METAIRIE, La. — LSU football players will report for fall camp on Aug. 3 with the first practice set for the following day.
That’s more than a month away, but Ed Orgeron has already planned out how his team will spend every minute of NCAA-permitted practice time, walk-throughs and meetings once August rolls around.
Before school starts, LSU plans to have the freshmen practice in the morning. There will then be a walk-through, which means no footballs allowed, per NCAA rules. The varsity group would then practice in the afternoon, per Orgeron.
The LSU coach has also given plenty of thought to the biggest areas of focus that need work between the opening of camp and when LSU departs for Dallas to take on Miami. He laid out the three big ones in a roundtable with reporters Thursday during the LSU Football Caravan stop in Metairie.
“Execution is No. 1,” Orgeron said. “No. 2 is the development of our offense. No. 3, our quarterback competition. How we handle that; how we handle all four guys getting reps and all four getting an equal shot.
“Here’s our goal: give all four a chance and have them prove to our team and the coaching staff who is the starting quarterback at LSU.”
Graduate transfer Joe Burrow, the late entrant to said competition, was of course a central topic of discussion with both Orgeron and offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger.
Neither have seen Burrow throw since his arrival on campus — NCAA rules prohibit coaches from viewing summer practices, though they can watch workouts and meet with players — but both raved about his maturity and work ethic.
Burrow was apparently staying late in the film room watching tape as the four coaches departed for their speaking engagement on Thursday.
“As far as maturity and football knowledge and wanting to be good, I think he’s been outstanding,” Ensminger said. “He’s a football junkie.”
Both Orgeron and Ensminger made it clear that they’re entering camp with zero preconceived notions about who the starting quarterback will be. Ensminger went so far as to say he’d feel comfortable playing a game right now with Myles Brennan, Justin McMillan or Lowell Narcisse as his quarterback.
The staff told each of the three quarterbacks who were on campus this spring specific aspects of their game that must be improved over the summer. Orgeron also said he wants to be clear with all four on where they stand in the race on a daily basis once camp begins.
LATE ARRIVAL
Cornerback Terrence Alexander worked out with the team for the first time Wednesday since joining the program last weekend.
The graduate transfer’s enrollment was delayed because Stanford uses a quarterly academic calendar, which meant he couldn’t actually graduate until mid-June.
“Obviously he’s very smart to have graduated from Stanford,” Orgeron said. “He’s played a lot, so he gives us some experience. We’re going to need him to play. We’re going to need him to play at corner and perhaps at nickel. Whether he starts or not, we don’t know, but he’s going to have that chance.”
INJURY UPDATES
- S Grant Delpit: The sophomore is expected to be fully recovered for the start of fall camp. He underwent shoulder surgery in April after breaking his collarbone during the spring game.
- OT Saahdiq Charles: LSU’s presumed starter at left tackle is expected to be ready for camp after sitting out most of the spring. Orgeron added that he’s cut some weight to be more athletic this fall.
- WR Terrace Marshall: The early enrollee was limited this spring due to a knee injury suffered in high school. Orgeron estimated he’s about “85 percent” health wise at this point and getting stronger as the summer goes on.
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