BATON ROUGE — A player-coach is rare in college football. It was rare even in the old days. But LSU has had a virtual one during spring drills.
Tight end Richard Dickson, who will be a senior next season and has started 25 games, has moved aside for most of the spring session so some depth could be developed at the position. He has no serious threat for his starting job.
"Two things happen," LSU coach Les Miles said. "One, you get the information transferred to the young players. But two, the veteran doing the coaching, rethinks yet again how he categorizes his process. I think Richard's probably improving just in the teaching, just in the coaching."
Coach Dickson is also coaching new tight ends coach Don Yanowsky, who just joined Miles' staff in February.
"I'm like a tight ends graduate assistant," Dickson said. "You sit back and see so much that it really helps you mentally."
Dickson has been a coach's dream on the field. He tied Brad Boyd (1972-74) for the school record for career touchdown passes by a tight end last season with 10. Dickson caught 31 passes for 324 yards and five touchdowns in the 2008 season. In 2007, he set the record for touchdown catches by an LSU tight end with five and tied it in 2008. Of LSU's returning receivers at all positions, Dickson's 63 catches over the last two seasons is second only to wide receiver Brandon LaFell.
"We expect him to continue with the level of play he has established here, which has been great play," Miles said. "There's a lot of knowledge that needs to be passed, and he's enjoying it. He is a team guy and has great leadership. When he speaks, the young guys hear it."
Catholic-New Iberia High's Mitch Joseph, who will be a sophomore in the 2009 season, is the only tight end on campus other than Dickson who has been on the field. Joseph did not catch a pass, though, through 13 games as Dickson's backup last season.
Other young tight ends are Alex Russian, a redshirt freshman last season from Round Rock, Texas, Matt Branch, a 2008 signee out of Sterlington High in Monroe, Jake Bryan, a walk-on from Pollock, and Ronnie Turpin, a walk-on from Baton Rouge.
Click to expand...
