Before spring practice began, LSU coach Brian Kelly wanted to see three things from starting quarterback Jayden Daniels: growth as a leader, added size and improvement as a downfield passer.
Six weeks later, Kelly raved about Daniels in his last comments before LSU’s spring game Saturday at 1 p.m. inside Tiger Stadium.
Kelly said Daniels now weighs over 210 pounds, which would be 10 pounds heavier than his listed weight last season, and that he looks more comfortable in his second year since transferring from Arizona State.
“This is much more about veteran presence now than acclimating to a new program,” Kelly said. “I think that’s the difference here. Now you’ve got a guy that’s helping the freshman tight ends: ‘Listen, sit down on this route. Don’t drag. Sit down. I’ll get you the football.’ Those kinds of nuances.”
LSU thought Daniels needed the added weight as a runner who takes more hits. Daniels dealt with injuries at times last year, especially an ankle that limited him in the postseason. Kelly said: “He’s thicker. He’s stronger.”
The day before, Kelly added in an interview on WNXX-FM, 104.5 that Daniels showed the “the ability to want now to stretch the offense downfield,” a clear emphasis as LSU tries to improve the vertical passing game.
And overall, Kelly noticed confidence.
“You can sense it and see it just by his interactions with (wide receiver Malik Nabers), in terms of where he wants the football and how he is addressing the offensive line when he’s making calls,” Kelly said. “There’s a different presence to him.”
Kelly also spoke highly of redshirt sophomore quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who took first-team reps this spring for two reasons: Kelly wanted to have an “open mind” at the position, and LSU lacked offensive line depth with seven healthy scholarship players.
“We couldn’t give him a fair chance if he was just running with an offensive line that has three guys that we moved over from other positions,” Kelly said. “He had to get a lot of that work with the first team. And I think he excelled as well.”
Maason Smith update
Maason Smith recently returned to practice, and Kelly said the star defensive tackle can do “virtually all of the drill work” as he recovers from a knee injury.
Smith, a redshirt sophomore, suffered a torn ACL on the first defensive series of the 2022 opener against Florida State. Seven months later, he went through individual drills Tuesday in full pads. Smith had previously spent the spring working on conditioning.
It was a key step for Smith to get back on the field, and he remains on track in his recovery. He won’t participate in LSU’s spring game, though. Kelly said it is “not worth the risk” for him to play this soon in a scrimmage.
“There’s no advantage from that perspective,” Kelly said. “We’ll give him more time to get his leg stronger to the point where his first contact will be in August. I think that’s the prudent thing.”
A WR improves
There are more than four months until the first game, but former UL transfer Kyren Lacy emerged as a potential starter this spring. Whenever LSU showed its first-team offense during brief open periods, he was one of the three wide receivers.
Kelly credited Lacy’s improved “emotional control” for him taking the next step. He thought Lacy lacked that last season, when he caught 24 passes for 268 yards as a rotational player.
“I think at times Kyren was his own worst enemy in terms of his emotional control,” Kelly said. “I think he’s got that in a great place. He was up-and-down at times.”
There will still be a competition at wide receiver, and LSU rotates players anyway. Alabama transfer Aaron Anderson could contribute once he recovers from a knee injury, and he has appeared at practice without pads.
The Tigers also have options with redshirt junior Chris Hilton, redshirt freshman Landon Ibieta and four freshmen. But Lacy will be in the mix after an encouraging spring.
“He’s been extremely consistent in the way he’s practiced,” Kelly said, “and I think that preparation is going to show itself on Saturdays.”
Leave a Reply