After four years of electrifying Tiger fans on kickoff and punt returns, Trindon Holliday has moved on to the NFL.
Though diminutive in stature, the 5-foot-5 inch speedster leaves behind a giant statistical hole in the Tiger return game. It’s a hole that a number of players are eager to fill.”Playing kick returner is nothing new to me. When I was in high school, I played punt returner and kick returner,” said junior cornerback Patrick Peterson. “It’s definitely going to be fun this year.”
LSU coach Les Miles has identified Peterson as the primary punt returner but mentioned junior cornerback Ron Brooks, sophomore wide receiver Russell  Shepard and sophomore cornerback Morris Claiborne as players who may see time, as well.Shepard relishes the challenge of replacing the second-leading returner in school history.
“It’s something that I look forward to,” Shepard said. “I’ve never had that much space in my career, and I look forward to seeing what that’s like.”The only member of the team with any substantial experience in the return game is Brooks. He returned 13 kickoffs in 2009 for an average of 19.4 yards. Brooks said playing alongside Holliday for a season was great experience as he gets set to take on a greater workload in 2010.”I just sat back, and I really watched Trindon. The way he made a move, made a cut, he made it full speed. That’s something that I’ve taken and added to my game,” Brooks said.Brooks’ contribution to special teams doesn’t stop with the return game. He has been a vital member of the kickoff coverage unit, which ranked first in the Southeastern Conference in net yards per kick last season.Another member of that unit is senior safety Daniel Graff. The New Orleans native returns as a leader on the kickoff unit after amassing seven tackles last season. Graff’s future was uncertain eight months ago, but the NCAA granted him a sixth year of eligibility in February, an opportunity Graff welcomed with open arms.”I was a little worried in January because I had to start looking for a job. I had to start putting my résumé together,” he said.Now that Graff’s future is more certain, he is ready to enjoy his final season.”It’s fun. The kickoff team, we call it the ‘Attack Team.’ That pretty much sets the tone for the game,” he said. “We all love it. We like to make little bets on who gets down the field fastest or who makes the first tackle of the year.””Nobody wants to lose,” joked junior linebacker Ryan Baker. “Nobody wants to give up any money.”Baker has been a standout on special teams his first two years as a Tiger but was slated to start at linebacker in 2010 before breaking his jaw in practice. He will miss four to six weeks. The added responsibility of a potential starting role won’t detract from his special teams work.”I haven’t given it up,” he added. “It’s what got me where I am.”Senior placekicker Josh Jasper will be kicking the balls Graff and company will be covering. Jasper kicked off 67 times last year, three of which were touchbacks. It’s the part of his game that received the most attention this summer.”I’m working really hard on kicking off and trying to get the ball deeper,” said Jasper. “Hopefully we can get a few more touchbacks this year.”Jasper was 17-for-20 on field goal attempts last season and wowed the fans with a 57-yard kick in to a strong wind in the Tigers’ spring game.Derek Helton is the returning starter at punter after averaging what he called a “mediocre” 40 yards per punt last season. Helton, a senior, will be pushed by true freshman Brad Wing. Wing, who graduated from Parkview Baptist in Baton Rouge, hails from Melbourne, Australia. He arrived late to fall camp after the NCAA took extra time to look over his transcripts before clearing him to participate in practice, but he has been promised a chance to compete for the job.”We’re good friends,” Wing said of Helton. “Hopefully we can push each other and make each other better punters.”—-Contact Hunt Palmer at [email protected]