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8/13/24 5:50 am CT
Good morning, Tiger Fans,
BOOM! LSU picked up its third DT commitment for 2025 yesterday when Dilan Battle gave his verbal pledge to DL coach Bo Davis and the Tigers. Battle (6-2, 315) hails from Arlington, Texas, and is someone coach Davis is very familiar with from his time in Texas. Battle is ranked as “only” a 3-star, but that means nothing to me considering Davis’ acumen for recognizing talent and Battle’s impressive offer list (Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, Michigan, Oklahoma, etc.) With his pledge, LSU’s 2025 class now contains 22 commitments and remains ranked No. 3 in the nation.
In other football news, the AP released its official preseason rankings yesterday, and LSU came in at No. 13. Interestingly, that’s exactly where LSU finished last season after beginning the year ranked No. 5. Other SEC teams in this year’s Top 25 include four of the top six — Georgia (1), Texas (4), Alabama (5), and Ole Miss (6) — as well as Missouri (11), Tennessee (15), Oklahoma (16) and Texas A&M (20). LSU’s first opponent, USC, came in at No. 23. Content continues below.
The Tigers returned to the practice field yesterday, and four players spoke to the media afterward. We always find their comments revealing and hope you do, too. Here are a few that stand out from yesterday’s time with the press.
GARRETT NUSSMEIER
On the defense’s improvement…
“People will have to learn to put some respect on our defense, and I think they’re going to show that with the swag and the physicality that they’re playing with. I think it starts with Coach Baker. He’s come in, and his scheme, the complexity of it, and the swagger that he has himself bleeds into his players. So I think they’re going to be a really, really good unit this year.”
On helmet communication…
“The helmet com has been awesome. Obviously, you still have to make sure you’re aware of the signal and things like that, just in case they go out at any moment. But it’s definitely an advantage, being able to have that communication with Coach Sloan and making sure we’re in the correct play and running the right thing. There are also schematic advantages that’ll be used that y’all will see eventually. It’s been awesome, I think it’s a huge help, and it’s been really, really good for us.”
ASHTON STAMPS
On what he likes about the defense…
“We have less to think about; we don’t guess; we just go out there and play now. We understand different situations, like third down and first down. We’re able to slow down instead of everything just being sped up.”
On cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond…
“Corey Raymond, he’s attentive to detail with every little thing. Even if I get a good play, I might get an interception, he’s going to make it seem like it’s the worst play ever. But that’s what I like about him; he pushes you hard no matter what.”
HAROLD PERKINS
On where he’s playing…
“I’m playing WILL backer. Third downs, we kind of get a little nasty. I could be all over, but yeah, I’m getting used to it. I’m already used to it. I’m loving what I’m doing, and I trust Coach Baker that he’s going to put me in the right position to make plays.”
On the run game and Kaleb Jackson…
“I like what the offense is doing with running the ball. I feel like that’s something we’re gonna have to do, especially with a guy like Kaleb Jackson—the tank. We’ve got to feed him and let him do what he does best.”
GARRETT DELLINGER
On the offense’s new run game…
“I love it. We’ve been doing more outside zone; we’ve been running the ball more, and I like it. It’s something I’m looking forward to.”
On QB Garrett Nussmeier…
“He’s worked so hard. No one can disprove how much he’s worked. I mean, he’s put in the work. Jayden was a great player, but that’s always hard on someone who wanted to play. He didn’t look at it as a negative; he looked at it as a positive. He stuck it out, he learned, and now he’s out there doing what we need him to do, and yeah, it’s awesome to see, really.”
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We ran part 1 of 2 of our weekly preseason camp observations yesterday. Today, we pick up where we left off with a few more observations.
PRESEASON CAMP NOTES & OBSERVATIONS
Continued from yesterday…
Relatively healthy (knock on wood)
We entered fall camp with questions about John Emery and Zy Alexander’s health, so seeing them practicing has been great. Neither has completely overcome his hurdles, but both seem well on their way, even if Emery left the field on Saturday and was seen stretching his surgically repaired knee later on the sideline. Emery was back practicing yesterday, as was DT Gio Paez, who missed Saturday’s practice for undisclosed reasons. All in all, you could view this fall camp as a huge success when considering that Zavion Thomas’s minor hamstring issue is the biggest “injury” storyline of fall camp thus far, especially since Thomas participated in the last two practices. (Here’s where you stop, knock on wood, and hope LSU can stay relatively healthy for the rest of fall camp.)
Green/Pimpton ready to make impact
Tight end Mac Markway’s departure stung, but it didn’t feel like a gut punch. That would be different if Trey’Dez Green and Ka’Morreun Pimpton didn’t have jaw-dropping plays earlier in fall camp. You could hear the fluttering of roster sheets when No. 14 showed his big frame and athleticism on the very first day of practice. It didn’t take media members long to recognize that number as belonging to the sensational freshman out of Zachary. Sophom*ore Pimpton has looked good, too, and has really started to piece it all together after showing up to campus with an impressive frame for coaches to work with.
Deep skill bench
It seems as if the cream has risen to the top at receiver with Kyren Lacy, Chris Hilton and CJ Daniels putting their stamps on starter roles, but we’ve seen plays being made up and down the field by young stars and some veteran players. Shelton Sampson, Kyle Parker, Aaron Anderson, and Zavion Thomas have all enjoyed first-team reps at various points and have shown that there isn’t much drop-off. I don’t think this is a huge revelation because we’ve always talked about how deep the Tigers are at receiver, but it’s nice to see that in action.
Punting game needs work
One spot that seems far from settled is the punting situation. Blake Ochsendorf transferred into LSU after gaining All-Conference USA acclaim at Louisiana Tech, and he’s been battling it out with LSU veteran Peyton Todd. Both punters have shown some inconsistency and it’s hard to draw any conclusions based on the limited time media members have seen them working, but it sure seems like Ochsendorf has a leg up.
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COUNTDOWN TO GAME DAY
Our Countdown to Game Day has reached the 19-day mark. To mark the occasion, let’s remember a relatively under-heralded player on the 2007 championship Tiger Team who wore number 19, Jonathan Zenon.
When I think of Zenon, I visualize him putting the stamp on Tennessee in the 2007 SEC Championship Game, which launched the Tigers into the BCS National Championship. At the time, Tiger fans were hurting. After an overtime loss to Arkansas, national championship hopes seemed doomed. Little did Tiger fans know a couple of upsets and an SEC championship victory would land them in the biggest game of all against Ohio State. But before any of that occurred, the Tigers found themselves struggling to put away Tennessee after giving up the lead in the third quarter. With the Tigers trailing 14-13, LSU needed a spark, and it came from cornerback Zenon when he jumped Erik Ainge’s pass, secured the catch and sprinted into the end zone. Quarterback Ryan Perrilloux would add the two-point conversion on a rush, and the Tigers’ defense did its job to secure a 21-14 victory. You can relive highlights of that game here.
Lastly, you want to see where the LSU defense’s newfound energy and confidence comes from? Check out these fun clips of defensive coordinator Blake Baker at practice shared by LSU on Twitter.
For more good reads, see our Related Articles.
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