The LSU football team concluded its first week of spring practice Saturday, and head coach Nick Saban said the team still needs to establish its identity.
“I think the identity that we want to try to establish with this team is nowhere near where we want it to be,” Saban said. “We’re going to keep working on that.”
While the team is making improvements, Saban said he wants to see the players improve in the intangible areas of the game.
“[We need to] play hard, be relentless, be more aggressive, have a little more mental toughness, be able to persevere and sustain things a little bit better, play better in the fourth quarter and all those types of things,” Saban said. “I’m not disappointed in where we are, I just think we have a long way to go.”
The Tigers practiced in full gear for the second time this spring Saturday. Saban said the players looked sluggish at the practice, but he expects the team to practice with more enthusiasm the rest of the spring.
“I don’t think we had the same energy level that we’ve been having in practice — maybe because it was Saturday, maybe because we practiced earlier in the day. I think everybody controls the energy level they play with and practice with, and certainly we’d like to do a little better than what we did today.”
Saban attributed LSU’s lack of consistency to the youth of the team. He said many players are learning new positions, which requires teaching and patience.
“I think the staff has done a great job of working with the players. I think we’ve got a lot accomplished, and things have gone well to this point,” Saban said.
The Tigers continue to look for starters at the linebacker and safety positions on the defensive side of the ball. Saban said Cameron Vaughn and Lionel Turner looked solid at the middle linebacker positions, but the team lacks depth behind them.
On the offensive side of the ball, Saban looks for one of the Tigers’ five running backs to set himself apart from the others. The departure of Domanick Davis and LaBrandon Toefield leaves the position wide open.
Joseph Addai returns as the Tigers’ most experienced running back. He had 80 carries for 456 yards and scored four touchdowns last season.
Saban said the sophomore has done really well in practice so far. Saban looks for Shyrone Carey, Ryan Gilbert and Jason Spadoni to develop more at the position as well.