On Monday, coach Ed Orgeron will be making his first appearance at SEC Media Days since 2007, his last year as the head coach of Ole Miss.
He will be accompanied by junior running back Derrius Guice, senior receiver D.J. Chark and senior defensive lineman Christian LaCouture.
Expectations for Matt Canada’s offense
The main thing coach Orgeron said he learned from his failure at Ole Miss was to let his coaches coach and get out of their way. With Canada in full control of the offense, expect to see a variety of shifts and motions to keep the defense guessing.
Monday will be the first time coach Orgeron will be talking about LSU’s offense since the Spring Game in April. Whether or not Orgeron gives an update on the offense remains the biggest talking point headed into fall.
Senior quarterback Danny Etling will remain in Baton Rouge, most likely due to recovery from back surgery he had in the spring. Orgeron has proclaimed that Etling is the season starter, but that the job is still open. Don’t expect anything different to be said in Hoover.
Guice and Chark’s role as playmakers
LSU lost a swath of talent in the running back, wide receiver and tight end positions after last season. Without Leonard Fournette, Malachi Dupre, Travin Dural, Colin Jeter and Desean Smith, LSU is left with very little production returning. Chark is the only receiver who has double digit career receptions and Guice is the only running back who has had more than 65 carries in a season.
The two are cornerstones for coach Canada’s offense, and will be counted on to play at an extremely high level throughout the season.
It will be the first time both players have talked in press conference since last fall, and the first opportunity they have to talk about the transition into a new offense since early April.
LaCouture’s contributions as a leader on defense
LSU is losing nine starters off of the nation’s No. 10 ranked defense, and LaCouture is a piece for defensive coordinator Dave Aranda’s retooling.
LaCouture had to sit out last season after sustaining a knee injury in the fall. Prior to that he was a three-year starter, and was set to be a starterat nose tackle. Instead of leaving for the NFL draft after his injury, LaCouture applied for a redshirt and was granted a fifth year.
Now sporting the No. 18, LaCouture is the most experienced player on LSU’s roster. The redshirt senior is a starter at defensive end, and the clear leader on an inexperienced defense.
