2015 LSU Spring Football

From SaturdayDownSouth:

LSU LT LA’EL COLLINS
The Tigers got great news when both Vadal Alexander and Jerald Hawkins decided to return for their senior seasons.

Like many offensive linemen in the SEC this year, both players are slated to start at new positions this fall. Alexander, now 6-foot-6 and 320, has slimmed a bit since he arrived in Baton Rouge in 2012. He’ll shift from left guard to right tackle.

Hawkins, at 6-foot-6 and 309 pounds, played right tackle in ’14, but is a more natural fit at left tackle. While Collins is one of the best left tackles in the SEC in years at driving defensive linemen off the ball in the running game, Hawkins is more athlete than brute force. He’ll face more speed rushers on the left side, but has worked to build strength for run-blocking.

“I feel like I’ve gotten stronger in my core and my legs,” Hawkins said, according to NOLA.com. “That’s a big difference and it’s very important as an offensive lineman. I need to bring up my run blocking and a strong core helps you come off the ball faster.”

LSU probably won’t be as good at left tackle in ’15, but with some young, developing players on the interior of the line and a reliable pair of bookends, the overall unit could be as good or better.

 

Yeah, it wasn't said in a very straight-forward manner which is definitely why the way he said it provides the context of what he meant. The writer probably should have made that clear since I'd imagine the writer heard him say it.

 

More writeups:
Faced with the prospect of having a new starter at all five offensive line positions, most teams would be at least concerned. Really, most would be downright terrified that their quarterback was in for a season of running for his life.

Not at LSU, though.

The Tigers are losing some excellent talent up front. Left tackle La’el Collins was an All-American and is a likely first round pick in this spring’s NFL draft. Also departing are Elliott Porter, Hoko Fanaika and Evan Washington, seniors who started a good bit in 2014.

There are two big reasons that offensive line coach Jeff Grimes and the rest of the team can be so confident: Jerald Hawkins and Vadal Alexander.

Those two players are both changing positions for 2015, but they can certainly be trusted in their new spots.

Hawkins takes over for Collins at left tackle, moving from the right tackle spot he occupied in ’14. The rising redshirt junior has all the skills to be a dominant player at the position. He’s big and nimble, a 6-foot-6, 309-pound force who moves well for his size. He might turn out to be even better than Collins in pass protection, and he has the run blocking skills to match after playing on the strong side last year.

Alexander moves back out to right tackle. He was recruited as a guard back in 2012, but moved to right tackle and started much of his freshman season there. He moved inside to guard in 2013-14, playing alongside Collins to form one of the best left sides in all of college football. Now, Alexander takes his lane-clearing prowess out to the strong side, giving LSU dominant options on both sides of the line.

Let’s not forget Ethan Pocic, either. The rising junior started at multiple positions last year, filling in at center for Porter during time missed for suspension and injury, then moving to right guard as starter for the rest of the year. He could start at either guard or center, depending on how spring practice plays out, and he gives the Tigers a potential All-SEC selection at either spot.

Having their two best offensive lineman at opposite ends of the line should provide balance for LSU. Last year, the team ran left as often as it could, no surprise given the stacked amount of talent on that side. Having two excellent run blockers holding down either side will add a little unpredictably to the Tigers run-heavy offense, especially if Cam Cameron continues to spice things up like he did at the end of the year.

LSU will fill in around those three with its pick of relatively inexperienced players. Les Miles has said that he expects K.J. Malone to start at one spot, giving the Tigers some more certainty up front. That leaves guys like Will Clapp, Garrett Brumfield and Andy Dodd to fight it out to earn a spot in the starting lineup this spring.

While those players don’t have any starts to their name, they’ll be able to look left and right and see leaders up front with experience to their name and enough talent to carry the run game to new heights.

 

• Spots available for LSU's young O-linemen
• 
• By David Ching | March 25, 2015 2:00:18 PM PDT

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Replacing starters is typically an imperfect process. But if Jeff Grimes has to replace two starters on LSU’s offensive line, he has the line set up to make the transition as painless as possible.

Should Grimes stick with his current setup, with returning starters Jerald Hawkins and Vadal Alexander at the tackle spots and Ethan Pocic at center, the line’s newcomers at guard will have a veteran on both his right and his left.

“We all try to come together and really stay on the same page,” said Garrett Brumfield, a contender to take over one of the guard spots. “So it is good having veterans on both sides of you -- and even without it, whether it be the center, left tackle, right tackle, everybody’s always communicating, so it’s really good that way.”


Mark Humphrey/Associated Press
Vadal Alexander and the LSU offensive lineman are experimenting in playing different positions this spring.
Brumfield -- last season’s No. 1 guard in ESPN’s prospect rankings -- and William Clapp both redshirted last season but worked with the starters at right and left guard, respectively, when LSU opened spring practice earlier this month. They will face competition for the starting jobs from a number of candidates, including K.J. Malone and a handful of signees who LSU coach Les Miles said could “vie for some playing time.”

Not that their competition for playing time is restricted to one specific position.

For instance, Clapp said after last Tuesday’s practice that he had worked exclusively at center that day. Malone said he has worked at right tackle and left guard after backing up La'el Collins at left tackle last fall. Alexander and Pocic have started games at multiple positions, as well.

Detect a theme yet? The group’s versatility gives Grimes plenty of options.

“[Grimes is] doing a first-team A group and a first-team B group just to see how we look at each position,” Malone said. “So one time in A group, I’ll play right tackle and in B group I’ll play left guard. So he’s just seeing where he likes us."

That will likely continue throughout the spring, at least if Miles' comments following Saturday’s scrimmage were any indication.

“Right now it’s still early in the spring where you still want to look at a number of guys and see who’s who. No decisions really have been made at this point,” Miles said. “What we’re doing is it really allows us to have some time at other positions. So it gives us the opportunity to put guys, should injury occur in a game, in another spot. That’s really going to benefit us long term.”

It seems to be benefiting the linemen as well. Clapp practiced at both guard spots and at center during his redshirt season -- mostly while practicing with the varsity squad, not on the scout team -- and said he now feels comfortable at all of those spots. Those reps were particularly important at center, since that is the position typically responsible for making pre-snap calls and setting protections.

“When I first started playing center, it was a little overwhelming,” Clapp said, “but Ethan and Elliott [Porter] both helped me out a lot, and Coach Grimes is real understanding and was patient with me getting the snaps right and really making all the calls on the line.”

As Miles mentioned, Grimes’ theme of the spring is experimentation, so the young linemen realize that they probably can’t lock down a starting spot until August. LSU’s star-studded class of freshman linemen will be on campus by then, and it will obviously become more important for Grimes to make lineup decisions with kickoff approaching.

“He’s trying to see who can do what and who is talented at what to kind of feel out and see which five will be the five that he wants to play or rotate -- whether it’s six [players rotating] or seven,” Brumfield said. “But I think it’s good right now having guys who are versatile. We have a lot of different combinations that could possibly happen, so we’ll see how it plays out.”

The main thing right now, Clapp said, is realizing that a goal is within reach, even if the contenders must wait several months to achieve it.

“I knew that the starting five won’t be determined until camp’s over in August, so it’s a constant battle,” Clapp said. “We all know that it’s a competition every day. We all love knowing that the spot is there for us. We just need to go out there and take it.”

 

Brandon Harris spoke to the media yesterday about last season

http://dailybulletpoints.com/lsu-qb-talks-to-media-about-last-year/

 

Mike Detillier talks with Scott Long:

As you know, most games are won in the trenches and it all starts with the big men up front. Give me your thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the O-line?



Mike: The weakness is obviously no La'el Collins. He is one of the best to ever wear the purple and gold. Hard to replace such an impact player, especially a big man. Jerald Hawkins is a natural at left tackle due to his athleticism and his quick feet. He's a really good pass blocker and he has become a more physical player at the point of attack. Hawkins is a potential 1st round pick performer – he's that good. But he's a different player than Collins.



Vadal Alexander is a bulldozer run blocker. He becomes the key blocker in the running game. Follow that big guy upfield. He is a load. I'm interested to see how he handles edge speed, but he is a good technician and he just mauls people upfront. As you know, I'm a big Ethan Pocic fan. He is the most talented center/guard since Kevin Mawae. He's not just good – he's great. I really like what I am hearing about Will Clapp and Garrett Brumfield. Two big guys, very quick and physical players, but Pocic is the key guy. He will have to settle the group down and make all the alignment calls. I'm excited to watch this new unit with Clapp and Brumfield, along with Karl Malone, upfront. We all talk about the quarterback slot and it is vital, but this offensive line unit is the key to success because the Tigers will have to run the ball to be effective. It's about five working as one. That offensive line unit is the very key to winning games early on.



Scott: You have written and spoken so much about Ethan Pocic. Is he the next All-American/All-SEC offensive lineman for LSU?



Mike: Yes, he is the next Kevin Mawae. Kevin was a great player at LSU and in the pros. At LSU, he played left tackle, left guard and center. Pocic has played across the board, too. When it is all said and done, he will be along with Collins, Eric Andolsek, Kevin Mawae, Andrew Whitworth and Alan Faneca as elite offensive linemen at LSU. He is the new quarterback upfront. If he went down to injury, he would be the hardest player for LSU to replace offensively.



Scott: Overall, how do you see the O-line shaking out, and do you see it being a net improvement over last year's line?



Mike: Hawkins and Alexander play the tackle spots, Pocic is the center and Clapp and Brumfield are the guards. That's a good unit, but it is not as good as last year because when you lose someone as good as Collins you are going to take a hit. The combo of Collins and Alexander were dominant as run blockers and real good protecting the quarterback. I think they become a more right-oriented team because of Alexander's skills as a run blocker, but this will not come together right away. This unit won't be as good as last year, but it will improve as the year progresses. The running back group, and in particular Leonard Fournette, will have to do some things early on its own until the O-line gels.



My take, two names that Detillier has left off, K.J. Malone and Josh Boutte, the staff likes these two guys, but one thing is for sure, depth is starting to set in at LSU.

 

http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2015/04/lsu_spring_football_wrapping_u.html

 

Nation's No. 1 CB coming to town

• Sonny Shipp - 4 hours ago

The LSU staff is expecting a big turnout for the spring game on the recruiting front and the Tigers’ highest rated commitment will be coming to town in the nation’s No. 1 cornerback Saivion Smith.

Geaux247 confirmed with Smith’s father that they will be in town, and he added they are “very excited” about getting back to Baton Rouge.

Smith committed to the Tigers two days after he made a visit to LSU on Feb. 21. Since then, he and his father have been actively recruiting for the Tigers with four-star quarterback Dwayne Haskins as one of their top targets.

Smith’s teammate at IMG Academy, five-star defensive end Shavar Manuel, is another big target they are working and he may make the trip with Smith and his father. However, that is not a definite.