It’s a new era for LSU football. The Tigers hired head coach Brian Kelly this offseason, and with his first recruiting class all signed and ready to go, there will be an influx of new talent in Baton Rouge this offseason.
One of those players is four-star offensive lineman and Baton Rouge native Emery Jones. The No. 5 interior lineman from the 2022 class sat down with Matthew Brune of 247Sports to talk about how excited he is for his first football season and what he is doing to prepare for the possibility of starting as a freshman.
“I’m really anxious just seeing all the work,” Jones said. “I really want to be out there with the guys and play with them and get the chemistry.
“It’s going to be really exciting to go out there and show what I can do. Show that I can compete with the big dogs and get on the field early. We’re going to be going hard.”
He was asked about having contact with current offensive line coach Brad Davis and the extent of their conversations. Here are those comments.
“We text every week talking about stuff like staying in shape and just staying in touch,” Jones said of Davis. “It’s been more focused on little tweaks that can help my game. Stuff like keeping my head up in pass pro and stuff like that.”
He said he now has a better idea of what to work on specifically this offseason.
“It’s just time to put your head down and work,” Jones said. “Knowing I have to stay in shape to have a shot to go in and play early. I’ve been working with teammates and high-level people who will help me get to that next level.
“I’ve been working on my pass protection just because I know I’m going to be going against some of the best pass rushers in the country. Then working on the little things in the run too. The little things are going to take my game to the next level.”
Jones has been picking the brain of early enrollee Will Campbell to see what he thinks about their new teammates.
“I’ve been talking to Will and he said it’s just hard work,” Jones said. “Everyone’s really confident. When it comes to the guys we got, the O-Line room is stacked, so we’re real confident with the level of play and everything the coaches say. Coach Kelly, he does great things, so we’re just really confident about what we have.”
Jones is a player that could compete for playing time early on an offensive line that needs some work, and he seems to be approaching his first offseason with the correct mindset.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=none image=https://lsutigerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[listicle id=47817]
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.