SB Nation - Greg Shaw

Watching the Offensive Line

Richard Pittman — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:22:20 -0000

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

Enjoy it for now, but then we have to get a lot better. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Starting at 5:15am, I started watching the game again. I didn't watch the defense. I didn't watch the horrid special teams play. OK, that's not entirely true. I watched the goal line stand again, and I watched Chad Jones' punt return. But I really paid attention to our offensive plays, often rewinding them several times to see what was happening on the offensive line, and in particular why Mississippi State defenders kept making plays around or behind the line of scrimmage.

The problem is surprisingly difficult to diagnose. You can't really point to one player or one type of play that gave us problems. I think the problems can, however, be broken down to a couple categories:

1. There's just a pileup at the line of scrimmage. This happened surprisingly often. You can't point to any particular block that wasn't held or any particular player who made (or failed to make) a play. Everyone puts a helmet on someone, but the play blows up simply because the running back runs into a mass of bodies where the line of scrimmage was. I read an suggestion on a message board that LSU's linemen play with too narrow splits, and this contributes to problems finding holes in the middle of the field. After all, to make a hole, there needs to be neither a defensive nor an offensive player there. Unfortunately, I am not knowledgeable enough about offensive line play to evaluate that suggestion, but it works as a hypothesis in that it seems to explain the results we see and is falsifiable (widen the splits and see what happens).

2. Lineman breaks downfield and then the tackle is made in the spot he vacated. This is the one I have a really hard time understanding. I saw Josh Dworaczyk and Lyle Hitt both break downfield to get a block on a safety only to see the runner head right to the spot one or the other of them had left. I know a little bit about zone blocking, and I know that sometimes it is a lineman's duty to not worry so much about the lineman and instead get out to the second level, but it is very difficult for me to believe that this is the case when the runner is supposed to run towards his spot on the line.

In a zone blocking scheme, a lineman does not block a "man". He blocks a "lane", and if there's no one in that lane when you break off the snap, you go to the next level and see if there's a man there. You may chip or help your neighboring lineman for a split second, but your primary job when there is not a man at the line in your zone is to press forward and find a man in your path to block. But to release downfield only to find that someone has filled your gap and made the tackle unblocked right in the spot you started the play? That can't be right. Here, it is hard to say if this is an execution problem or a coaching problem. Was the lineman supposed to stay home and block the guy who ended up in his hole? Or was someone else supposed to get him? Or did we do something that tipped off the play and signaled someone to jump into the lane after the lineman ran past? Whatever it is, this happens way too much, as I've seen it in previous games too.

3. Linebacker or safety comes off the edge unblocked. Here I am talking about a play in which everyone makes a block, but there is a man unaccounted for on the outside who diagnoses the play, and gets into the backfield untouched to make a tackle. This happened on a couple big 3rd down plays, once towards the end of the first half when Jefferson pitched left to Keiland Williams on 3rd and 1, and he had nowhere to go because a linebacker came off of Ciron Black's edge and made the tackle 4 yards in the backfield. It happened on a 3rd down play in the 3rd quarter when Jefferson ran a little bootleg pass to Richard Dickson on 3rd and 2 (after 2nd and 1 lost a yard, btw), and the end or linebacker on the roll side didn't bite and didn't hesitate for even 1/2 second. Instead he went right at the spot where Jefferson was going to end up and got in his face, forcing a bad throw and another punt. Two plays in which the outside defender seemed to know exactly where the play was going and went right to the spot without being touched and made a play. Again, it's hard to diagnose where the problem was. In both cases, there was no attempt to block the man, which means either that he was not supposed to be blocked, or that the lineman in question (Black on the first, Barksdale on the second) mistakenly failed to block him. Or it could mean that Jefferson was supposed to check out of the play because there would be an unblocked man right where the play was going.

4. Lineman simply fails to hold a block. This is the easiest to spot and diagnose. Sometimes, the offensive lineman makes a block, or attempts to make a block, and just can't do it. I saw this happen to T-Bob Hebert, Josh Dworaczyk, and Joseph Barksdale more than one time each. I was also surprised at how often Richard Dickson got beat by a defender. Dickson started out his career at LSU as a blocking tight end, but if yesterday's game was any indication, he may have regressed as a blocker since his freshman season. We saw a good bit of Deangelo Peterson at tight end this game, and he has a ways to go as a blocker too. On one of Russell Shepard's runs, Peterson's spot was attacked by two Bulldog defenders and forced Peterson to make a choice of which to block and which to allow to go free. He hesitated and ended up letting both of them go. No one was immune to it, but Barksdale really seemed to get beat a good bit, and was on one occasion pushed back into Jordan Jefferson, forcing him to rush a throw.

Lyle Hitt gets a lot of criticism on the message boards, but I really did not see him get flat-out beat very much, though on a 3rd and goal option play in the second quarter, it seemed the entire right side of the offense got beat, including Hitt, Dickson, and fullback Charles Scott. Everyone seems to be singling out Hitt as a potential area to make a change, but he may have actually been our best lineman yesterday. I will confess that when I was ruminating on this game last night and early this morning, I was thinking of ways to either replace Hitt or move him to somewhere else, but after watching the game again I have cooled to that plan.

Barksdale was beaten a lot, and both of the new starters were beaten a lot. Josh Dworaczyk gets pushed into the backfield way too often. T-Bob Hebert loses him man at times. Even Ciron Black was not really All-SEC material yesterday.

The problem here is that if you're looking to make a personnel change, it is hard to figure out who to change. No one player seems to be the problem. Maybe Barksdale would benefit from a move to the inside, letting Chris Faulk or Greg Shaw have a chance at right tackle. But do you move Barksdale to right guard or left guard? Right now, I would say move him to left guard and see if that fixes the problems we're having on that side. Maybe Alex Hurst needs a chance to play at a guard spot, as he receives rave reviews from observers (then again, so did Dworaczyk). Could P.J. Lonergan be an improvement at center over T-Bob?

I think right now that a change, any change at all, may be beneficial, in that it could spark greater effort. It could make this a nastier offensive line to face.

Fall Camp Storylines So Far

Richard Pittman — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:50:54 -0000

They've been going at it for about a week in Baton Rouge, preparing in earnest for the season to start, and already there are a few surprising developments at LSU's Fall Camp. We Highlight some of the bigger ones:

Brandon Taylor jumps into the competition for the strong safety spot. Easily the biggest surprise was when talented but little-used sophomore cornerback Brandon Taylor opened the running with the first team at strong safety. Before camp began, the strong safety position was generally considered to be up for competition, but most expected the competition to be between Spring sensation Ron Brooks and last year's backup Karnell Hatcher. I expected Taylor as a dark horse to maybe challenge for the cornerback slot opposite Patrick Peterson. Instead, as practice opened, Taylor was moved into the strong safety slot running opposite of Chad Jones. Brooks was with the second team, and Hatcher was with the freshman, ostensibly as the third team safety. The running order has not changed yet in the parts of practice that the media sees. It may be simply that the coaches were giving Taylor a look at that position in hopes of developing versatility, but it was simply that, why would he go with the first team and not the second or third? This is a situation that will get the closest attention from here to the beginning of the season.

The surprising introduction of Morris Claiborne. In a class with, by some counts, four 5-star players reporting to camp, and one 5-star still trying to get eligible, the Class of 2009 member who is turning the most heads is a 3-star recruit named Morris Claiborne. That's right; the guy no one had heard of until the middle of his senior year. The guy who did not even have a picture of him up on the recruiting sites well into his senior season. I'm not saying he's an immediate contributor to this team or anything like that. At least not yet. He still has to find a position and master it in order be really useful. He began camp practicing at wide receiver with the rest of the freshman. He was quickly promoted to the morning practice sessions with the veterans and switched to cornerback, where he has run with the second unit. I am thinking he will end up at cornerback, because he lacks ideal size for a wide receiver, but his long arms and quickness will be a huge asset in the defensive backfield. It would surprise me at all to see him back on offense though, and it wouldn't shock me if he ends up playing both ways at some point in his career. If he's second string right now, he will probably play immediately, but I would prefer to give him a chance to redshirt and master whatever position he ends up playing. It would also give him some separation between the veteran corners on the roster and himself, giving him more opportunity to play in the future.
Offensive tackle Chris Faulk starts out on the second team at left tackle. When Fall Camp opened, every member of the Class of 2009 was practicing in the afternoon session, away from most of the veterans who practice in the morning. All, that is, except one. Offensive lineman Chris Faulk started camp practicing in the morning with the veterans, and he was doing it at left tackle, behind Ciron Black. This is a remarkable achievement for a young player. I do not remember a true freshman coming in and immediately practicing with the veterans before. Not even the guys who got here in the spring, like Kevin Minter, Drayton Calhoun, and Russell Shepard, were running with the veterans at the start of camp. Patrick Peterson was in the afternoon sessions at the beginning of last year. Rueben Randle practiced in the afternoon. As time went on, Faulk was joined by a couple other freshman. Barkevious Mingo was promoted for a day. Morris Claiborne was promoted. But Faulk was there from the beginning. He even moved last year's backup left tackle, Greg Shaw, over to right tackle. His future must be incredibly bright.
The development of the wide receivers. Terrance Toliver finally looks like he's going to approach that sky-high potential he has always had. He's put some real muscle mass on his frame, and can finally fight off physical defensive backs. He has always had great length and long arms, but he's been lanky. With a little added muscle it opens up the prospect of him being a receiver in traffic, where before Toliver was always mostly a deep threat. I believe Terrance Toliver is going to have that breakout year this year. I don't think he'll be one of the best in the SEC, but if he can increase his receptions total to about 40 while retaining his big play ability (that we did not see enough of last year after a freshman year that saw him average 25 yards per catch), he will be an outstanding complement to Brandon Lafell. True freshman Rueben Randle also looks like he is for real and will be able to make an immediate contribution. As I said before, don't expect Jones-like or Green-like numbers as a freshman, but if he can pull in 20 or so catches, he will really help this team. Veterans R.J. Jackson and Chris Mitchell make me feel pretty good about the depth at the position, and Chris Tolliver may be able to make a contribution as well. I really think this has the makings of a very good overall wide receiver unit.
Competition at center and at fullback. The most important position battle on the team right now is going on at center between P.J. Lonergan and T-Bob Hebert. It was believed that Hebert had the inside track going into camp, but Lonergan started the season practicing with the first team while Hebert ran with the rookies in the afternoon session. In yesterday's first full-squad practice the two were finally on the field together and Hebert was apparently first-team. This is the most important battle because barring injury you have to imagine that whoever wins this battle will play almost every significant snap and the second teamer will have trouble finding the field, while there could be a rotation at strong safety. A similar competition is ongoing at fullback where we have recently seen tight end Tyler Edwards jump into the fray that previously includedStevan Ridley, Richard Dugas, and Dominique Allen. Ridley is definitely the most capable runner (though Allen appears surprisingly nimble for such a big man and could end up being a surprising playmaker later on). Dugas is the converted offensive lineman. Allen is the freshman. It is anyone's guess how these snaps will be divided up in the season.
Freshman defensive linemen impressing all. The defensive line members of the Class of 2009: Josh Downs, Chris Davenport, Mike Brockers, Bennie Logan, and Sam Montgomery, are getting early raves and bringing back memories of Spears, Hill, Lavalais, etc.

Class of 2009: Stavion Lowe

Richard Pittman — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:00:10 -0000

via image.cdnl3.xosnetwork.com

When I started plotting out this series, my initial thought was that Stavion Lowe of Brownwood, Texas, would probably be a project. After all, he is an offensive lineman which is a position that usually requires a pretty long lead time. The picture above suggests he may need to make some body-shape changes (look at the decidedly un-lineman-like thin neck). Then when I went back and watched his videos, I was very surprised. Surprised enough to name him as a solid player rather than a project.

While many lineman are good at a few things, but struggle in other areas, Lowe is not like that. Some lineman may play with a mean streak but struggle getting out to the second level, or may be good pass blockers but struggle at the point of attack. Lowe's videos show an offensive lineman who is good at all phases of the game. He plays aggressively in the running game, hitting hard at the point of attack. He is agile enough to be a pulling lead blocker, or to get to the next level. He is very solid in pass blocking too. He played tackle in high school, but it is not clear where he'll play at LSU. I am convinced, however, that he is exactly the sort of lineman who is likely to have success at LSU, a good all-around lineman who is useful in all phases.

If you have not read Poseur's piece on putting together offensive line statistics, you should go ahead and read it. We'll wait here while you do. Done? OK, he concluded that LSU fields a really good offensive line, based on balanced play, with solid run-blocking and solid pass-blocking. Stavion Lowe seems to combine those elements. He may need to re-shape his body, but he's a very solid 6'5" 295#, so the raw materials are there.

While Lowe is good in all phases, I am sure he will have to get better at everything he does in order to make it as a college lineman, but I am very encouraged by what I see. Lowe was not a 5-star type guy, as he merited 4-star ratings on both Rivals and Scout, and while that's probably accurate, I think he's a 4-star calibre player who is among the most likely to amount to a very good player.

I am doubtful that any of the new offensive linemen from the 2009 class are going to break into the 2-deep unless there are substantial defections or injuries. The 2008 class of Alex Hurst, Greg Shaw, Thomas Parsons, PJ Lonergan, and Matt Branch are all there along with veteran Will Blackwell to be backups to the starters, which will allow the class of 2009 the benefit of redshirting, which is what Miles and Studrawa like to do with their offensive linemen anyway. I don't really expect to see Stavion Lowe or any other freshman offensive lineman play this season, but Lowe is a guy who is probably going to be able to break into that 2-deep sooner rather than later.

2010 Recruiting: The Big Guys, Part 1 of 2

Richard Pittman — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:30:08 -0000

Everyone loves a great running back, and wide receivers tend to be very flamboyant, but I think most football observers believe that the big guys are often the difference between wins and losses. I don't exactly buy into the "games are won and lost in the trenches" cliche, but I think we can all agree that many a good running back and quarterbacks owe a great deal of their success to their offensive line, and many a good defense was built around a good defensive line.

This is where LSU has had perhaps a bit of trouble in this recruiting class. Right now there are no defensive tackles committed to this class. There are a couple of defensive ends committed, but one of them may end up at H-back or at linebacker. And what's more, there really aren't a lot of defensive linemen on the radar. The good news is that the Class of 2009 appears epically good on the defensive line, and the offensive line recruiting looks solid again.

Let's get to the commitments:

This is a class where some have accused this coaching staff of taking a lot of projects and recruiting a lot of players who are not well-known. I am on record as saying that I don't at all mind a coaching staff going out and evaluating on its own and identifying players it thinks may be diamonds in the rough. if you don't trust your coaching staff to know what they're doing in recruiting, you probably should advocate for your staff to be replaced. Cameron Fordham of Duluth, Georgia, would definitely qualify as a projected diamond in the rough. He was reportedly offered as a center, though he is currently less than 250# at 6'4" tall. Because all of the available film of him has him playing tight end, there's really no way for us the casual observers to evaluate how he might look at center. Then again, is there any way for us to project how good a prospect might be at center? Like with a lot of prospects, you just have to decide whether or not you trust Les Miles and his assistants to offer players with reasonable probabilities of success at this level. You have reason to decide either way. The class of 2006 offensive linemen all left the football team without actually playing one down of football in an official game. On the other hand, the somewhat unpopular decision to offer Alex Hurst a scholarship appears at this point to have been very sound. The decision to offer Josh Downs a scholarship for the 2009 class was not immediately accepted by all observers but after he blew up in his senior year everyone loved that we had wrapped him up early.

Linebacker Justin Maclin of Ridgeway High School in Memphis, Tennessee, has been an important part of the recruiting puzzle since late in 2008 when LSU first got on him. Many observers thought he would get 5-star consideration, though his future may be at defensive end rather than linebacker. His recruiting stock has actually gone down a little bit, as Rivals recently took him off of their Rivals250 list of the 250 best prospects in the country. They said that he went to a camp at USC and, though he was not bad at all, was not one of the best players there in terms of upside. it is said that he has "stiff hips", to which I respond, "Well, so did Luke Sanders, and... nevermind." OK, maybe he is and maybe he isn't bluechip prospect material. I don't know. On the occasion of his commitment I noted that most of his highlights seem to involve plays in which no one blocked him. However, everyone acknowledges that he has an NFL-calibre frame and NFL-calibre speed for the position and even with teh criticism he is still a 4-star prospect on both Scout and Rivals. Early Doucet was stiffer than ideal, and he had a great career as a college wide receiver. Anyway, we move along.

It seems a little strange to be giving another write-up of Jordan Allen after we just profiled him a few days ago. Still, we are nothing if not completists. Allen is of course the 4-star defensive end from West Monroe High School. i say, "of course," because I assume that all of you have actually read that profile and have committed its more important passages to memory. There's really nothing to add on Allen to what I said before. He looks like a very solid defensive end prospect, perhaps not a pass rusher in the Rahim Alem mold, but a solid all-around defensive lineman with size, strength and quickness to be a 3-down player in the future. It doesn't hurt that his high school has as good of a relationship with the LSU program as any in the country. A good player from a program that has an established relationship with LSU? It works out for both sides.

The last commitment written up today is JUCO offensive tackle Jamarcus Hardrick. Like with Akiem Hicks of the 2009 class, profiled later today, the decision to recruit a JUCO player was born out of the expected loss of an important player at a key position. Jamarcus Hardrick is a left tackle, all 6'7" 315# of him. LSU will finally be losing Ciron Black after this year. Ciron has been starting at left tackle since I was a senior at LSU in 1996. Right now his primary backup and heir apparent is sophomore Greg Shaw, who performed admirably as a true freshman last year in a very limited role. After Ciron leaves, Miles and OL coach Greg Studrawa will have a few choices: a) slide Shaw up the depth chart and let him start, b) move Joe Barksdale (assuming he doesn't bolt for the pros after this year) over to left tackle and find a new right tackle, c) find another left tackle on the roster somewhere. The recruitment of Hardrick, who is expected to arrive in December, in time to participate in Spring Practice, is an insurance policy in case Shaw is not ready, and gives the coached a d) selection, which would be Hardrick. All things being equal, I think the coaches would absolutely prefer to leave Barksdale at right tackle, and there is no obvious candidate already on the roster to give Greg Shaw any competition at the position in 2010. As important as the left tackle position is, it would be foolish to put all the eggs in the Greg Shaw basket, as good as he might be. Plus, even if Shaw is the answer, what if he gets hurt?

In Case You Haven't Figured Out, This Will Be Recruiting Week at ATVS

Richard Pittman — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:30:09 -0000

First, a congratulations to GasHouseGorillas, who celebrated the birth of his first child yesterday. GasHouseGorillas, in case you didn't know, is my older brother. Liam Casey Pittman was born yesterday at around 11:00am, weighing in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces and measuring an impressive 19.5 inches. Sadly, if the Pittman genes have anything to say about it, great athleticism is probably not in his future, Cousin Kirston notwithstanding.

Continuing on with the topic at hand.

With the Long, Dark Offseason of the Soul continuing for another few weeks, we are scrounging just a bit for topics to discuss here at ATVS. What's good for the bloggers is not necessarily good for the team, as I pointed out in this post about all news being bad news. Things are mighty quiet around the LSU athletic facilities, with nary a serious injury (since the Tim Molten injury), an arrest, or a transfer to discuss. We think transfers are coming, as I think we still have a little ways to go to get under scholarship limits, but they're not out there right now.

So this week, barring the introduction of any real news, we will be going over LSU recruiting for 2010 in the morning, and profiling 2009 signees in the afternoon. The 2009 profiles will continue until we're done with them.

Of course, there may be some real news, as SEC Media Days are upon us starting on Wednesday. Usually, if there is any SEC Media Days news, it is purely of the manufactured variety, and I am not really planning on spending a lot of my energy discussing it. I will, however, be reading Team Speed Kills' coverage, as he should have the hook-up for me. If anything important happens in Birmingham, he'll tell us all. I'll actually be doing a little podcast with him later this week. Be sure to check that out when it happens.

In the meantime, a little 2010 recruiting is in order. First, I would like to quote an article I wrote back in March on the subject of 2010 recruiting, back when little was known about most of the recruits we'll be signing:

For reasons I can't entirely explain, we seem to have a two-year cycle on the perception of in-state recruiting and our ability to recruit great players from out of state. For example, 2007 was a banner year for recruiting in the State of Louisiana, with two 5-star players produced by the state: Joe McKnight and Chad Jones, along with several very highly regarded 4-star type players. Not only that, but LSU's recruiting class was widely considered about the most solid in the country, with 21 four- and five-star commitments signed, including 5-star Terrance Toliver, and only a handful of 3-stars. This resulted in a #4 ranking according to Rivals, and was generally considered to be an outstanding class.

Contrast that with the 2008 recruiting class. It was much more heavily weighted towards 3-stars, with thirteen 3-star players signed, along with thirteen 4- and 5-star players. There were no in-state 5-stars. With the exception of Patrick Peterson (formerly Patrick Johnson), our out-of-state recruiting was considered lackluster, as it was believed we got a lot of guys who were other teams' leftovers. Examples include Derrick Bryant, Alex Hurst, and Kyle Prater, 3-stars out of Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas respectively. It was considered a down year and was ranked #11 by Rivals (fourth in the SEC).

The early results on both of these classes (keeping in mind that the 2007 class has had an extra year to develop and an extra year to have players wash out) is that these classes are more-or-less equal. From the 2007 class, we had 4 players get essentially a starters' share of playing time last year: Chad Jones, Terrance Toliver, Joseph Barksdale, and Jarrett Lee. Kicker/punter Josh Jasper was also a big contributor. A couple players slid right into backup positions and appear to be poised to be starters this year: Drake Nevis, Josh Dworaczyk and Will Blackwell. A few more have contributed as backups and on special teams and look to stay in those positions for now while they wait for more experienced players to clear out: Stevan Ridley, Phelon Jones, Ron Brooks, Mitch Joseph, etc., etc.

But look at the 2008 class. The QB from the 2008 class appears to have beaten out the QB from the 2007 class for the starter job, despite one fewer year in the system. Patrick Peterson beat out all the 2007 corners signed and became a starter. Ryan Baker was a monster on special teams and looks like he might win a starter's position this year. Brandon Taylor will compete as well, now and in the future. Offensive lineman Alex Hurst is drawing raves and many close to the program believe he'll be one of the next outstanding LSU offensive linemen, and he was one of the "leftovers".

My conclusion is that, at this time, it appears the 2008 LSU recruiting class was just as good as the 2007 class. It's hard to say how much of that was the 2007 class being overrated (just look at the guys who left the program without ever contributing: Jordon Corbin (sadly, due to injuries), Delvin Breaux (likewise), Jarvis Jones (kicked off; not to mention the ones who just don't look like they're going to be good players (no names mentioned at this time), and how much of it was the 2008 class being underrated.* I think it's a little of both.

That's my conclusion. My point is that the 2009 class was highly regarded, both in- and out-of-state, and so we're due for a down cycle in perception. The 2010 Louisiana recruiting class is not considered to be as great as the 2009 class or the 2007 class. It's considered more like the 2008 class. I wouldn't buy it though. Try not to get too high about the highs or too low about the lows. There will be lots of solid players in this class from the State of Louisiana. We will also sign some very good players from out of state, maybe even some real blue chippers.

Just calibrate your conclusions according to the inevitable result that it will be perceived to be middling. I think it's just part of the psyche of LSU fans and of recruiting observers in general. We're coming off a serotonin high of a great recruiting class. It's time for a bit of a come down. It's time, I guess, for the heroin half of our recruiting speedball to kick in (sorry, criminal defense lawyer-mode came out for a second).

I am wrong a LOT. I will be the first to admit that, but sometimes I get it exactly right, and I think this is one of those times.

Right now, LSU has 18 officially recognized commitments for the 2010 class. Ten are listed as 3-stars on Scout. Eight are listed as 3-star (or are unrated) on Rivals. Overall, this is shaping up to be a class more like the 2008 class than like the 2007 or 2009 classes. There are a lot of prospects in this class that are getting little attention nationwide. There are a few sleepers in the class like Sam Gibson (one of my favorite prospects, by the way), Houston Bates, Cameron Fordham, and Elliott Porter.

There are not a high number of in-state prospects that are getting a lot of love from the recruiting media. Rivals only lists 8 Louisiana prospects with 4 stars, and none with 5 stars. I expect two of those (Terrance Broadway and Munchie Legaux) to drop down to 3-stars soon, but they may be replaced by one or more new 4-star prospects. This compares to 14 four- and five-star prospects from the 2009 class, 11 in the 2008 class, and 17 in the 2007 class. This is clearly a year more like 2008 as far as the in-state prospects are perceived.

But as pointed out, the 2008 class appears to be a very good class, with Jordan Jefferson and Patrick Peterson being the headliners of that class so far. Peterson was all-world, but Jefferson was a sleeper who did not earn an offer until after his senior year was finished. The 2008 class was full of players who were probably a little underappreciated, like Karnell Hatcher, Greg Shaw, and Alex Hurst. I am thinking that this 2010 class will probably end up the same way.

Tomorrow and Thursday, we will discuss just a little bit about the little guys (receivers, defensive backs, etc.), and then on Friday we will start to profile some of the linemen that have decided to call LSU home in a year. We'll play it by ear after that, but at some point next week we'll get into the "Where Do We Go From Here" discussion of recruiting.

2010 Recruiting: OL Jamarcus Hardrick

Richard Pittman — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:00:12 -0000

LSU picked up its 7th football commitment for the 2010 class, and it was a bit of a surprise. JUCO offensive lineman Jamarcus Hardrick picked up an offer from LSU and committed immediately. Hardrick is a huge kid at 6'7" and 315#.

While LSU has not shied away from JUCO players in the past, it's a little surprising they'd go with a JUCO offensive lineman. You recruit out of the junior college ranks when you believe you need immediate help. LSU has recruited a lot of offensive linemen in the last few years and it is surprising that the coaches would think that we would need immediate help there in 2010.

Hardrick anticipates competing for the left tackle position. Currently, that position is occupied by Ciron Black, who will be leaving before Hardrick arrives. Last year, Black's primary backup was true freshman Greg Shaw, who will be a junior when Hardrick arrives. Redshirt freshman Thomas Parsons is also there and will be looking to increase his playing time when Ciron leaves.

With not one but two prospects looking to take over when Black's time is done, why recruit a JUCO kid? One possible answer I see is that they must not be pleased with where Shaw and Parsons are right now in their development. Hardrick is being brought in to either push them or take over for them. The only other explanation that makes any sense is the possibility that Hardrick is just too good of a prospect to pass up. Phil Loadholt was in that position when he LSU recruited him back in 2006, and he ended up being an outstanding player for Oklahoma.

I can't really watch Hardrick's film and know much about him. It's always tricky evaluating an offensive lineman, because it's hard for a lay person to judge who is good and who isn't. The fact that he's a JUCO guy makes it even trickier, because my eye is calibrated to watch high school football players. The JUCO circuit is a different, tougher competition level. He looks good on his films, but you can only take so much from that. Is he quick enough to be a starting left tackle in the SEC? I can't say.

Hardrick is the first offensive lineman to commit to LSU for the 2010 class, and it has become clear that the coaches are being very selective in who they offer. Some prospects that fans really liked ended up committing elsewhere without ever receiving an offer from LSU. Most believe that the OL offers will be distributed at summer camps. Miles saw fit to give this guy an offer early, however, so he must want him pretty badly.

He was recruited somewhat heavily out of South Panola High School in 2008, eventually signing with Southern Miss after receiving offers from a couple of SEC schools. He went the JUCO route to work on his academics. Apparently he has blossomed at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. I hope he understands that the SEC has very specific requirements for entry from junior colleges, and he won't be able to sign with LSU unless he takes and passes all the classes he needs. This is why Phil Loadholt did not go to LSU.

With the Spring Game coming up this Saturday, look for one or two more commitments to the 2010 class.

Spring Football Begins on Thursday: A Look at the Offensive Line

Richard Pittman — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:30:09 -0000

I know that the basketball season is coming to its climax, and that the baseball team is starting its season. However much those sports are fun to follow, we all know that football is where the excitement is around these parts. Football begins its annual Spring Practice session this week, and there are some changes on the way. Here at ATVS, we are going to profile some of the more interesting things to keep up with as far as personnel goes.

First, the Spring Practice session is going to be more spread out this year than has been typical. Spring Practice is limited by rule to 15 sessions, and if you have a Spring Game, that counts as one. This season, the coaches will only have 3 practices per week with a break in the middle, so the Spring will be spread over about 5 1/2 weeks. The Spring Game is April 15. The purposes of this are to give the new coaches more time to evaluate the players between practices, and to give the players more time between practices to study and digest the schemes and the playbook. This is especially important on the defensive side of the ball, where there are few set positions at this time.

We'll start looking at some position battles to watch for in this Spring season, starting with the offensive line:

Sure Starters: OT Ciron Black, OG Lyle Hitt, OT Joseph Barksdale

There's some nice veteran presence on the offensive line for this coming year with long-time left tackle Ciron Black returning along with 2-year starter Lyle Hitt and 1-year starter Joseph Barksdale manning the right tackle position. The only mystery here is whether Lyle Hitt will end up moving to center or not. The topic has been discussed regularly.

It all comes down to deciding whether or not the up-and-coming players at guard are more ready than the up-and-coming players at center, and whether Lyle Hitt can actually play center. He never has before.

Whatever happens, LSU will have to replace 3-year starters Herman Johnson and Brett Helms, along with Ryan Miller, the primary backup lineman at both guard and center each of the last two seasons.

These two guys figure to be the key contenders for at least one of the two open starting positions on the offensive line. On the left is Josh Dworaczyk and on the right is Will Blackwell. Both are redshirt sophomores, and both saw significant time as reserve linemen last year. The coaches have always seemed particularly high on Dworaczyk. They are both guards, and hope to replace Herman Johnson on the left side of the center. If Hitt moves to center, both figure to slide into the starting lineup.

If Lyle Hitt doesn't make the adjustment to the center spot, then Les Miles will have to find a center on the roster. In that event, that center will probably come from this group. On the left is redshirt freshman P.J. Lonergan, and on the right is redshirt sophomore T-Bob Hebert, the son of former New Orleans Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert.

T-Bob would appear to have the inside track due to his experience playing last season, where he saw a good bit of playing time, especially on special teams. T-Bob will be limited in spring, however, as he recovers from blowing out his knee. T-Bob may end up seeing a position change in any event, as rumors have it that he will end up moving to fullback, where his size and quickness will be a big advantage for him, whereas he is somewhat light for an offensive lineman.

Other scholarship offensive linemen hanging around include sophomore Greg Shaw (left), who saw time last year as the backup to Ciron Black, a role he will resume this year. Right from Greg Shaw are redshirt freshmen Alex Hurst, Thomas Parsons, and Clay Spencer. These players figure to slip into the two-deep this year. Of the group, Alex Hurst, former Mystery Man, appears to be the guy of whom big things are eventually expected. He looks like the heir apparent to Joseph Barksdale at right tackle. When he was recruited, no one knew who he was. Now it is becoming apparent that the coaching staff thinks very highly of him. He could end up challenging for a starting spot if he can move to the interior.

It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out. Barring injuries, we know who the tackles are, but the rest of the line is far from settled.