Tag: 2023 fall camp

Freshmen tight ends impressing Brian Kelly early in fall camp

Brian Kelly said the Tigers enter the 2023 season with a much deeper tight end room.

For both [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag], tight end play has always been a key part of the offensive plan.

We saw a freshman emerge at the position last fall in [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], but LSU has really built up the depth at the position behind him this offseason.  The Tigers signed a pair of blue-chip tight ends in the 2023 class in [autotag]Ka’Morreun Pimpton[/autotag] and [autotag]Mac Markway[/autotag], with the former being a signing day flip from Vanderbilt.

When Kelly spoke to the media on Thursday following the first practice of fall camp, he said that the performance of those young tight ends was already standing out to him.

“You see (KaMorreun) Pimpton out there, he’s a big-body guy. Soft hands was my first glimpse at him out there,” Kelly said. “If you watch tempo he had a hard time getting lined up but that’s on us, we have to figure out how to get him lined up, maybe just put him in one position and go because he certainly has the tools. And that’s kind of what we thought, he’s much bigger. He’s up to about 245 pounds already when he got on to campus he was at I think 222. He’s done a great job taking care of himself and doing the right things in nutrition. He looks good.

“(Mac) Markway’s moving much better. He’s leaned up, much more agile, because he’s a big body guy that can help us. I think we’ve really built the depth there at the tight end position that we needed around (Mason) Taylor.”

Taylor should be in for a big year in 2023, but with a deeper tight end room this time around, the Tigers could look to work in more multiple tight end sets than the did last season, which is the direction many top programs in college football seem to be heading.

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Brian Kelly discusses differences in second fall camp at LSU

Brian Kelly has a new team full of talent, much of it unproven. What will he be able to do with those new guys this fall amid high expectations?

The expectations are through the roof for [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] in Year 2.

Does that stem from the fact that [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] both won national championships in their second years as head coaches at LSU? Probably.

The Tigers exceeded all expectations in year one as they won 10 games and were champions of the SEC West. They capped a great season off with a huge win over Purdue in their bowl game.

Now, Kelly has a new team full of talent, much of it unproven. What will he be able to do with those new guys this fall amid the high expectations?

“I would say to you that we go in with the same kind of realistic expectation that we should be making some kind of incremental jump in certain areas… They should be making those jumps,” he said. “Freshmen we have to be more patient, we have to teach more, but that’s how I feel about everything we’re doing on a day-to-day basis.”

The best way to take care of things is to just take it game-by-game. The most important game is the next game on the schedule.

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Everything Brian Kelly said after the first practice of LSU’s 2023 fall camp

Kelly addressed the media on Thursday following the team’s first practice session.

With the calendar now in August, football is just around the corner.

LSU officially kicked off fall camp with the team’s first practice session on Thursday afternoon. Following the practice, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] spoke to the media in his first press conference since SEC media days as LSU kicks off camp.

Kelly addressed a number of news items including the staff changes resulting from Jimmy Lindsey stepping away as he deals with a health issue to John Emery Jr.’s status with the team.

Here’s everything Kelly said to the media following his first fall practice with the Tigers this year.

‘Best receiver coming out of spring’: Brent Venables on WR Gavin Freeman’s offseason

Oklahoma Sooners fall camp opens this week and Brent Venables had high praise for wide receiver Gavin Freeman.

As the Oklahoma Sooners open fall camp this week, wide receiver is one of the position battles garnering the most attention. With a group of guys competing for opportunities, fall camp will be the next step to delineate who will get the most playing time in 2023.

One of the guys that’s stood out in the mind of head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] is sophomore Gavin Freeman.

Freeman, the former walkon earned a scholarship early in the offseason and has done nothing but impress ahead of his second year with the Sooners. According to Venables, Freeman was the “best receiver coming out of spring.”

And as spring gave way to summer workouts, the playmaking wideout has continued to impress. In addition to his attitude and his work ethic, Venables said, “You look at his measurables. He’s one of the fastest guys on our team. You know, both linear and changing direction.”

“He wins everything out there,” Venables said. “If (Strength and Conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt) stood up here right now wanting to talk about Gavin Freeman, he’d be here until midnight.”

Though Freeman didn’t get many opportunities in 2022, Freeman took advantage when the ball came his way. He saw five targets a year ago and converted that into three receptions for 46 yards. One of those was one of the longest plays of the season, a 41-yard diving reception down the left sideline to put the Sooners in scoring position against Kansas.

Weeks before the big-time grab against the Jayhawks, Freeman made his presence felt on his first touch as an Oklahoma Sooner, a 46-yard run on a reverse where he bounced off defenders and, with [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag] leading the way, outran them to the end zone for a touchdown.

And while his speed, agility, and playmaking ability will what shows up on gameday, it’s the stuff in his head and his heart that’s garnered the attention of the Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff.

“And so I say that with all appreciation and thankfulness for Gavin in his mindset, his attitude and what he’s done,” Venables said. “He makes everybody around him better.”

While it looks like Freeman is the heir apparent to [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] as the starting slot wide receiver, don’t rule out the possibility that he could be the answer on the outside in three wide receiver sets with Stoops and [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag].

Playmakers make plays, and in Gavin Freeman’s short time with the Oklahoma Sooners, he’s done nothing but make plays.

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Oklahoma Sooners depth chart projection ahead of fall camp

2023 Oklahoma Sooners depth chart projection before fall camp and recruiting take place.

Fall camp will get underway this week. We’re less than five weeks from the start of the 2023 college football season. The Sooners will host OU football media day on Tuesday and hold their first fall camp practice at the end of the week.

This month will go a long way toward answering questions in several key position battles.

Here’s a look at what the depth chart could look like heading into 2023 fall camp.