Princewill Umanmielen is building a case as one of LSU’s best pass rushers of the 2000s, but there’s still plenty of football left. This week’s mailbag tackles Umanmielen’s place among LSU greats, a new baseball arm to watch, a hypothetical rule change and the uncertainty surrounding LSU basketball’s roster.
Where does Princewill Umanmielen rank in the LSU pass rushers of the 2000?
Interesting question. That discussion has to include Arden Key, Barkevious Mingo, K’Lavon Chaisson, Marcus Spears, Sam Montgomery, Harold Perkins and Bradyn Swinson. That’s not comprehensive, but it’s a good starting point.
At this point, you have to open the door to Umanmielen being the best of the bunch. He’s got two months to solidify his case.
Key had the most productive season with 12 sacks in 2016. Montgomery and Mingo were an excellent duo. Chaisson and Spears were first round picks. Perkins was a flash.
Right now, I would call Spears the best player of the group, but I think it’s more likely than not that Umanmielen will top this list by Dec. 1. He’ll need to have an impact on Keelon Russell and Arch Manning, though.
Who’s the new arm you’re most looking forward to seeing?
There are quite a few. The signing class is loaded with high upside hurlers. But the one I’m most excited to see is Landon Hood, the Gonzaga transfer. He’s got elite stuff that misses bats in the strike zone. The velocity is good enough and will hopefully bump with LSU’s resources. His change up is elite, and I like the breaking ball.
Hood may be a closer. He may be a weekend starter. It would surprise me greatly if he wasn’t a key contributor. I’m interested to see him work against SEC bats.
If college baseball required either one infielder (non-catcher) or outfielder to be positioned in foul territory when the pitcher releases the ball, how would you align your fielders?
Interesting. I’m going to play the opposite field corner infielders a step into foul territory and move them into fair territory on the release.
The one time I would consider a change is late in games with a runner on third base. I’m going to put the third baseman behind the plate to handle wild pitches.
I’ll align the other infielders based on the hitter. College catchers aren’t very good, and I might need to save a run with an insurance policy behind my catcher.
Honestly, is men’s basketball going to be playing with all their commitments who are practicing? How many might not play? Who are we worried about and when do we find out if they are eligible?
I truly think we’ll get the roster the night before the first game. All of these players are enrolled. It’s just a matter of whether they can play. That’s being handled in California courtrooms and NCAA offices.
I expect six or seven players to dress for LSU at McNeese on Thursday.
I feel pretty good about Skyy Clark and Donovan Dent getting eligible. RJ Luis and the older European players are very, very questionable from my relatively uninformed position. That’s Saliou Niang, Brice Dessert and Gilad Levy. I think Michael Ruzik should be ok.
There is at least a chance that this roster design backfires in a major way. There’s also a chance it’s very good if the eligibility decisions break LSU’s way. The NCAA is starting to win some of these appeals, so we’ll see.
