LSU took care of business at Tiger Stadium on Saturday, running a program that concludes spring training with its annual scrimmage.
The short spring game gave Brian Kelly and his staff a chance to evaluate the roster, position competition, etc., but it also gave young players a chance to get more reps in “in-game” situations.
Early enrollee Gabriel Reliford shined on LSU's defense and certainly proved he is worthy of the purple and gold, but who else has made an impact?
Players to watch on Saturday:
Gabriel Reliford: Early Enrollment Defensive Lineman
The obvious takeaway from Saturday's spring game was an impressive performance from early enrollee defensive lineman Gabriel Reliford. The youngster shined on the second team, and while he couldn't match the first-team tackles of LSU's Will Campbell and Emery Jones, it was a big show for him.
Reliford finished the day with two sacks and several QB hurries for the LSU defense, proving he can be an important piece of this defense as an EDGE this fall. Reliford was a question mark this offseason as to whether he could be part of the inside defensive end, but his place as an outside passer rusher is now clear. The twitching speed spoke for itself.
CJ Daniels: Liberty transfer wide receiver.
Redshirt junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeyer will assume QB1 duties this fall with a deep roster of talent, including wide receiver CJ Daniels, a Liberty transfer. The first-year Tiger showed off his elite playmaking ability, route running and more on Saturday. He's been a second-team player and will be a starter alongside Kylen Lacy by fall.
Lacy played his part, Aaron Anderson showed some speed, and Shelton Sampson Jr. was certainly targeted a few times. Coach Nussmeier will be free to choose which players he wants on Saturday. It will be interesting to see what LSU does with Chris Hilton Jr. He dropped spectacularly during the spring game, but it will be very interesting to see if he scores No. 1 during fall camp in August.
Kylin Jackson: Redshirt freshman safety.
Reliford's name will be talked about after Saturday's show at Death Valley, but second-year Tiger Kylin Jackson has proven he can be an impact player this season. After redshirting his first year with the program, he looks ready to take a break in the purple and gold if he gets the right snaps.
Jackson showed with a hawk eye on Saturday that he could compete for the second-in-command spot behind Major Burns for the STAR position. He did it with the second team and was very impressive. It will be interesting to watch his development during the offseason.
Ricky Collins: Redshirt freshman quarterback
Collins flashed elite athleticism on the second team and took the lead in the QB2 race on Saturday. After Nussmeier finished his day, Collins also had the opportunity to take a photo with the first team.
Collins was competing with Vanderbilt transfer AJ Swann for the backup signal-caller role, but Collins firmly took the lead Saturday. Swann missed a few throws and didn't look very comfortable in the pocket, which was surprising for a player who played in the SEC.
Collins currently has the lead heading into the summer, with the battle likely to continue into fall camp in August.
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