When [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] kicked off his post-practice press conference on Thursday night ahead of Saturday’s game against Arkansas, he led off with some good news about tight end [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], who missed last week’s win over Mississippi State.
Taylor, who is listed as probable after suffering an ankle sprain in the win over Grambling, will likely return to the field this week.
In his absence, LSU had to turn to a group of reserve tight ends that, while talented, are young and lack experience. True freshmen [autotag]Mac Markway[/autotag], [autotag]Jackson McGohan[/autotag] and [autotag]Ka’Morreun Pimpton[/autotag], along with JUCO transfer [autotag]Connor Gilbreath[/autotag], comprise the team’s depth.
Kelly said that group is making progress, but extended action illuminated several areas where growth is needed.
“Learned that they’re all young, and they’re all learning,” Kelly said. “Look, there’s talent certainly there, but there’s a lot of growth and we enjoy coaching them. Coach Denbrock, [autotag]Terry Malone[/autotag] gets to spend a lot of time with them. But there’s a lot of teaching, a lot of growth, and every day is one step towards getting a little closer to where we need to be with a young group.
“We certainly were in that boat last year with Mason, and we saw great improvement throughout the year, and I suspect that we’ll see the same thing again with this younger group of tight ends we have.”
LSU will likely continue to work its young tight ends in, but with Taylor hopefully returning to the field this weekend, they won’t be relied upon as much moving forward.
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