LSU joined the wave of college programs that chose to make practice open to the public instead of holding a traditional Spring game. Although the framework was different on Saturday, the value of seeing live reps firsthand remained. Players, plays, and situational football during LSU’s Spring practice left us with four takeaways that will help shape the season.
LSU Spring Practice Takeaways
Red Zone Creativity
Starting from game one, LSU struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone last season. The field shrank, and the offense’s lack of a run game led to field goal attempts unless the passing offense executed flawlessly. Those aren’t great odds with the tight windows at the goal line.
It appears that Garrett Nussmeier has been coached up this Spring to keep the ball more often on read option plays. Nussmeier has shown more of a willingness to run this Spring, and it resulted in a touchdown on Saturday. Obviously, nobody will mistake him for Jayden Daniels. But the threat itself evens the numbers and makes things a little tougher on the defense.
To the delight of his teammates, Backup quarterback Colin Hurley returned to the team after injuries sustained in a car accident in January. Ju’Juan Johnson moved from running back to quarterback in his absence, but Johnson provides a unique skill set at the position. Johnson is a threat to run on read options, designed runs, and scrambles. He ran for multiple touchdowns on Saturday and passed for another.
Defensive End Dominance
Transfers Jack Pyburn and Jimari Butler teamed up with returner Gabe Reliford to wreak havoc on the defensive side of the ball. All three had multiple sacks during practice, but also played well against the run. We weren’t sure how well LSU would replace Bradyn Swinson and Sai’vion Jones, but the edge seems to be in good hands. Brian Kelly commented on the group after practice.
“Those guys are great workers. They do it the right way off the field. In this building…These are really impactful players, not only from an edge standpoint in terms of what you see. But I can tell you from behind the scenes that they are really impactful as well,” said Kelly.
The day that the edge players had could easily trigger doubt towards the Tigers’ rebuilt offensive line. It’s still too early to hit the panic button in that regard. Considering the discrepancy in levels of play between LSU’s offenses and defenses since 2023, the staff should be encouraged that the defense is winning more battles.
Close Coverage
The edge defenders deserve credit for their production during LSU’s Spring practice, but they had help. There were several plays against the first-team defense in which there was simply nowhere to go with the ball. Again, newcomers were impactful.
Transfer cornerback Mansoor Delane looked like a starter while breaking up multiple passes. DJ Pickett blanketed Nic Anderson on an end zone target and even recorded a sack. There’s a long way to go to Week One, but these two have stood out this Spring.
Safety has not exactly been a position of strength for LSU lately, but the group covered well. Javien Toviano was all over the field and looks to have found his home after stints at the cornerback and nickel positions. Although Trey’Dez Green’s action was limited due to an ankle, it was an impressive effort by the safeties to limit the offense’s talented tight end group.
Berry Bolsters Bengals Backfield
Freshman running back Harlem Berry doesn’t catch the average eye with his size. The early enrollee is 5’10 and still filling out his purple and gold uniform. Yet, he’s different than any other running back on the Tiger roster. Berry is known for his speed and elusiveness, but he didn’t hesitate to run between the tackles during practice.
There’s typically a hesitant, big-play mentality that exists within young, explosive backs. Ranked as the top running back in the 2025 class, the high expectations could cause some to feel pressure. However, he has the discipline to take what’s there and the talent to create what isn’t. Kelly talked about what separates Berry.
“He’s a natural runner of the football. He sees things that you just don’t coach. The great backs just have that natural uncanny ability to see things on the move, and you just let it go,” Kelly stated.
Berry had multiple impressive runs on the day, including a roughly 20-yard touchdown run. If the LSU running game doesn’t improve in 2025, it won’t be a result of a lack of talent.
Main Image: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
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