Schedule: LSU opens spring practice on Saturday with a workout at 11:45 a.m. ET. They will scrimmage on March 21 and March 28 and will hold their National L-Club Spring Game on April 18 at 2 p.m. ET. No practices will be held April 4-12 during LSU’s spring break.
What’s new: The Tigers have three new assistant coaches this spring, including a new defensive coordinator in Kevin Steele. When longtime defensive coordinator John Chavis split for Texas A&M after LSU’s bowl loss to Notre Dame, his close friend Steele left a position at Alabama to join Les Miles’ staff. LSU introduced Steele and new defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, who replaces Brick Haley, at the same news conference in January. Finally, former Georgia assistant Tony Ball takes over as receivers coach after Adam Henry accepted a job with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.
On the move: Nothing is set in stone yet, but there could be some movement along the offensive line. When they announced in January that they would return for the 2015 season, left guard Vadal Alexander and right tackle Jerald Hawkins said they both expected to play tackle this fall. Ethan Pocic, meanwhile, is capable of playing any position on the line after starting at center and guard last season. It will also be interesting to see what defensive backs coach Corey Raymond does with senior Jalen Mills. Mills can play either safety, where he started last season, or cornerback, where he started for the two seasons before that. The Tigers have talent at corner, but not a ton of experience.
New faces: The Tigers will have four early enrollees in camp. Two names to watch this spring are those of cornerback Kevin Toliver and running back David Ducre. Toliver was the highest-rated signee in LSU’s 2015 recruiting class (ESPN’s No. 10 overall prospect and No. 2 cornerback) and could compete for immediate playing time in the secondary. Same with Ducre, who jumps directly into the competition to replace Connor Neighbors at fullback. The Tigers also have quarterback Justin McMillan and tight end Hanner Shipley in camp as early enrollees.
Question marks: We addressed several spring storylines in greater detail in a post earlier this week. One of the leading questions entering spring practice is what shape the defense will take under Steele’s guidance. Chavis coached a 4-3 base defense and regularly deployed personnel packages with five and six defensive backs. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Steele continue those alignments since that’s what the current Tigers were specifically recruited to play. But we will also likely see him add some new wrinkles -- maybe even some 3-4 looks like his defenses played under Nick Saban and Kirby Smart at Alabama.
Key battle: No question about this one. LSU will have competition at nearly every position, but the most important one is at quarterback. The single most important issue for the Tigers this season is getting more effective play from the quarterback position. Incumbent Anthony Jennings started 12 of 13 games last season, but completed just 48.9 percent of his passes and clearly didn’t frighten defenses with his passing ability. However, talented freshman Brandon Harris was unable to overtake Jennings and was a flop in his one starting opportunity against Auburn. The Tigers desperately need one of them to grab this job and develop into an effective SEC quarterback. It could mean the difference between contending in the SEC West and remaining in the middle of the pack where LSU sat last fall.
Breaking out: After a standout freshman season, safety Jamal Adams seems likely to play a key role in the secondary this fall. This is also an important time for junior defensive end Tashawn Bower to lock down one of the starting spots vacated by Jermauria Rasco and Danielle Hunter. Up front, two defensive tackles who sat out in 2014 -- Travonte Valentine and Trey Lealaimatafao -- have a chance to make an immediate impact. On offense, it will be interesting to see which pass-catchers -- receivers like Malachi Dupre, Trey Quinn, John Diarse and D.J. Chark and tight ends like DeSean Smith, Colin Jeter and Jacory Washington -- join Travin Dural as the Tigers’ most reliable targets. Dural (37 catches for 758 yards and seven TDs last season) had 20 catches and 440 receiving yards more than the next-closest Tiger in 2014.
Don't forget about: Davon Godchaux and Christian LaCouture developed into an effective combination at defensive tackle as last season progressed, after the interior line was a bit of a mess early in the fall. Should Steele tinker with the Tigers’ defensive alignments, it will be interesting to see how many ways he is able to use the duo -- both of whom would probably fit better at defensive end in a 3-4 scheme.
All eyes on: The Tigers return a pile of talent from last season’s young 8-5 team, led by star running back Leonard Fournette, but plenty of questions remain for Miles’ club. Steele’s impact will be a source of interest, but the likelihood of improvement probably rests on the job Cam Cameron does developing his quarterbacks. This is a team with enough talent to contend in the SEC West -- and maybe even for a College Football Playoff spot if everything goes smoothly. It starts with developing a more consistent passing game and a competent player under center who will prevent defenses from stacking the box to defend Fournette.