The complete 2024 LSU Tigers football team took the field for the first time on Thursday as it kicked off fall camp.
We’re now exactly one month out from LSU’s season opener against USC in Las Vegas as it looks to take a step forward and compete for a college football playoff spot this season. There’s a lot of optimism surrounding this roster, but there are quite a few questions, as well.
[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] led off training camp with a press conference addressing his squad entering Year 3 in Baton Rouge. Here are the highlights from what he had to say as the Tigers begin a crucial fall camp.
Sage Ryan playing cornerback
LSU’s reputation as DBU has lost some luster in recent years, but one of the more recent five-star defensive backs they’ve landed was [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag]. He emerged down the stretch in 2023, starting nine games at both corner and nickel.
He’s expected to play safety this year after spending all spring at the position, but Ryan was back at corner as camp began on Thursday. Kelly emphasized Ryan’s versatility and said they wanted to get him exposure as they feel he can play both positions.
“We’re cross-training him… We wanted the entire spring to be at safety,” Kelly said. “We feel like he’ll become that one player who could play both positions for us.”
TE Trey’Dez Green learning quickly
The four-star true freshman tight end was a late bloomer in football and will also play basketball for the Tigers. But Kelly said that physically, Green looks like he belongs on the field and has picked things up quickly on the mental side as well.
Kelly wouldn’t guarantee that Green will see the field in Year 1, but he thinks the young tight end could be on his way.
“He’s picked things up very well for a guy who has not played this game very long… It has not been a very difficult transition for him,” Kelly said. “That bodes well for players that are in their first year.”
WR Kyren Lacy stepping into No. 1 role nicely
Perhaps the biggest question surrounding the entire team will be whether the Tigers can replace a pair of first-round receivers in [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag]
There’s talent in the receiver room, however, and [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] in particular has been tabbed as a player who could step up in his third season with LSU and fifth season overall after he transferred from UL-Lafayette.
Kelly said Lacy has taken up the mantle of being the No. 1 option and the responsibility that comes with it.
“I would say that he has embraced that,” Kelly said. “Some guys don’t embrace it, they just continue to be who they are. He’s embraced that and wants to be that next great wide receiver at LSU. We have such a great tradition, so he wants to live up to that standard.
“I’ve seen a great deal of growth… It’s been fun to watch that maturation.”
CB PJ Woodland searching for more consistency
[autotag]PJ Woodland[/autotag] was just a three-star prospect coming out of high school, but the true freshman early enrollee turned heads during spring ball and entered fall camp expected to compete for a starting job on the outside.
Kelly cautioned some patience, however, and said that while the staff loves Woodland’s potential, he needs to be more consistent to earn regular playing time in Year 1.
“I think we’re at a point in Day 1 where it’s truly about the consistency of performance. We like PJ and we love his competitiveness. But if you remember, he made a great play, and then the next play, we threw the ball over his head.
“With young players, we’re looking for consistency, and he has got a huge upside. And he is going to be a really good player in the SEC. But in the SEC, you make one play, they’re coming right back at you, and they’re going to test you.”
Kelly added that the same is true for other young defensive backs competing for playing time, such as sophomore [autotag]Ashton Stamps[/autotag].
Javien Toviano reinstated
Sophomore cornerback [autotag]Javien Toviano[/autotag], who was expected to compete for a starting job, was suspended indefinitely last month after his arrest for video voyeurism.
Kelly said that Toviano was reinstated Thursday and will be a part of the team for fall camp as he works his way back into the fold.
“Javien’s been reinstated by the university,” Kelly said. “He’s back in football activities and we’ll kinda get him going again and back in the mix, and obviously he’ll be a competitive player for us.”
The legal situation with Toviano remains ongoing.
Zy Alexander is totally cleared
LSU doesn’t return many proven veterans in the secondary, but [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] is one of them. The Southeastern Louisiana transfer impressed last season before suffering a season-ending torn ACL on an interception return.
After missing the spring, Alexander is back for the fall and has been cleared from a health perspective, but Kelly said he’s still slowly working his way back into football activities.
“He’s been cleared for everything,” Kelly said. “But when you have a knee, you need to experience some things like getting tripped up in the hole and cutting off of it and feeling the scar tissue and going ‘Oh my goodness, that’s what that feels like.’
“So he’s full-go, but he’s in that process of getting back into football activities and that sometimes takes some time before you feel real comfortable.”
When healthy, Alexander is expected to start for the Tigers on the outside.
WR Shelton Sampson Jr. making progress in Year 2
One of the more interesting potential breakout players in the receiver room is redshirt freshman Shelton Sampson Jr. With a 6-foot-4 frame, he has the potential to be a big play threat, and he made an impressive catch on Thursday while high-pointing the ball.
Kelly said Sampson has gotten a lot better in those 50/50 situations this offseason.
“I think that’s what we’re looking for from him, his ability to go up and get the football and compete for it,” Kelly said. “He was not a 50/50 guy last year, he was a 20/80 guy — he lost 80% of those. I believe he’s a 50/50 guy, he can go and get those balls.”
Kelly said that Sampson hit his head on the play in question, and that ended his practice out of an abundance of caution.
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