Back for his sophomore year, defensive end Rashard Lawrence is ready to make a name for himself.
The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Lawrence said he learned a lot in his freshman year with the Tigers, and most of that knowledge came from a 75-year old defensive line coach by the name of Pete Jenkins.
“It was good because I got introduced to coach Pete Jenkins,” Lawrence said. “He helped me out a lot, and I think a lot of the defensive lineman like Davon Godchaux and Lewis Neal.”
Jenkins took over as interim defensive line coach when Ed Orgeron became interim coach in September 2016. Jenkins immediately made an apparent impact on the Tigers’ defensive line.
“He’s the best,” Lawrence said. “We have a lot of old film from guys that he coached in the past. As far as technique, he really sits down and explains to you what you have to work on. When we get on the field, for him to be as old as he is, he’s still getting around good. He’s right there, hands-on, every day.”
Lawrence finished his freshman campaign with a line of six tackles and one sack in nine games, which was in LSU’s bowl game against Heisman-winning and quarterback Lamar Jackson of Louisville.
While Lawrence would like to have a larger role on the squad this upcoming season, he has taken a level-headed approach into spring practices.
“I’m trying to start and everything, but it’s all about making the team better,” Lawrence said. “With Coach Orgeron, we preach ‘one team, one heartbeat,’ so whatever I can do. We all have our different roles, so we’ll put it all together and see what we can do with it this year.”
Another mentor of Lawrence’s is incoming senior defensive end Christian LaCouture.
LaCouture missed the 2016 season with a knee injury, so Lawrence is excited to see him back out on the field.
“The last time I saw him in pads was fall camp, so it’s special to have him back out there,” Lawrence said. “We’re just trying to make each other better every day. He’s been around. He hosted me and everything, so for this to be his last year is kind of special because now we’re going to be out there playing together. It’s going to be fun.”
LaCouture was recently awarded the No. 18 jersey for LSU in the upcoming season.
“He’s definitely deserving,” Lawrence said. “He’s a leader. He’s a top-notch guy and been a leader ever since I came here. I’ve known Christian for a while now, so he’s definitely deserving of No. 18.”
After limited playing time in freshman season, Lawrence hoping to make bigger impact this season
By Seth Nieman
March 27, 2017
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