Da Boot Sports 8/15/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA- LSU has officially announced that sixth year senior quarterback Myles Brennan is no longer on the team as he has decided to end his college football career. “We are grateful to Myles for everything he has done for LSU Football.,” Coach Brian Kelly said in a release on Monday. “Myles is a great leader who has made a tremendous impact on this program, and he has earned the respect of everyone here through his commitment and love for LSU. “Myles has always embodied the traits required to fulfill our mission to graduate champions, and we have full confidence those traits will help him succeed at every step in his journey as he moves forward.” This announcement comes after sources have leaked this morning that Jayden Daniels will be the starting quarterback to begin the 2022 season, a decision that was apparently made over the weekend. Garrett Nussmeier will serve as the teams backup.
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Da Boot Sports 8/15/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - BREAKING NEWS: Looks like the LSU quarterback competition has come to an end for the 2022 football season. Sources have leaked that Brian Kelly and Mike Denbrock have decided over the weekend that Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels will start for LSU. Garrett Nussmeier will be the backup. Myles Brennan was absent from practice this morning and has apparently decided to leave the program. More to come..... Da Boot Sports 8/11/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - It was practice seven of the 2022 fall football camp and the media was invited to view the entire session. Thursday's practice was originally scheduled to take place in Tiger Stadium but was relocated to the Charles McClendon practice facility at the last minute. We basically got to witness all the typical drills and then a controlled scrimmage during the morning practice. What we saw has my mind starting to wonder about certain positions. In the spring I found that Myles Brennan was head and shoulders above the other signal callers and I figured that he would begin to separate himself from the others in the fall, but that simply hasn't happened. Garrett Nussmeier who has been taking snaps with the starting unit all fall camp was dressed but didn't run plays due to a mild sprain ankle, but did throw passes in individual drills. Brian Kelly said that he should be back to full practice in a couple of days. Jayden Daniels took most of the first team snaps. He is still an inconsistent passer in my opinion, but has the type of mobility that Brian Kelly seems to like in a quarterback. Myles Brennan took most of his snaps with the second team. He made some nice throws, including a long beautiful touchdown pass to Brian Thomas, but did struggle with accuracy when under pressure and occasionally is holding onto the football to long. Walker Howard is very impressive, but you have to believe Brian Kelly plans on redshirting him this season. I'm starting to get a gut feeling that Myles Brennan is falling out of the starting quarterback race. We are a week into fall camp and Nussmeier has apparently moved in the two man rotation with the first unit that Brennan occupied in the spring. But who knows at this point. I'm simply just trying to read the writing on the wall. We are only a week into the fall camp with a lot of work still to be done in a short period of time. Until this battle is decided, it will be interesting to see if there will be any changes in the practice rotation. Kelly still says they aren't any closer to naming a starter after today's practice, but a decision needs to be made soon. John Emery Jr. and Nolan Cain rotated with the first unit and Armoni Goodwin looked strong. All the running backs performed well. The wide receivers all looked sharp. Kayshon Boutte is going to terrorize defensive backs. Jaray Jenkins, Malik Nabors, Brian Thomas Jr. and Kyren Lacy all caught the ball well. Chris Hilton Jr. and Jack Bech are still absent from practice with minor injuries. The first unit offensive line was Will Campbell (tackle) and Tre'Mond Shorts (guard) on the left side. Miles Frazier (guard) and Anthony Bradford (tackle) on the right, with Garrett Dellinger at center. I believe this has been the starting unit all week long, so maybe a decision on the starting five is close to being penciled in. Is Mike Denbrock and Brad Davis grooming Dellinger to start at center instead of Charles Turner who held that position for the entire spring camp? Starting to look that way. Will Campbell is a specimen and continues to show that he's the real deal. He held his own against Maason Smith and Ali Gaye today while everyone is raving over the play and huge pancake block by true freshman Emery Jones on defensive lineman Jacobian Guillory. Brian Kelly loves the tight end position and he had praise today for true freshman Mason Taylor. Taylor is the son of former NFL great Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas is his uncle. Football runs in his blood. Kelly expects him to contribute this season. The defensive front will be nasty with Smith, Roy and Gaye with a deep depth chart. Kelly talked up the play of the linebackers today. Mike Jones Jr. is developing into the leader of the group. Greg Penn III looked a little hobbled in practice, but shouldn't be anything serious. Kelly mentioned that Micah Baskerville will be a huge contributor this season as he brings experience, smarts and talent to the linebacker position. Desmond Little, West Weeks and Harold Perkins continue to impress. The cornerback position has been an early concern but seems to be shaping up. Brian Kelly said the position is, "an area where we were concerned has now begun to look like one of great depth." Jarrick Bernard-Converse, Mekhi Garner, Colby Richardson, Laterrance Welch, Colby Richardson and Jaelyn Davis-Robinson are all stepping up with impressive play. Ohio State graduate transfer Sevyn Banks is also returning from injury which will add even more to the depth of the position. We also found out during the day that junior defensive back Jordan Toles has announced he's entering the transfer portal. Special teams is still an open race as far as place kicker and return specialist. Several are competing for those jobs. Jay Bramblett has been penciled in as the punter. Monday morning will be the next practice open to the media. It will be practice ten of the camp. The team is looking good and is staying healthy thus far. Expect to see the depth chart begin to shape up by the end of next week as the season opener is quickly upon us. 23 days and counting until kickoff. Below is video of Brian Kelly's press conference from Thursday. Photos Below By: LSUsports.net Da Boot Sports 8/9/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - Day six of fall practice was closed on Tuesday, but Brian Kelly had BJ Ojulari, Jay Bramblett, Malik Nabers and Garrett Dellinger available to the media to answer questions at the end of the day. "I’m proud of the work our guys have put in over the first six days of camp." Brian Kelly said. "Now it’s time for some recovery before we get back out there on Thursday." Videos of the player's press conference are below for you to view... Da Boot Sports 8/8/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - Monday morning was the first practice open to the media since day one on Thursday. Unfortunately, we were unable to attend to report anything new. Having conversation with others, I’ve heard there were a few lineup changes. Quarterbacks still had the same rotation as Thursday. Nussmeier, then Daniels, followed by Brennan, then Howard. The running back rotation was Noah Cain with the ones, Goodwin with the second team, then Emery. Kelly has stated that each running back provides a different running style that they could use to attack defenses, so expect all three to get snaps throughout a contest. Notable players missing from practice were, Jaray Jenkins, Chris Hilton Jr., Jarrick Bernard-Converse and Jordan Toles. Hoping and praying that Bernard-Converse has not reinjured his foot. Having both he and Toles out is concerning, considering the cornerback position being one of the question marks of this team behind the offensive line. Hope it's only precautionary hold outs and/or camp bumps and bruises. Jack Bech still hasn't returned to practice as he continues to battle shin splints. Garrett Dellinger worked at center with the offensive line starters with true freshman Fitzgerald West running with the second team. I've got to believe that Charles Turner will be the starter at center. Brad Davis and Mike Denbrock are simply taking a strong look at Dellinger and West as his possible backup. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock spoke to the media after practice. The video of that press conference is below for your viewing. As we reported earlier, Matt House will run a 3-4 attack a majority of the time with BJ Ojulari primarily rushing the passer. Freshman linebacker Harold Perkins continues to impress everyone. The young man looks to be the real deal. Tuesday's practice will be the first day that the team will practice in full pads with contact. Lots of work needs to be done and big decisions need to be made. It's a work in progress folks. Next practice open to the media will be on Thursday morning in Tiger Stadium. Geaux Tigers!!! Da Boot Sports 8/7/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - After practice on Saturday LSU head coach Brian Kelly announced that junior defensive end/outside linebacker BJ Ojulari has been chosen by his teammates to wear the coveted #18 Jersey. “The No. 18 is the player who brings all those traits of someone who leads in an extraordinary manner,” Kelly said. “The attention to detail, great focus, represents the program in a positive way in the classroom, in the community and on the field." LSU’s tradition of the #18 jersey began in 2003 when quarterback Matt Mauck guided the Tigers to their second national championship in school history. Mauck then chose running back Jacob Hester to wear #18. Hester would help the Tigers win the national title in 2007. The #18 has gone on to represent success, both on and off the field, as well as a selfless attitude that has become the epitome of being a LSU football player. A high character leader. Former players chosen to wear the 18 jersey are Richard Dickson, Richard Murphy, Brandon Taylor, Bennie Logan, Lamin Barrow, Terrance Magee, Tre'Davious White, J.D. Moore, Christian LaCouture, Foster Moreau, K'Lavon Chaisson, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Chris Curry, Damone Clark and Avery Atkins. Photos Below By: LSUsports.net Da Boot Sports 8/6/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - We weren't able to cover practice yesterday, but we can show you some action photos from the day two session. Photos below provided by LSUSports.net and were taken by one of the best sports photographers around, Chris Parent. GEAUX TIGERS!! Da Boot Sports 8/5/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - LSU football practice on Friday was closed to the media, but a few players, Noah Cain, Kayshon Boutte, Jaquelin Roy and Mike Jones Jr. were made available to answer questions in the afternoon. Player interviews are below. Enjoy... LB - Mike Jones Jr. DT - Jaquelin Roy RB - Noah Cain WR - Kayshon Boutte Da Boot Sports 8/4/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - It was a wet and soggy afternoon in Baton Rouge on Thursday sending the LSU Fighting Tigers indoors for their first day of fall practice. We were able to watch about 30 minutes of practice from up above on the upper cat walks of the LSU Indoor Practice Facility. Not much to report about today other than that there is no change in the practice routine from the spring as the drills were all fast and furious. Brian Kelly stated in his post practice press conference that today was a controlled practice as they really didn't want to do too much on the first day. Basically today was about getting the players back into the structure of their practice routine and understanding the expectations when they're on the field. “I was really proud of the way they were focused on what we asked them to do,” Kelly said. “It’s understanding the technical and tactical aspects of practice. That’s what we are trying to do. We are trying to lay down the programming so when we get to Florida State, just press play and go play fast. They did a nice job today." Kelly would go on to add. “They tenets of what we want in practice - running out and doing it the right way, not having guys on the ground, not being sloppy – was really good for me. We’ve come a long way since the spring so it’s good to see that retention and feeling good about how to practice the right way.” The day one quarterback rotation had Garrett Nussmeier working with the starting offensive unit throwing the ball well and looking very impressive. Jayden Daniels stepped in with the twos, followed by Myles Brennan then Walker Howard. I'm sure the rotation will shuffle up each practice until a decision is made on a starter. John Emery continues to look great, picking up where he left off in the spring. Noah Cain looks to be the real deal. Can't wait to see him in full pads with contact. Williams and Goodwin are talented backs who are both capable. Brian Kelly mentioned that Tre Bradford is no longer a member of the football team and has left school. Kayshon Boutte looked healthy today as he practiced wearing his new #7 jersey. Jack Bech didn't practice. He was seen riding the stationary bike. Brian Kelly said he is dealing with shin splints but should return to practice soon. The offensive line has added three new bodies to the group with Emery Jones, Fitzgerald West and Bo Bordelon. All three true freshman looked impressive in their drills. All three young men are massive in size. Bordelon is 6-6, 292 lbs... Jones is 6-6, 335 lbs... and West is 6-3, 322 lbs..., they join true freshman teammate and left tackle starter, Will Campbell at 6-6, 325 lbs... The future of the offensive line looks bright. Offensive line coach Brad Davis has some nice bodies to work with this season. Cameron Wire, Kardell Thomas, Charles Turner, Xavier Hill, Garrett Dellinger, Anthony Bradford and Marlon Martinez all have the ability to contribute. A few of them can play multiple positions which will help with depth throughout the season. Brian Kelly hopes to have the starting five decided on within the next two and a half weeks. At linebacker, Jared Small and true freshman Harold Perkins stood out today. Kelly stated that the three key positions to watch are the offensive line, cornerbacks and quarterbacks. "Those are three critical areas" said Kelly. "A lot of good and bad things happen in those units and there are a lot of questions that need to be answered." He would go on to say that there isn't a lot penciled in as far as the depth chart goes. "We will have to make some tough decisions and quite frankly, rely on evaluations in camp to do that. There's some work to be done." The Tigers will practice indoors again on Friday before selected players will be available to meet with the media in the afternoon. We will provide video of those player interviews in our day two coverage. LSU then hopes to have its first outdoor practice on Saturday morning. The next practice open to the media is scheduled for Monday morning. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will meet with the media following practice. The Tigers will workout in full pads for the first time on Tuesday. Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi Da Boot Sports 8/3/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - The LSU Tigers will begin fall practice for the 2022 football season on Thursday afternoon. First year head coach Brian Kelly has brought a new culture to the program that the players have shown excitement about. Since arriving on the LSU campus, Kelly has emphasized accountability, paying attention to the little things that matter and attention to detail. No one has higher expectations than Brian Kelly. He expects to win now. The team has bought into his system which has developed a very up-beat and a high energy attitude around the practice facility that obviously showed during a successful spring camp and has now carried over into the fall. Several starting positions have yet to be decided. The competition will be fierce over the next few weeks as players will battle to separate themselves to claim these starting jobs before the season opener against Florida State on September 4th in the Caesars Superdome. Once again the biggest question mark of this team is the offensive line. During spring camp, Brad Davis mainly worked Cameron Wire at tackle and Miles Frazier at guard on the right side. Tre'Mond Shorts manned the left guard position while monstrous true freshman Will Campbell stepped up at left tackle and seems to have that position locked down. Charles Turner played center at a high level throughout the spring. However, Anthony Bradford, Marlon Martinez, Garrett Dellinger and Emery Jones will battle for playing time in fall camp. This unit must gel and stay healthy all season long if LSU hopes to be competitive in 2022. A starting quarterback has yet to be named. From what I witnessed in the spring, I'm predicting that six-year senior Myles Brennan will win the job. A healthy Brennan should return to a stronger, wiser 2020 version of himself who put up Heisman numbers during the first three weeks of that year before suffering a season ending injury against Missouri. LSU's offense is loaded with lethal weapons at the skill positions for Brennan to target. Redshirt freshman gunslinger Garrett Nussmeier will officially be named the backup. Junior Jayden Daniels who transferred from Arizona State this past offseason, showed inconsistency in his passing skills but is a dangerous weapon with his feet. Look for Kelly to use him in short yardage and goal line situations while true freshman Walker Howard will redshirt. The running back stable is full of exciting, explosive ball carriers lead by senior John Emery Jr. who showed in the spring he is prime for a huge break out season. Armoni Goodwin and Josh Williams ran hard and showed their talent in the spring as well. The dark horse of the group may be Penn State transfer Noah Cain. Cain is a Baton Rouge native who is loaded with talent and has the potential to be a game breaker. Tre Bradford adds nice depth at the position This wide receiver group may be one of the most talented in the country. Kayshon Boutte returns to the LSU lineup healthy and ready to strike fear into SEC defenses. Jack Bech has moved from tight end to the slot where he belongs. He is a tremendous talent and with defenses concentrating on trying to slow Boutte down, Bech will have the opportunity to develop into a star. Malik Nabers has size, speed, great hands and loads of talent. Expect Nabors to get his share of the ball. Jaray Jenkins and Brian Thomas have starter talent and will see playing time. Chris Hilton, true freshman Landon Ibietta and the speedy Kyren Lacy round out this very deep and talented position. Many feel that the tight end position is a weak spot, but these three young men may surprise everyone throughout the season. Former walk-on Jack Mashburn has established himself as the potential penciled in starter for now. He showed great blocking skills, nice route running and great hands in spring camp and had a nice spring game. Kole Taylor is a huge target with talent. He also has nice blocking skills and has turned into a reliable receiver. He will see several snaps. Mason Taylor is a true freshman out of St. Thomas Aquinas High in Florida who has tremendous pass catching ability, while Nick Storz returned to the team despite thinking he may need to medically retire after suffering a potential career threatening injury. Who will replace Cade York who most consider to be the best kicker in LSU history? Enter Nathan Dibert, the second ranked kicker in the 2022 recruiting class. I'm sure that Brian Polian is hoping the three star, true freshman prospect from Hartland, Michigan will come in and win the job before the season begins. Other kickers on the roster are Ezekeal Mata and Trey Finison who transferred in from Northwestern. Mata showed improvement during spring camp while Finison is known more as a kickoff specialist. Punter should be solid as Notre Dame transfer Jay Bramblett has been selected to the Ray Guy Award watch list. The defensive line is once again a strength. LSU defensive coordinator Matt House will most likely go with a 3-4 hybrid type of lineup. Jaquelin Roy will play the nose, while Maason Smith and Ali Gaye will both play end in this formation. Missouri transfer Mekhi Wingo, Jacobian Guillory and freshman Tygee Hill offer nice depth in the middle. The Tigers are also deep and talented at defensive end. Saivion Jones, Zavier Carter, Quency Wiggins, Phillip Webb, Bryce Langston and Soni Fonua all add quality depth with some able to play inside or out on the line. Mike Jones Jr. and Greg Penn III, each held the starting inside linebacker positions throughout spring camp. Both have shown they can play at a high level. Micah Baskerville has loads of experience and will continue to contribute. BJ Ojulari will rush the passer from an outside linebacker position, occasionally dropping into coverage. Kolbe Fields and West Weeks were both very impressive in the spring. Regardless of who starts, expect Matt House to rotate the linebackers on game day. LSU hit the transfer portal to help fill huge holes in the secondary. Derek Stingley Jr. and Cordale Flott are both in the NFL while Eli Ricks transferred to Alabama. Transfers Jarrick Bernard-Converse, Mekhi Graner and Joe Foucha were the hype of the secondary during the spring, while Jay Ward showed his leadership skills and solid secondary play. Matthew Langlois is a safety with great instincts, a physical tackler and has a nose for the football. Overall the depth of the secondary has shaped up nicely. Jordan Toles, Greg Brooks, Derrick Davis and Sage Ryan all have the talent to shine. So the big questions that need to be answered over the next few weeks before the season kicks off will be: **Who will be the starting quarterback? **The play of the offensive line? **Will the linebackers play consistent and at a high level? **Can a young, talented secondary continue on the DBU tradition **Will a kicker step up with consistency and ice water in his veins to calmly make the big kicks in big games? It will be a fun and interesting fall camp as we head into the 2022 LSU football season. We will provide you with coverage on media days throughout the August preseason schedule. GEAUX TIGERS!!!! |
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