top 4 in the SEC 10 times.
Chavis coached the linebackers at Tennessee for the past 19 years.
He is known for developing great linebackers. Since 1997, Chavis has coached four 1st Team All Americans at the linebacker position.
In 2006, Chavis was named the Assistant Football Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association.
Chavis runs the 4-3 base defense.
Chavis was one of the first coordinators to use the zone blitz.
In 2008, Tennessee was ranked #2 in the SEC and #3 in the nation in total defense.
In 2008, Tennessee only allowed 263.5 yards/game.
In 2008, Tennessee was #2 in the SEC and #4 in the nation in pass defense allowing 160.4 yards/game.
Chavis was replaced by Monte Kiffin, father of new Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin.

RON COOPER, Defensive Backs

Age 47.
Played for Jacksonville St. University in the early 80’s.
Ron Cooper comes to LSU from South Carolina, where he’s been coaching since 2004.
While Cooper was at USC, the Gamecocks ranked #1 in the SEC and #2 in the nation in pass defense allowing just 160 yards/game.
Cooper also has served as head coach of the following schools: Eastern Michigan University (1993-1994), University of Louisville (1995-1997), and Alabama A&M (1998-2001).


BRICK HALEY, Defensive Line

Age 43.
Played LB for Alabama A&M from 1984-1988.
Haley was most recently the defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears for 2 seasons.
Haley was inducted into Alabama A&M’s Hall of Fame.
He was the football MVP in 1988 and won the Inspiration Award in 1987 while at Alabama A&M.
Last season, Haley’s Bears ranked #5 in the league in rushing yards allowed per game.
In 2007, the Bears finished 6th in sacks.
He has SEC experience as MSU d-line coach from 2004-2006.
Haley has served as Defensive Coordinator at Baylor and Troy.

Tiger Trivia:

1. How many consecutive games did Andrew Whitworth start during his career?
2. What is the only number to be retired by LSU?
3. In 1986, LSU coach Bill Arnsparger resigned to accept what position?

Next week, it starts to get real. I’ve got a good report coming that will be everything you need to know about who’s playing where and who might surprise us. (Of course, if you read my report, it won’t be a surprise to you!)

Upcoming Pre-season Reports:

8-19-09: Depth Chart Review
8-26-09: 2009 Season Preview. Fall Practice Update.

Answers:

1. 52
2. 20
3. Athletic Director at Florida

2009 Recruiting Recap

LSU closed out a difficult season with one hell of a recruiting class. Ranked #1 by some, and #2 by others, this 2009 recruiting class may prove to be as good or better than Saban’s best recruiting classes in 2001 and 2004. We shall see. As with every class, there is always a small handful that stands out. I’ve highlighted 5 of those players with asterisks, and given a little more detail on them below. I think all 5 of these guys have a good chance to eventually go in the first round of the draft.

Last week, the poll question asked what is more important, good players or good coaching. Most people agree that it’s the players that matter most. Good coaching gets the most production from each player, but you can’t make chicken salad from chicken crap. It’s no coincidence that the teams that consistently recruit the best players have the most championships. Get used to these new names, because you’ll hear them a lot over the next few years.

Michael Ford: Running Back

Voted as a Parade All-American, Ford finished his high school career with 20 straight games of 100+ yards. In his senior season, he had 9 games of 200+ yards. With 2,447 yards as a senior, he broke the single season rushing record at Leesville High, a record that was held by former LSU Tiger Cecil Collins.
He was hurt much of his junior year of high school, and only played in 3 games. As a result, he didn’t get as much national attention as he would have otherwise got.
If I had to compare him to another LSU running back, it would be Charles Scott. Both guys are very well rounded and smart. They both hit the hole very hard and never go down on first contact. Neither possesses amazing top end speed, but they have enough quickness to make people miss. I have all the confidence in the world that Michael Ford will be a great one. It will be very interesting to see if Ford receives a redshirt this year. I think he’s ready to play, but we have a lot of good talent at that position right now.

Craig Loston: Safety

This guy is a sure bet. As a Parade All-American, he was ranked as the #1 Safety prospect in the nation by several recruiting services. His natural ability is on the level of two other LSU defensive backs, Chad Jones and Patrick Peterson. He will need surgery on his wrist, so he may miss the beginning of the season.
The only downside is that he may not have enough smarts to be a leader in the defensive backfield. I’ll wait and see, but it’s not good that the guy is still struggling to get cleared by the NCAA clearinghouse. Although clearance is expected to happen in a few weeks, he has not been able to work out with the team this summer so that may set him back. Because of the injury and the bad grades, I would expect a redshirt for Loston.

Sam Montgomery: Defensive End

Each recruiting class has a few surprises. The surprise pick up of 2009 was Sam Montgomery out of South Carolina. Montgomery was an unexpected pick-up late in the recruiting season. No doubt that Chavis had something to do with this. He is a speedy defensive end with enough size and strength to play early. With the recent transfer of Sidell Corley, this is a position of need for LSU, and he will get playing time this year. By next year, he’ll probably be a starter. Quickness is crucial for the defensive end position, and he has a lot of it.

Rueben Randle: Wide Receiver

As the #1 wide receiver prospect in the country, RR made us sweat it out last recruiting season. He delayed his commitment until national signing day, and strongly considered the Crimson Tide of Alabama. In fact, Les Miles was put in a very difficult position, and was forced to rescind the scholarship offer to DeAngelo Benton to secure Randle. Benton ended up at Auburn, but I didn’t like the way that situation played out. RR, a Parade All-American and All-USA selection, is the best wide receiver prospect that LSU has had in a very long time, so I think the end justifies the means in this case. Randle is the one true freshman that I think will have the biggest impact on the 2009 season. He won’t make a Julio Jones type impact, but he will contribute a lot. He has great hands and great size. He is a very smooth and fluid runner and his speed is very deceptive (think Tyrell Pryor but faster). This guy is a 1st rounder if I’ve ever seen one.

Russell Shepard: QB/Ath

If you don’t already know who this guy is, then where in the hell have you been for the last year. Shepard, another Parade All-American, is the crown jewel of the 2009 class. All the things that they say about Shepard are true. He is lightning fast, shifty, elusive, and smart. He is a unique combination of Pat White (dual-threat QB), Tim Tebow (leadership), and Reggie Bush (quickness). He will play this year, but his position is unknown. He may have a limited QB package, but he’ll more than likely play as a slot receiver this season. Besides his extraordinary athleticism, his leadership abilities may be his most outstanding quality. As a high school senior, he took it upon himself to contact the best players in the country and recruit them to LSU. He had a major impact on several LSU recruits, including Craig Loston who is his cousin. He has an infectious confidence and a magnetic personality. He is the whole package and many consider him a once-in-a-decade recruit. Expectations couldn’t be higher for Mr. Shepard, no matter what position he plays. Wherever he ends up, he’s sure to break ankles for many years to come. He enrolled at LSU in January and took part in spring practice.

Some other signees that deserve honorable mentions are Barkevious Mingo and Chris Davenport on defense, and Chris Faulk and Chris Garrett on offense. Drayton Calhoun and Morris Claiborne may get an opportunity to return punts this season.

Who we lost out on:

DeAngelo Benton - Auburn
Janzen Jackson - Tennessee
Dexter Pratt – Oklahoma St.

Looking ahead to 2010:

The 2010 class is shaping up nicely. Currently, LSU has 21 commitments and is ranked as the #2 class in the nation. While I don’t expect LSU to hold on to this ranking through signing day, LSU will finish with a Top 10 class and maybe a Top 5 class if they can get a few of the big fish in the pond. 2010 is considered a down year for LA high school talent, so Miles & Co. have been pulling recruits from all over the southeast and midwest. Next year however, the LA talent is expected to be very, very deep and LSU should finish with yet another Top 3 class in 2011. The rich get richer in the world of recruiting.

Tiger Trivia: (answers at the bottom)

1. Who holds the school record for most passing yards in a single game? How many yards?
2. Who holds the school record for most rushing yards in a single game? How many yards?
3. Who is LSU’s all-time leading rusher with 4,557 yards?

Sorry for the late post. I've been having computer problems. Thanks to Jason Brakel, my one man IT department for helping my get my computer back online.

Upcoming Pre-season Samson Reports:

08-12-09: Coaching Changes
08-19-09: Depth Chart Review
08-26-09: 2009 Season Preview. Fall Practice Update

31 Days till The Battle in Seattle!!

Answers:

1. Rohan Davey (528 yards)
2. Alley Broussard (250 yards)
3. Kevin Faulk