MAILBAG: Van Buren snaps, weekend rotation, hoops fun?

By Hunt Palmer

It’s a bye week for the Tigers.

That’s a time to reset for Brian Kelly’s team. It’s a time for me to answer your questions. Today’s edition featured questions about LSU’s struggling offense, thoughts on the baseball team as fall ball approaches as well as questions on how much fun basketball could be this season.

Let’s dive in to your questions.

Are we being lied to about the nature or extent of the Garrett Nussmeier “torso injury?”

• I think “lied to” is strong verbiage. I want to be clear. Very little of this answer is rooted in facts and reporting. Essentially, I’m connecting dots. I believe LSU withheld the injury information in the preseason so Clemson wouldn’t be fully aware of it. Beyond that, I’m not sure how badly Nussmeier is compromised. His play, especially the deep balls to Barion Brown (La Tech) and Chris Hilton (Ole Miss), suggests he can’t rip the ball 45 yards on the fly like he wants to. He’s throwing for 100 yards per game less than he did in the first five games of 2024. And his answer Saturday night that, “I’m not going to answer any questions about my health right now,” is not very encouraging. We’ll see if it looks any better after a week off.

What do you expect from this year’s baseball team? Starting rotation, leading BA, leader in HRs, Omaha? Early prediction.

• That’s a lot to unpack, but I’ll give it a shot. Starting rotation. Casan Evans is a lock there. Then you have a bunch of names for two slots. I think Zac Cowan and Cooper Moore are the high-floor veteran right handers. I really like Deven Sheerin and Danny Lachenmayer from the crop of guys who didn’t pitch for LSU last year. Then you’ve got Cooper Williams and William Schmidt back. I’ll guess Evans, Cowan and Sheerin for now with the understanding that there’s a TON of time to adjust that. I’d be pretty shocked if Derek Curiel, who has put on 20 lbs., didn’t lead the team in hitting. He hit .345 as a freshman. As far as homers, Jake Brown, Seth Dardar and Brayden Simpson are possibilities, but I’ll go Trent Caraway. If Jay Johnson can unlock his potential with more consistency, he’ll be a star. Omaha? As long as Johnson is in Baton Rouge, I’ll feel pretty good about Omaha every September. Fall is optimism season!

Is there any chance basketball is going to be fun to watch this year?

• There is a chance. Much of it rests on the shoulders of transfer point guard DJ Thomas. LSU has had very poor point guard play relative to the rest of the SEC in all three of Matt McMahon’s seasons. Thomas was brought in to rectify that. He should control the tempo and be able to create for others and score for himself. That makes life so much easier on the bigs and wings. I won’t pretend to have an extensive knowledge base on the other 15 teams in the league at this point. Give me until Christmas there. But you didn’t ask how many games they’re going to win. You asked about fun. Good guard play is fun to watch (and helps win games).

My question is how can Joe Sloan sit and watch 8 drop into coverage all game and not call running plays?

• LSU isn’t running the ball enough. That’s pretty obvious to everyone watching. I’d be really surprised if there wasn’t a renewed emphasis on the ground game coming out of the bye week. That doesn’t promise any increased production, but the commitment should be there.

Is it time to give Michael Van Buren a look?

• When you’re chasing a championship in this sport, everything is one the table. Every loss is crippling. That said, it’s a massive message to the program to sit down a fifth-year player, second-year starter who skipped out on the NFL Draft to return and earned No. 18. Nussmeier is the unquestioned leader of the team. He went to SEC Media Days. The video department made a production out of his return. And he’s proven to be a productive SEC quarterback. That doesn’t make you untouchable, but Van Buren had a rough fall camp. Two quarters against Southeastern doesn’t cure that. I wouldn’t mind a package for Van Buren or even Ju’Juan Johnson in some type of wildcat look. But Nussmeier just needs to play better, and I just can’t know how much of the poor play to this point is rooted in injury. Keep in mind, everyone wanted Nussmeier to take snaps after the 2023 Florida State loss. That starting quarterback turned out to be decent.

Is Tony Vitello a real candidate for the San Francisco Giants job?

• I don’t think multiple reporters are just making it up. Now, does Vitello want to go manage in the big leagues, or does he want to use the opportunity to leverage a few dollars out of his athletic director? Since Vitello has lifted Tennessee toward the top of college baseball, Texas, LSU, Mississippi State and Texas A&M have hired coaches. He’s running out of college jobs to use in that way. The Giants gig qualifies, though. Vitello, despite what rival fans think of him, is really liked by his players. He’s a great relationship builder and leader. You might not like 19-year-olds talking trash and flipping bats, but that’s less of an issue with 29-year-olds with 10 years of professional service. He’s mellowed a little bit in terms of his dugout outbursts, too. I think he’d probably be a good MLB manager with a veteran bench coach next to him. To answer the question, yes, I think he’s a “real candidate”. I don’t think he’ll end up being San Francisco’s choice.