The Tigers’ Wednesday morning practice saw a few faces return to the field, while a number of freshmen continued to make their marks as the season approaches later this month.
Quarterbacks
Junior quarterback Rob Bolden, who transferred to LSU from Penn State last season, finally made his debut at the squad’s morning practices. The former Nittany Lion looked crisp when throwing five and 10-yard routes, but he was inaccurate when passing down the field.
That being said, sophomore No. 3 option Stephen Rivers was the polar opposite. Rivers lacked velocity on passes fewer than 10 yards, but he connected with junior wide receiver Jeffrey Lang on a deep post-route.
Senior Zach Mettenberger and sophomore Brad Kragthorpe were also present, though both worked with either the running backs or defensive backs.
Backfield
Senior fullback J.C. Copeland made a reappearance today after his absence from the squad during Tueday’s morning practice. Copeland ran in front of fellow senior Alfred Blue in individual drills.
Junior running back Kenny Hilliard also worked a decent amount of reps at fullback, running ahead of sophomore standout Jeremy Hill.
Wide Receivers
Freshman Travin Dural, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound receiver from Breaux Bridge, La., continued to impress at morning workouts Wednesday. The first-year wideout showed good hands on routes under 10 yards, and he looked explosive coming off the line on deep posts.
Dural is expected to add another downfield threat to the Tigers’ receiving corp. when the squad opens up play against TCU on August 31.
Defensive Notes
Both sophomore cornerback Jalen Mills and junior defensive end Jermauria Rasco continued to sport the green jerseys Wednesday, indicating they were not to take part in contact drills.
Freshman defensive backs Rickey Jefferson and Jeryl Brazil were the standouts at defensive back.
Both proved to be quick on their breaks at cornerback, showing good hands in individual drills. Jefferson looked comfortable during the squad’s backpedaling drills, making crisp breaks on the ball and failing to drop any ball thrown in his direction.
Brazil, who was touted for his speed and athleticism while being a standout at Loranger High School, will be an interesting experiment for the LSU coaching staff this fall. The freshman showed impressive acceleration while running down the field in coverage, and he also did not drop any passes thrown in his direction.
Afternoon Notes
Freshman quarterback Anthony Jennings and junior wideout Quantavius Leslie were both present at the squad’s afternoon practice. Jennings was on point for the most part during passing drills, connecting regularly with his receivers on routes near the sidelines.
Leslie dropped one pass that bounced off his chest, but showed strong hands throughout the practice.
Defensively, freshman defensive back Kavahra Holmes impressed during backpedaling drills, showing good acceleration while braking on passes.