By Hunt Palmer
As music blared through the Baton Rouge fog, LSU returned to the practice field on Friday.
The Tigers worked out in helmets and shoulder pads again, going through some “thud” contact while the media was allowed to observe.
Much of the 25 minutes of media observation time is spent working on special teams and doing individual drills through cones and on sleds.
Big sweeping takeaways are generally forced.
However, the eye test is an interesting examination for the newcomers, and there are a lot of them out there. Here are a few of my observations:
EYE TEST
Damien Shanklin fits right in with the veteran defensive ends. He’s listed at 6-foot-5 and 260 lbs. That’s right about the size of Jack Pyburn (6’4″, 264) and Jimari Butler (6’5″, 260) who are seniors. Shanklin has a host of veterans in front of him, so he won’t be rushed to the field. However, he physically looks ready. Spring helps from that perspective, as well.
D.J. Pickett, on the other hand, looks thin among the cornerbacks. He’s taller than the rest of the group at 6-foot-4, so he’s got more frame to fill out. But he will really benefit from whatever weight he can add between now and Labor Day.
Carius Curne also looks the part of an SEC offensive lineman. He’s working as the second team left tackle, and he doesn’t need to add a pound. Brian Kelly’s track record is recruiting long, lean offensive linemen and adding weight. Curne doesn’t fit that mold at 335 lbs.
RETURN MEN
LSU worked on field goals and punt coverage early on in the practice. The punt returners were Zavion Thomas, Aaron Anderson and Barion Brown. That is as explosive a trio as you will find anywhere in America in the return game.
LSU was able to use that weapon against Oklahoma and Baylor. Adding Brown to the mix just makes things more dangerous.
EYES ON ANDERSON
When the LSU offense has shown it’s early spring 1s and 2s, Nic Anderson has been missing from that equation. He’s not in a no contact jersey, so I was curious to watch the individual drills to see if he participated.
Friday morning, he was a full participant in individuals and looked good working in and out of breaks.
Anderson’s injury lingered in Norman during the fall, so my educated guess is that he’s being eased into spring workouts as a fourth year college player.
