Crowded by a throng of reporters, LSU junior quarterback Brandon Harris holds court.
Media members question the 6-foot-3, 212-pound signal caller about his sports hernia injury from 2015, which he played with during the season. Harris was then asked how the team practices without All-Southeastern Conference running back Leonard Fournette, who is hampered by an ankle sprain.
Harris motions, pointing to his 5-foot-11, 212-pound backup running back, submerged by another flock of media members.
“You see that guy behind you?” Harris said of sophomore running back Derrius Guice. “One day he’ll be the man here on campus.”
The strength of the offense lies in the backfield, as talent and experience back Harris. But underuse of the team’s vast spate of talent has often been criticized.
To some, the art of developing a quarterback is considered an Achilles heel of LSU coach Les Miles. By Miles’ account, the offense isn’t broken — it just needs some fine-tuning, a key focus for the Tigers this offseason, both Harris and Miles have said.
Through spring and fall practice, quarterback play highlighted a need to fix a passing offense that ranked 105th in the nation last season.
For the first time since 2013, Miles will have the same starting quarterback under center in back-to-back seasons.
The 12th year head coach said he is starting to see progress.
“He continues to improve,” Miles said. “He has much more poise. He’s putting people in position. He’s acting like our quarterback should act.”
Wide receiver coach Dameyune Craig and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron employed new drills meant to fix Harris’ short game: check downs, quick slants and lob passes to the sidelines and corners.
To improve accuracy, Cameron had his quarterbacks throw a football through a tire swinging back and forth from a tree.
To work on softer throws, Craig asked the quarterbacks to stand under a goal post, throw a football over the post and perfectly land it in a net on the opposite side.
The drills have further shown Harris the threat of running backs like Fournette and Guice, and how effective they can be hauling in receptions.
“I started checking the ball down because Derrius Guice and Leonard Fournette can take a five-yard pass and take it 85,” Harris said.
Harris isn’t wrong, history says.
Last season, Fournette caught 19 passes — the Tigers’ third-greatest total last season — and averaged 13.3 yards per catch, with his longest pitch and catch going for 46 yards against Ole Miss on Nov. 21.
As for LSU’s top two wide receivers, chemistry is no longer an issue for Harris and his wideouts. Harris threw roughly half of his completions to junior wide receiver Malachi Dupre and fifth-year senior Travin Dural.
For Dural, better execution is a distinct improvement in the Tigers’ passing game.
“It’s all about execution,” Dural said. “You can call a play that the defense knows. It doesn’t really matter. If you execute it the right way, someone is going to be open. That’s the difference between this year and last year.”
Of course, the offense’s focal point will be Fournette, but a culmination of chemistry, experience and an emphasis on the passing game could pay off dividends for the Tigers’ hopeful 2016 championship run.
“This year is just ready to take off,” Harris said.