Most of the questions for players and coaches at the LSU football team’s 2008 media day were again about the quarterback position.After expected starter Ryan Perrilloux was dismissed from the team last summer, the starting quarterback job seemed to be between then-sophomore Andrew Hatch and then-redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee. Neither had much game experience.Much of the attention at media day this year was again on the quarterback position, but for a different reason — the arrival of highly touted freshman quarterback Russell Shepard.Shepard entertained a seemingly endless amount of questions from members of the various media outlets in attendance. But that seemed to be a positive sign for the Tigers, who didn’t face the same questions at quarterback as they did last season.The Tigers know who will most likely take the season’s first snap, and whoever that is this season will have something neither of the quarterbacks had at the start of last season — experience.”Learning from what happened last year, we are just trying to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson, who will likely start the season opener. “We are really trying to do as much as we can to get prepared for the season.”Hatch got the first start for the Tigers last season. He was hurt in the Tigers’ 26-21 victory at Auburn, leaving Lee at the helm of the offense.Lee started eight games for LSU and threw for 1,873 yards and 14 touchdowns but also threw 16 interceptions. Jefferson, a freshman in 2008, started the final two games for the Tigers and earned Offensive Most Valuable Player honors for the Chick-fil-A bowl.Both freshmen had growing pains during the season.”When you have freshman starting quarterbacks who haven’t played, playing in some of those big games is a new thing,” said LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton. “There is so much adrenaline going. They’re making errors. They’re not used to being booed. They aren’t used to having all that success when they are good either.”Senior wide receiver Brandon LaFell said Jefferson has really stood out as the Tigers’ quarterback this season.”He’s taking most of the reps with the [first team],” LaFell said. “He’s been a vocal leader. He’s just stepping up and putting us in the right plays.”Jefferson said his emergence offers the Tigers a deeper playbook and will allow them to do more on offense.”We added some new plays to use my feet a little bit,” Jefferson said. “Just some things to be more versatile on offense, which is going to help us a lot this year.”Jefferson started LSU’s final two games, including the Tigers’ 38-3 victory against Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A bowl.His teammates have noticed a change in his attitude as well.”His eyes aren’t bugged,” said senior offensive lineman Ciron Black. “He’s not just looking in the stands trying to figure what’s going on. He’s zoned in. He knows what’s going on — it’s his huddle. He’s taken control of the huddle.”Lee said he has put his tumultuous 2008 redshirt freshman season behind him.”After going through last fall, I feel like I’ve really matured a lot,” Lee said.Crowton said he has noticed the change in Lee’s attitude.
“He’s not sitting there absorbing information that we’re trying to teach him about the opponents,” Crowton said. “Right now, he is extracting that information. It’s almost like he’s asking the question before I can tell him what’s going on because he knows what’s going to happen.”Lee said he spent a lot of time watching film and learning to read defenses better.LaFell said when Lee runs the team, the Tigers “are not missing a beat.”LSU also has two freshmen on the depth chart at quarterback in Shepard and Chris Garrett.Shepard was one of the top recruits from last year’s high school class and has already impressed his teammates with his exploits on the field.Black found it hard to put in words what he believes Shepard is capable of.”The sky is the limit for [Shepard],” Black said.————Contact Amos Morale at [email protected]