Link Gumbo 8/9/19: Early Camp Headlines

The Tigers have been back at camp for about a week now. Thus far, there is no earth shattering to news to come out of camp, which is usually a good thing. There are a few interesting notes that are still worth a look at, so let’s jump right in.

Tight ends will certainly be a topic of discussion as LSU begins their season. Not only are we eager to see how the playing time will be divided, but it will also be intriguing to see how they are deployed in this new offense.

One of those tight ends is Thaddeus Moss, who has not played in a live game in almost three years due to injuries. LSU was excited about the prospect of Moss, son of Randy, since the day he transferred to LSU from NC State. Moss is finally healthy and has not missed a day of practice this spring.

Former wide receiver, now turned tight end, Stephen Sullivan is among the guys who will be battling it out with Moss for playing time. Sullivan, who is entering his senior year, is the most experienced out of all the tight ends, although most of that time is from playing wide receiver. The thing to watch with Sullivan will be to what extent he can be an effective blocker. This week, Wilson Alexander of The Advocate wrote a story about how far Sullivan has rose from his rough beginnings. At one point, Sullivan was living under a bridge, and now he is the first college graduate in his family. This is a fantastic story and congratulations to Stephen on this amazing accomplishment.

The 2019 season has not even begun but the SEC released the 2020 football schedule this week. Highlights include Texas taking a trip to Baton Rouge and South Carolina facing LSU as it is their turn in the rotation.

The running backs were a topic of discussion this week. We can say the same thing about this group that we said about the tight ends. We want to see how they will be used and where all the touches will go. Clyde Edwards-Helaire will certainly be the starter, but I wouldn’t go so far to say he will be a classic workhorse or feature back with the talented guys LSU has behind him. With all of that being said, expect whatever back is in the game to have a much more dynamic role than what we have seen from LSU RB’s in years past. We have seen how the Saints have used their backs in recent years and expect Joe Brady to bring some of that to the LSU offense. Brody Miller had an article in The Athletic discussing how Edwards-Helaire fits in perfectly with what Joe Brady wants to do with this offense ($).

LSU’s Jarell Cherry has impressed in the early days of camp, LSU is looking for someone to stand out at that outside linebacker position behind Chaisson. Cherry made news this week for his strength building method: Carrying around bricks in his backpack. That is one that I have not heard before but I certainly respect it, whatever works to get better.

Wrapping things up, The NFL preseason is under way, meaning we are seeing how some former Tigers look in the NFL for the first time. Some of these guys are fighting for a roster spot, but one who should be safe is Greedy Williams, who in his first game, picked off Dwayne Haskins last night.