LSU football is repping freshmen DTs with 1st team. A tale of optimism or concern?
· Yahoo Sports
BATON ROUGE – Old teams win now.
Lane Kiffin and his staff, in his words, "study everything." No I's don't go undotted and no T's don't go uncrossed to the new LSU football coach as he breaks down and analyzes all aspects of his program and his team.
Visit playerbros.org for more information.
Up to the midway point of fall camp Monday, there's been plenty to like and to have concern about for Kiffin. One of the worries for the first-year head coach has been the interior of the defensive line.
For nearly all 11 practices, LSU has been repping freshmen Deuce Geralds and Richard Anderson along the defensive front. Both players were prized recruits that Kiffin and his staff were able to hang on to following the departure of former head coach Brian Kelly and the old staff.
The two were wanted but Kiffin hoped that the program would at least bring in some bridge players for the defensive tackle spots while they could have some time to develop.
But those guys, like junior transfer Stephiylan Green from Clemson, junior transfer Malik Blocton from Auburn, junior Dominick McKinley and fifth-year senior Shone Washington have all been repping behind Anderson and Geralds.
"I do (have concerns)," Kiffin said Aug. 17 when asked if he's worried about the defensive line and the unit's reliability. "I mentioned it before, you know, study everything. We do. If you study, old teams win now. And I just think that's the maturity of the player, especially the fourth to fifth year player, how they think and what's important to them?"
Geralds and Anderson are clearly talented and they've shown it so far in camp. LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker said Aug. 14 that he foresees a few freshmen and young players littering the defense's two-deep and likely starting for him.
"They're as good as I've been around. We've thrown more install at that group than I ever have in my career," Baker said. "Those guys are repping with the one's and two's so they're getting the full install.
"There's been growing pains, we're going to have to fight through that freshman wall at some point. I think they are doing a good job of fighting it right now. But I am proud of where they are at now and where they've come from. They work at it, they all love football. They've got really bright futures. You'll see those guys on the field."
But as good as the freshmen duo have been, Kiffin still has reservations about how they'll react to things in real time in games when they have to respond in the moment.
"There's a lot of concern there and so you know how much can we get them ready to do and that they play really well versus the mistakes that they make," Kiffin said. "Especially because of our schedule, the opener (against Clemson) and the ninth SEC game. You don't have those games that you know you had those opportunities before."
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football is repping freshmen DTs with 1st team. A tale of optimism or concern?