The LSU football team will hit the practice field on March 20 for the first time since its Sugar Bowl win over Oklahoma on Jan. 4.
The team will take a mix of experience and youth into spring practice, and coach Nick Saban and his staff will look to answer a few question marks going into the summer.
Those question marks include who will take over for Matt Mauck at the quarterback position and who will replace starters Michael Clayton and Devery Henderson at the wide receiver position. Starting spots are also open at one defensive end position and one defensive tackle position. And a punter is being counted upon in spring practice to take the reigns left by Donnie Jones.
Saban said during Monday’s spring football press conference that the coaching staff has set forward some objectives it would like to accomplish before spring practice commences with the annual Spring Game on April 24.
One of those goals includes identifying the 44 best players on the team.
“The number one objective of the spring is to get the best 22 players on the field at every position that we can,” Saban said. “If that requires some experimentation in the spring, we’ve done that in the past. Some of that has worked out and benefitted the team, and some of it we go right back and put it right back together.”
He said establishing depth is almost just as important as establishing starters.
“We certainly want to try to get the next best 22 guys in position to provide adequate depth on the squad,” Saban said. “I think that’s always the No. 1 goal and objective in spring practice.”
Sophomore running back Justin Vincent was experimented with at defensive back during the spring of 2003 but was moved back to running back in the fall. He ended up becoming the starter and was named Most Valuable Player in the Southeastern Conference Championship game and the Sugar Bowl.
This spring, Saban said it is possible cornerbacks Corey Webster and Ronnie Prude could be tried out at wide receiver because of the loss of Clayton and Henderson. But he made it clear Webster, an All-American candidate at cornerback, and Prude were not being moved from cornerback.
“Corey Webster once played receiver here,” Saban said. “We’ve lost two starters at receiver. Don’t be surprised if you see him and Ronnie Prude both, not being moved from defensive back to receiver, but working some at receiver in the spring.”
Joseph Addai, the starting running back in the season-opener in 2003, will also get a look at receiver to get him more involved in the offense.
One hot topic in the spring will be the quarterback situation with the departure of Mauck.
Senior Marcus Randall along with redshirt freshmen JaMarcus Russell and Matt Flynn will all get a crack at the job.
Saban said there will be no controversy revolving around the quarterback job because once one player separates himself from the others, he will be named the starter.
Saban said Marcus Randall does have an advantage because he has been around the system for four years and is the most experienced of the bunch. Randall started six games in 2002 after Mauck was lost for the season with a foot injury, while Russell and Flynn have never taken a snap in a college football game.
“[Randall] is the heir apparent to the job,” Saban said. “We have two young players who have talent and ability who are going to get an opportunity to compete at that position. It’s going to happen on the field. When somebody becomes an established starter, you [the media] will be the first to know. When I know, you’ll know.”