SB Nation - Sidell Corley

Les Miles Diagnoses, Attempts to Fix, the Problems

Richard Pittman — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:34:31 -0000

We aren't really sure what Joseph Barksdale (78) and Lyle Hitt (65) are supposed to be celebrating. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

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If there are three problems on this LSU team right now, I think we could categorize them as, in order from most concerning to least: a) problems on the offensive line, b) problems at quarterback, and c) problems at defensive line.

I really think the problems at quarterback will work themselves out as Jefferson gets more experienced and comfortable. The question is whether that process will culminate this year or next. Furthermore, I think there is little that Les Miles and the rest of the coaches can do to help that situation along other than help Jordan Jefferson by putting him in positions to succeed. I.e., by not telegraphing a ton of screen passes all the time. We'll see how that goes.

The problems we really need to talk about, though, are the problems on the offensive line and on the defensive line. My personal opinion is that the defensive line has played reasonably well in the last two games, which is why this is not one of the two biggest problems. We have had numerous injuries, however, and that's why it's on the list.

The story of LSU's depth problems on the defensive line, and at defensive tackle in particular, starts with recruiting and subsequent position changes or attrition. LSU has recruiting literally tons of defensive linemen in the last 5 years, starting with Lyle Hitt in 2002 and continuing to the 2009 class when we signed a very large number of defensive linemen. Here is a list of those defensive linemen who are no playing defensive line for LSU: Lyle Hitt (position change), Ricky Jean-Francois (declared for NFL), Joseph Barksdale (position change), Kentravis Aubrey (injuries), Sidell Corley (transfer), Will Blackwell (position change), Cordian Hagans (position change).

What all the moves from defensive line over to offensive line have done to our offensive line is a story for another day.

The second part of the story of why we are having depth problems at defensive line is the story of redshirting. Redshirting is, of course, the practice of not putting a player in the game for an entire season and keeping his year of eligibility. On the whole, the practice is down in college football as more and more coaches rely heavily on freshmen. Les Miles has been somewhat old school on this topic, redshirting as many new players as possible.

So far this year, the following true freshmen have played: Defensive tackle Josh Downs, cornerback Morris Claiborne, wide receiver Reuben Randle, and quarterback Russell Shepard. If there have been more, I did not see them. Some very heralded recruits appear to be headed to a redshirt, including 5-star recruits Chris Davenport and Michael Ford as well as other players who were expected to contribute immediately, like fullback Dominique Allen, defensive linemen Michael Brockers and Sam Montgomery, linebacker Barkevious Mingo, offensive tackle Chris Faulk, and safety Craig Loston (whose rumored injury may be the culprit here).

The football program can only have 85 scholarship players at a time. If we are committed to steadfastly refusing to play 20 or more of them, you can see where this can wreak havoc on your depth. Having about 1/4 of your scholarship players voluntarily unavailable leaves you vulnerable.

In particular, it leaves you vulnerable to injuries, and this is what is delivering the killing blow to our defensive line depth. Starting defensive end Lazarius Levingston ("Pep", to you) continues to be out with a leg injury. JUCO transfer Akiem Hicks has yet to play this season due to a variety of ailments, and the rumor is this problem may persist. And then last Saturday towards the end of a blowout win, true freshman Josh Downs left the game with a leg injury, the severity of which is a closely guarded secret

Les Miles was trying to get through the season using only 4 scholarship defensive tackles: veterans Charles Alexander, Al Woods, and Drake Nevis, plus true freshman Downs. If Hicks can come back, he would have been the 5th. I'm not sure this was ever a smart plan, especially considering Charles Alexander's extensive history of being unable to stay healthy. Alexander's been excellent so far this year, and has stayed healthy as far as we know, but you just can't count on that to last. Asking those 4 to take all the snaps seems like it's inviting injuries, as those players wear down.

Anyway, Les Miles has decided to move true freshman defensive end Michael Brockers, who at 6'6" 285# certainly has the size to play inside, over to defensive tackle and is prepared to pull the redshirt off of him. This has been reported at the premium sites, but I don't feel bad about repeating it here because it was pasted right on the freely available front page of Tigerbait.com yesterday.

He is bound and determined, I guess, to keep the redshirt on Chris Davenport, who is a natural defensive tackle. I don't have a problem with moving Brockers inside. The man is a giant and got rave reviews all through pre-season, and was expected to contribute this year as a result. If the need is on the inside rather than on the outside, so be it.

The most serious concern remains the offensive line, which simply has not played well. The good news is that it appears everyone is aware of that. Numerous stories have come out recently where players are acknowledging that the offense is sputtering. Here is Les Miles' take:

"Offensively, here I am: I’ve come off the game and I’m mad," Miles said. "I didn’t think we rushed the football well enough. I always like to rush the football. We rushed for 175 yards. I’m sitting there going, ‘Wow, when did we do that? Was I there? ’"

There’s something unsettled, uncertain, about the team that isn’t reflected on the stat sheet or the scoreboard. The problem is one of maximizing production. A problem of execution, not scheme or imagination. It’s as if a chef has every ingredient on hand but hasn’t yet struck the proper mix, Miles said.

"I think we’re looking for the best recipe, but I don’t know that we’ve found it just yet," he said. "I don’t think change is necessary, I think it’s more efficient and better."

I think we've all come to accept that Les Miles is not the smoothest guy in the room, and these quotes won't change that perception, but at least he agrees with us that there is a problem and is willing to acknowledge it publicly. This is a sharp change from last year's issues with the defensive schemes, which Les Miles to this day has refused to criticize, even after letting both defensive coordinators responsible go.

There are also rumors that Miles attended the offensive line unit meeting early in the week and let the group have it. It's a start. At least he is not blind to the problem. Let's see if we can fix it now.

Is LSU Planning To Move To A 3-4 Defense?

Richard Pittman — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:00:13 -0000

Our Tigers have run a 4-3 defense for quite a long time, meaning they line up with 4 defensive linemen and 3 linebackers. In this kind of scheme, your defensive linemen have to be quick and athletic to make up for the speed lost by taking out a linebacker and adding a defensive tackle. You need depth at tackle in order to do this, as you will need probably 5 or 6 tackles to get through a season, and that's only if you don't have a rash of injuries.

Take a look at LSU's roster. There are only 3 experienced defensive tackles listed: Charles Alexander, Drake Nevis, and Al Woods. Two of those guys are seniors. If you look at the Class of 2009, which we have been doing, you see two more defensive tackles, Chris Davenport and Josh Downs, with JUCO transfer Akiem Hicks being a hybrid DE/DT. If you look at the commitment list for the Class of 2010, which currently has 21 commitments, you will see we have zero defensive tackles committed to the 2010 class. If you do the math factoring in the guys we KNOW we want like Trovon Reed and Lache Seastrunk, you wonder if there is going to be any defensive tackle signed.

This makes for a situation that appears, at least at first blush, to give us a very thin depth chart at defensive tackle for 2009, and an even thinner depth chart in 2010. This has been caused by attrition (Sidell Corley transferring, Ricky Jean-Francois going to the NFL early), position switches (Cordian Hagans switching to offensive guard) and graduation (Marlon Favorite).

At the same time, you can look at how we've recruited linebackers and see that we are stocking up. Barkevious Mingo, Kevin Minter, Tahj Jones, and Lamin Barrow were all a part of the Class of 2009, while Rockey Duplessis greyshirted from the Class of 2008. Josh Johns could also end up at linebacker. In the Class of 2010, we have added Luke Muncie, DJ Welter, and Justin Maclin, while either Sam Gibson or Houston Bates could eventually end up there as well. That is a huge linebacker haul in terms of numbers in a short period of time, while at the same time our defensive tackle recruiting has slowed down a lot.

All of this comes while the 4-3 defense is being phased out at some other places. The NFL, which not that long ago was composed mostly of 4-3 defenses (popularized by Buddy Ryan in the 1980s), appears to be returning to the pre-Buddy Ryan days of more 3-4 defenses. At Bama, Nick Saban (who ran an unabashed 4-3 system just a few years ago at LSU) quickly converted Bama from a 4-3 to a 3-4. This trend appears to be the defenses' counter to the fact that offenses are moving more towards a wide open, field-spreading attack (even teams that aren't in the "spread" are still trying to stretch the defense more by passing more often than they did a few years ago). Teams are responding by getting more linebackers on the field at the expense of hulking defensive tackles.

This brings up the question. With fewer defensive tackles and more linebackers, are we setting up a switch to the 3-4?

I don't have a definitive answer to that question. After all, positions can be somewhat fluid. While Davenport and Downs are definitely tackles, Bennie Logan and/or Michael Brockers may be as well, though I have considered them defensive ends to this point. Michael Brockers in particular has bulked up quite a bit, as he now is listed at 285#, and reports say he looks it. Class of 2008 signees Lavar Edwards and Chancey Aghayere, who have previously been considered defensive ends, may also see a move to tackle. Lavar Edwards, a redshirt freshman, is actually now listed as a tackle.

Or will these guys just be the kind of big defensive ends that the 3-4 system requires?

I'm not saying it's happening, and I'm not taking a position on whether it should happen. The circumstances have simply made me suspicious about our plans for the future of the defensive tackle position.

Is Sidell Corley Transferring to Alabama? [UPDATED]

Todd — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:36:59 -0000

Rumors are flying around that LSU DE (and Mobile native) Sidell Corley is looking to transfer to Alabama. NOLA.com reports that Corley (along with two academic casualties) are no longer with the team, meaning Corley has either given up football altogether or is headed elsewhere. Sadly, the murder of his mother by her estranged husband could be the impetus for this decision as "being closer to family" is one of the several reasons floating around for his decision to leave the LSU program.

UPDATE: Corley is indeed transfering back to (the state of) Alabama to be closer to family. From the Press-Register (emphasis mine):

Former McGill-Toolen standout Sidell Corley was released from LSU's football program Wednesday and will now look into an immediate transfer to Alabama or Auburn, his father told the Press-Register.

Corley Sr. said his son plans to apply for a hardship waiver from the NCAA to allow him to play this year, and would be willing to pay his own way if it would help him catch on with a program.

"We're going to try to get in somebody's camp here in the next couple days," Corley Sr. said.

All News Is Bad News

Richard Pittman — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:30:12 -0000

Note: This post was written before news started leaking that Sidell Corley's mother may have been a murder victim in the Mobile area. As of this writing, the reports remain unconfirmed, and I am allowing the post to stand more or less as-is, even though its tone may be seen as lacking an appropriate amount of solemnity under the circumstances. Suffice it to say that we are not trying to make light of tragedy or to suggest an equivalence between that incident and the issues listed and discussed here.

In this post, we talked about how there is really no news coming out of the football complex these days, and how this is good news indeed. All the news that can come out at this time of the year involves arrests, academic problems, or other various and sundry distractions or scandals. "Everything's A-OK" does not make for a compelling headline, so news is only made when it's bad. Let's review some of the stories from around the SEC right now and analyze just how there really is no good news to be made in the month of May (or June for that matter) in college football:

Kentucky defensive tackle Jeremy Jarmon, one of Kentucky's best players, has been ruled ineligible to play this year because of a positive drug test. In this case, it appears that he bought a supplement that contained a banned substance and failed to clear it with his trainers beforehand.
Tennessee's new strength and conditioning coach, only 5 months on the job, has decided to leave the program.
Georgia's Bruce Figgins and Justin Houston, both expected to be important contributors to this Bulldog team, were suspended for 6 and 2 games respectively for violation of team rules.
South Carolina signee Ben Axon, a well-regarded tailback from Tampa, has been arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. It's unclear exactly how much "23 baggies" really is, but it's safe to say it's more than one person can use in one day.
To make things worse for the Gamecocks, cornerback CC Whitlock was arrested at a nightclub for refusing to leave, this only days after he had be reinstated to the team from a previous suspension.
Rumors swirl of impending NCAA discipline for Bama with respect to the textbook scandal from two years ago. Not to mention, whispers about other matters that we aren't going to be putting much stock in unless it gets more serious.
And oh yeah, Lane Kiffin got more headlines by committing a recruiting violation by mentioning a recruit's name on Twitter, a "secondary" violation, but one that is a violation of a very well-known and well-understood rule even among people who don't coach college football: don't mention a kid's name in public until he actually signs. The explanation is that it was a grad assistant in his first day on the job that was given the task of maintaining Lane Kiffin's twitter feed. Of course, this is the same sort of "failure to have procedures in place to ensure compliance" that is supposedly getting Bama in trouble. I would say that giving an untrained and ignorant grad assistant the job of speaking in the coach's name to be a spectacular error in judgment.
Urban Meyer has gotten into an embarrassing public snit of his own devising, in which he seems to have publicly called out former quarterback (pre-Meyer) Shane Matthews, a radio talk show host.
Ole Miss committed a minor recruiting violation by writing an article talking about potential signees without using their names, but giving enough information to identify them. Nothing serious here and there won't be any long term consequences, but again it's bad news.

Meanwhile, LSU just sort of quietly passes the time this Spring, at least so far. Or at least, it did until the Corley situation came to light, which again, is bad news.

New 2009 Commitment: Bennie Logan DE

Richard Pittman — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:30:06 -0000

With signing day just over one week away, we are going to start focusing just a bit more on recruiting here at ATVS. This past weekend was a big weekend for the finishing up the 2009 recruiting class, which will sign next Wednesday. The Tigers hosted top targets Rueben Randle, Trent Richardson, Sam Montgomery, and Kendal Kelly, as well as a bunch of already-committed recruits and one player who was hoping to get a full offer.

Bennie Logan of Red River High School in Coushatta, Louisiana had gotten a "greyshirt" offer. To recap, the term "greyshirt" means that the player will not enroll at LSU in the fall, but will wait until the following December to enroll in school and will count towards not this current signing class but rather to the next one. Les Miles had promised Logan that he could enroll in the 2010 class if he wanted, but Logan had offers from schools like Texas Tech and Nebraska to enroll in the Fall, and while he wanted to go to LSU, he was unlikely to wait a year when he had other solid programs who wanted him now.

LSU, for its part, appeared to be hoping that Defensive End Sam Montgomery from South Carolina would fill out this class's needs at defensive end. Montgomery is a very solid pass-rushing specialist, the kind of player the team lacks among young players, especially if Chancey Aghayere continues to struggle with injury. Bennie Logan is more of a combo defensive end, smaller than the run-stopping Tyson Jackson but not lightning quick like Rahim Alem. If you want to compare his STYLE of play, he probably compares favorably to Kirston Pittman.

Logan is listed at 6'3" 235# on Rivals, but is listed at 6'2.5" and 245# on Scout. Word on him is that he is a bit of a late bloomer. One of the troubling aspects of the modern recruiting arms-race is that it forces teams to act earlier and earlier in the recruiting cycle in order to get on the right players. These days, a lot of teams have most of their class committed at least 6 months before signing day, before these guys have even begun their senior years of high school.

What is in some ways a guessing game, then, becomes a guessing game where you're making your guess when the players are at an even lower stage of physical development and emotional maturity than they were even a few short years ago. Imagine if you had to be evaluated for aptitude in your current profession when you were a junior in high school? This state of affairs means that late bloomers are often find that their schools of choice are full-up by the time they emerge as serious players.

In Logan's case, in viewing his junior highlight film, you see a nice player. He's big, he's stronger than anyone else out there, as is typical of major college recruits. You just don't see any wow factor there. You don't see much of anything that makes him stand out from all the dozens of other very good high school players who don't draw much attention from the LSU's of the world. LSU stayed in touch, but did little else as Logan began his senior year.

Then, Bennie Logan played his senior year. He got better. He got stronger. His senior film was significantly better than his junior year film, but was this just a product of him being not only the strongest and fastest player on the field, but also the most experienced? It's hard to say. He went to LSU on an unofficial visit (where the prospect pays his own way) late in 2008, and according to published reports, "he looked the part." That is to say his body developed and he starting looking a lot like a college defensive end, bigger, stronger, more defined. One can guess he's probably bigger than his listed 235# or 245# now.

LSU got more interested. We had one defensive end committed to the 2009 class, Texas's Michael Brockers, and we were still looking at Sam Montgomery to take the other spot, as he is an outstanding prospect and a rare and valuable pass-rushing specialist. Logan got more love, but he still wasn't at the top of our board.

Well, the LSU coaches must have decided either that Montgomery was unlikely to leave the Carolinas (as has been widely expected to be the case) or they decided they can afford to take 3 defensive ends in this class, as they finally made a full 2009 offer to Logan during his official visit. According to Dandy Don, he accepted it and will be a part of this 2009 class.

I think it's safe to say that Logan's going to need some more time in the strength and conditioning program, and I would not expect him to be an instant impact player with players like Sidell Corley, Rahim Alem, Pep Levingston, Chase Clement, and others on the roster. If he works hard though, and keeps developing, he could be a gem.