Tag: Bounce-back candidates

Who is LSU’s best bounce-back candidate in 2022?

Jayden Daniels will look to erase a rough 2021 season and return to the level of play from his first two seasons.

Sustaining success in football can be difficult. Whether it’s a sophomore slump after a breakout true freshman season or an upperclassman trying to shake off a rough campaign, there are players every year who overcome disappointing previous seasons and return to form.

On3’s Jesse Simonton recently broke down a bounce-back candidate from each SEC West school, and for LSU, the selection wasn’t very surprising.

Transfer quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] had two very strong seasons to start out his college career at Arizona State, throwing for 22 touchdowns and just three interceptions in that span. But last fall was a significant step back as he threw just as many interceptions (10) as touchdowns.

With [autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag] out, Daniels is the favorite to win the job. With a more talented receiver group than he had in Tempe and a mobility factor that could add a new wrinkle to LSU’s offense, he’s expected to get back to his previous level of play this season.

Really, LSU has more comeback (or bounce back) candidates than any SEC school not named Georgia in 2022.

Wideout Kayshon Boutte is healthy after scoring nine touchdowns in just six games last season but missing half the year due to a leg injury. Meanwhile, former 5-star John Emory is expected to be LSU’s starting running back after sitting out all of 2021 with off-the-field issues.

And yet, the Tigers’ two most intriguing comeback candidates were two guys battling for the team’s starting quarterback job.

Myles Brennan is now removed from consideration after opting to end his college career earlier this week, which slides Daniels to the forefront. The former Arizona State transfer is potentially set up for a big bounce-back year after consecutive disappointing seasons with the Sun Devils. A dual-threat talent, Daniels has rarely looked like the promising freshman (17 touchdowns to two interceptions) who was one of the more dynamic and exciting QBs in the country. If he can solve some of his accuracy woes, then Daniels could be the perfect fit in Mike Denbrock’s heavy RPO offense.

Of course, it’s not a guarantee that Daniels wins the job. Even after Brennan’s departure, he’s still competing with redshirt freshman [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], at least nominally.

But the veteran is seen as the favorite, at least to start Week 1, and though he’s not the most talked-about transfer portal quarterback, he could be set to surprise the SEC a bit.

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Who is LSU’s best bounce-back candidate in 2022?

Jayden Daniels will look to erase a rough 2021 season and return to the level of play from his first two seasons.

Sustaining success in football can be difficult. Whether it’s a sophomore slump after a breakout true freshman season or an upperclassman trying to shake off a rough campaign, there are players every year who overcome disappointing previous seasons and return to form.

On3’s Jesse Simonton recently broke down a bounce-back candidate from each SEC West school, and for LSU, the selection wasn’t very surprising.

Transfer quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] had two very strong seasons to start out his college career at Arizona State, throwing for 22 touchdowns and just three interceptions in that span. But last fall was a significant step back as he threw just as many interceptions (10) as touchdowns.

With [autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag] out, Daniels is the favorite to win the job. With a more talented receiver group than he had in Tempe and a mobility factor that could add a new wrinkle to LSU’s offense, he’s expected to get back to his previous level of play this season.

Really, LSU has more comeback (or bounce back) candidates than any SEC school not named Georgia in 2022.

Wideout Kayshon Boutte is healthy after scoring nine touchdowns in just six games last season but missing half the year due to a leg injury. Meanwhile, former 5-star John Emory is expected to be LSU’s starting running back after sitting out all of 2021 with off-the-field issues.

And yet, the Tigers’ two most intriguing comeback candidates were two guys battling for the team’s starting quarterback job.

Myles Brennan is now removed from consideration after opting to end his college career earlier this week, which slides Daniels to the forefront. The former Arizona State transfer is potentially set up for a big bounce-back year after consecutive disappointing seasons with the Sun Devils. A dual-threat talent, Daniels has rarely looked like the promising freshman (17 touchdowns to two interceptions) who was one of the more dynamic and exciting QBs in the country. If he can solve some of his accuracy woes, then Daniels could be the perfect fit in Mike Denbrock’s heavy RPO offense.

Of course, it’s not a guarantee that Daniels wins the job. Even after Brennan’s departure, he’s still competing with redshirt freshman [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag], at least nominally.

But the veteran is seen as the favorite, at least to start Week 1, and though he’s not the most talked-about transfer portal quarterback, he could be set to surprise the SEC a bit.

[mm-video type=video id=01g9k1zff4bq9pc57j06 playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g9k1zff4bq9pc57j06/01g9k1zff4bq9pc57j06-be23944232a282f50b095d1d49716cbe.jpg]

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Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

Shaquill Griffin named a bounce-back candidate by ESPN

Griffin struggled a bit in 2020 with Seattle, but ESPN expects him to return to form with the Jaguars in 2021.

Though the result was a sizable deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, cornerback Shaquill Griffin didn’t have an ideal contract season in 2020 with Seattle. He struggled to stay healthy, and when he was on the field, he wasn’t exactly a shutdown player.

However, Jacksonville believes that last season was an anomaly for Griffin, and as a result, it gave him the biggest contract on the team this offseason. His play in 2021 has only become more crucial with rumors circulating that the Jaguars could be looking to trade former ninth-overall pick C.J. Henderson, who enters into his second year.

The Jags certainly hope Griffin becomes a shutdown corner, and according to ESPN (in collaboration with PFF), he’s the team’s most likely bounce-back candidate in 2021.

What went wrong: Griffin played through nagging injuries for the Seahawks last season and had moments in which he didn’t look like his normal self. Relative to the rest of the league, he wasn’t terrible, but his seven touchdowns allowed and 64.8 coverage grade overall were well below his 2019 standard. Griffin was one of the five highest-graded outside corners in the league that season and ranked first among the group in forced incompletion rate (22.8%). How he fares playing a higher rate of man coverage in Jacksonville will be important. –– PFF

Outlook for 2021: With cornerback CJ Henderson working his way back after a stint on the Jaguars’ reserve/COVID-19 list, Griffin has been the No. 1 corner in camp and has played like it. He already has one interception and nearly had another. Griffin, who signed a three-year, $44.5 million deal with Jacksonville in March, has had good one-on-one reps against Marvin Jones Jr. and DJ Chark Jr. (before Chark’s broken finger) and has frequently been called out as a “winner” in coach Urban Meyer’s winner-loser drills. “I haven’t set any expectations, one day at a time,” Griffin said. — Michael DiRocco

Griffin had a solid debut for the Jags in the preseason, totaling three tackles in the loss to Cleveland. He and Henderson looked like the two best corners in that game, which is a sign that Jacksonville wanted to see.

Some have been skeptical of how much the team invested in Griffin, but as a capable starter in a secondary that was one of the worst in the league last season, he should be a difference-maker in 2021.