By Hunt Palmer
Day two of Fall Camp for Brian Kelly’s LSU Tigers began indoors without any media presence. By the time the players made their way into the South Louisiana heat, they had completed half of practice.
The media observation portion of the workout began with some special teams periods.
A competition is brewing at the punter spot. Entering the spring, it appeared redshirt junior Peyton Todd was the successor to Jay Bramblett. Todd was dubbed the nation’s top punting prospect when he left West Monroe in 2021. He’s 6-foot-4 with a strong leg but hasn’t been asked to punt in his three seasons. Todd’s reported struggles in the spring meant that the staff would be on the lookout for some competition in the transfer portal. That came in the form of 6-foot-7 inch Blake Ochsendorf, a graduate student from Louisiana Tech.
Ochsendorf earned first team All-Conference USA honors last season with the Bulldogs averaging 45.7 yards per punt. That was good for 16th nationally.
Neither punter performed especially well in the periods we were able to observe. Many of the kicks wobbled and failed to turn over. One of Todd’s was especially low and returnable. Nine or 10 punts certainly won’t hammer any panic buttons, but it does feel like that competition will be worth monitoring.
The gunners on the punt unit were senior Sage Ryan and junior linebacker Harold Perkins. Often times cornerbacks and safeties draw gunner duties. Occasionally a physical wide receiver may get the call. Perkins’s elite athleticism and speed allow him to do it as a linebacker. He’s a special talent.
Just like Day 1, four Tigers received all the punts. They were Zavion Thomas, Aaron Anderson, Jalani Watkins and Kyle Parker. Those appear to be the punt return options at this time with Thomas being the heavy favorite to be the starter. There were no muffed punts during the period. We know how the last two seasons have started.
After special teams, the offense got to work some against air. With four starters back from last season’s strong offensive line unit and DJ Chester assuming the center position, there isn’t much intrigue in the starting five. I was curious to see the second unit as a host of talent prospects without much or any playing time jostle for position.
The second unit, from left to right, was Tyree Adams, Paul Mubenga, Coen Echols, Bo Bordelon and Weston Davis. That group has played a total of 80 snaps collegiately. Bordelon owns 77 of those.
As strong as the Tiger front figures to be, the depth is exceptionally green. Position coach Brad Davis has done a masterful job of assembling talent, but this camp will be important for those players to get some seasoning.
When just observing the group in person, you can see the profile Brian Kelly and Davis like in their linemen. All of these players and tall and relatively lean. No one is carrying any bad weight at all, and you don’t see the 345 lb guards. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having Trai Turner on your offensive front. He was a star at LSU. Kelly just doesn’t generally target that body type. It’s evident across the board.
As far as attendance goes, Bradyn Swinson and Jalen Lee were both absent. Both are veterans who have plenty of time to catch up when they return.
Javien Toviano did participate in drills which was a change from Thursday’s practice.
The Tigers will work out again Saturday without the media present before a day for recuperation on Sunday. The pads come on Monday.
