Nice piece on Beckwith I found linked in TAF spam: http://theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/13125549-128/lsus-kendell-beckwith-defensive-star Didn't know he was cowboy...
Not the only Tiger Cowboy................ Todd McClure has a ranch in Louisiana, where he has spent many an offseason raising bucking bulls.
Mills suffers injury at practice Shea Dixon - 32 minutes ago (Photo: Sonny Shipp, 247Sports) LSU senior defensive back Jalen Mills suffered an injury during Wednesday’s practice that has now put a question mark on his availability for the 2015 season. Mills suffered a serious ankle injury, as first reported by The Advocate’s Ross Dellenger. The news of a leg injury was also confirmed by the Geaux247 staff with multiple sources. It’s unclear of how long Mills could miss. The Times Picayune's Jim Kleinpeter reported that Mills fractured fibula, which would sideline him 4-6 weeks. Mills entered his senior season with more starts than any other player on the LSU defense, earning the starting nod in all 39 games since he arrived in Baton Rouge. He’s considered one of the leaders of a talented Tigers defense, finishing his first three seasons with a combined 186 tackles and six interceptions. Mills, who spent time at cornerback, nickel back and safety for LSU, is set to start alongside Jamal Adams at safety this season. If Mills misses extended time, Adams will likely be joined by Rickey Jefferson, a junior who was expected to rotate onto the field often this fall.
Is that 4 to 6 weeks from now or 4 to 6 games? 4 weeks from now he would be ready by the Auburn game.
Gonna say 4-6 from now. I wanted to bring in a forgotten player, by most. Corey Thompson, some forget he was the 7th leading returning tackler last year. Played in 10 game and finished with 40 tackles, for the 2013 season. You can read about Mom and Dad, a lot like OBJ, Dad played ball, Mom ran track. A good friend of mine coached his dad Tony at A&M, his Dad was a talent. My friend also saw Corey play in high school, a major talent, much like his Dad. Corey is one of those guys that has speed and size, at 6'2" 221#'s. He is one that could come down in the box and change what the offense wants to do. A guy that could be moved around. Hope to see him make major steps this year. I'm sure after the red-shirt year, he's ready to get ingame action. Best of luck to him. #23 Corey Thompson Position: Safety Height: 6'2" Weight: 221 lbs. Class: Junior Experience: 2 Letters City/State: Missouri City, Texas High School: Lawrence Elkins HS Major: Sport Administration Born: 12/23/1993 Courtesy: LSUsports.net (@lsusports) Release: 06/19/2015 Expected to be at full strength once preseason practice starts in August … Missed all of 2014 recovering from a knee injury … An aggressive and physical defensive player that is versatile and quick in pursuit ... Good in coverage and dependable against the run ... Tremendous pursuit ability and can make plays from sideline to sideline ... Comes from an athletic family as his dad played football at Texas A&M and his mom was a track star at both the collegiate and International levels ... Has played in 23 games in career with five starts ... Has 51 tackles and three pass breakups to his credit … Switches numbers from No. 12 to No. 23 this year. JUNIOR SEASON (2014) Thompson did not see any game action for the Tigers in 2014 due to injury ... Received a redshirt. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013) Played in 10 games with five starts at the safety position ... Posted five tackles against Auburn which included a half tackle for a loss of eight yards when Auburn’s punter dropped the ball and tried to get a punt away … Earned his first career start at Mississippi State and tied for the team lead with a then career-high six tackles and three pass breakups … Followed up with another then career-best of seven tackles versus Florida for the second straight week … Racked up a career-high with eight tackles in his start at Alabama ... Registered three tackles versus Texas A&M … Missed the final two games of the season due to a knee injury. FRESHMAN SEASON (2012) Played in 13 games with no starts ... Finished year with 11 tackles … Posted a season-high three tackles versus Towson and Mississippi State ... Made his first appearance as a Tiger against North Texas ... Saw extensive action on the kickoff coverage team. HIGH SCHOOL Picked off three passes during his senior season … Ranked the No. 18 safety in the country by both Rivals.com and 247sports.com … Rated the No. 23 safety in the nation by ESPN.com … Rated as a four-star prospect by Scout.com who lists him as the No. 15 outside linebacker in the nation … Considered the No. 18 recruit in Texas by 247sports.com ... A member of the 2011 Class 5A All-State Team … Also ran track throughout his high school career … Coached by Dennis Brantley. PERSONAL Parents are Dyan Webber and Tony and Shante Thompson … Majoring in civil engineering … Dad played wide receiver at Texas A&M from 1985-87 … In three years with the Aggies, Tony caught 25 passes for 332 yards and one touchdown … He played against LSU in Tiger Stadium in 1986, catching two passes for 17 yards … His mom Dyan Webber was a standout on the track at both the collegiate and International levels … She claimed All-America honors in 1989 as part of Texas Southern’s 4x400 relay team that finished third at the NCAA Outdoor meet … Was an alternate on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team in the 4x100 realy … Claimed the 1992 U.S. Indoor National title in the 200-meters … Won a silver medal as part of the U.S. 4x400 meter relay team at the U.S. World Indoor Championships in 1993. CAREER HIGHS Total tackles: 8 at Alabama, 2013 Tackles for loss: 0.5 vs. Auburn, 2013 Interceptions: None PBUs: 3 at Mississippi State, 2013
As deep as we are in the secondary, Corey Thompson could be a much needed addition to our LB group. I'd like to see if we could cross-train him to OLB.
I think Sione needs to be moved to strong side. I like Dieon Jones, and Beckwitch as the weak side and middle. Thompson should be good with Jefferson filling in for Mills.
Meet LSU's most critical tandem ready to shoulder load for Les Miles in pivotal season Ross Dellenger| Aug. 18, 2015 Vadal Alexander needs new clothes. Even when tightening his belt, the LSU senior offensive lineman can’t fit into his jeans. He’s even rummaged through the closet for clothes he wore in high school — some of them fit him again. Alexander has gone from a 46-inch waist to a 40. His body fat percentage has dropped from 27 percent to 20. And his weight has fallen from 335 pounds down to about 325. He hasn’t been to McDonald’s in months, hasn’t eaten fried food in weeks and only occasionally eats bread. He’s lighter on his feet, quicker with his hands and poised to hold down what he calls his “island” on the outside. “Me and Vadal always talk about our islands,” fellow offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins said. “Got to hold it down, make sure nobody comes off the edge.” Alexander has trimmed down for his new role. He moves from left guard to right tackle to form, with left tackle Hawkins, LSU’s most critical tandem on the team. No, it’s not defensive tackles Christian LaCouture and Davon Godchaux or receivers Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural. It’s not running backs Leonard Fournette and Darrel Williams or safeties Jamal Adams and Jalen Mills. It’s Alexander and Hawkins, two experienced offensive linemen at new, demanding positions with more weight on their shoulders than rests on their 6-foot-6 frames. They’re the glue to LSU’s offense — two big pieces of tape on either end of the offensive line holding the Tigers in place. The duo is key to the passing game, the running game and, in a sense, the defense. The more time LSU’s offense can remain on the field, the more time the defense — full of depth issues — can rest on the sideline. The Tigers head into the 2015 season hoping to lean on their two new tackles and a veteran offensive line that has spent most of the offseason cutting fat and replacing it with muscle. “Our entire offensive line is thinner and in better shape than it’s been,” coach Les Miles said. “Big, strong and capable” is how Miles, a former lineman, describes a group that is expected to include a senior (Alexander), three juniors (left guard Ethan Pocic, Hawkins and right guard Josh Boutte) and a redshirt freshman (center Will Clapp). “I think the O-line is the best we’ve had since I got here,” Alexander said. “Type of guys we have is Andrew Whitworth-type guys. Those type of leaders and men. Leadership of me, Pocic and Hawk — guys who have played a lot of football, know how to work and lead by example — we can lead this team.” They don’t have much of a choice. LSU’s shaky and uncertain quarterback play makes Fournette and the O-line paramount to the season — again. The Tigers ran the ball last year more than they ever have in Miles’ decade-long tenure at the school: 69 percent to 31 percent passes. Fournette, a Heisman Trophy contender as a sophomore, tempers talk of his major role this season. “It’s not Leonard Fournette’s team,” he said. “It’s LSU’s team.” Fournette’s success may hinge on the island boys. Hawkins has the island to the left and Alexander the one on the right. Much of the time, they’ll be all alone on the outside against some of the best defensive linemen that college football has to offer. It’s a reason Alexander has spent the past several months eating fish, chicken and “lots of veggies,” he said. Guard and tackle have plenty of similarities. They have differences, too. Hawkins said guard is like being in a phone booth. Guards have help from the center and the tackle. They’re bunched in tight quarters, a sizable advantage for a lineman. Tackle? Not so. “You’re on your own more as a tackle,” offensive line coach Jeff Grimes said. “Just the angles and the space and the type of player you’re playing against. It’s just a different game out there on the edge in pass protection. It takes some time to really get proficient at that.” Alexander’s weight loss has helped him get there. He’s faster, quicker, lighter now to face the speedy, athletic defensive ends of the Southeastern Conference. He compares playing tackle to “a dancing bear” — all alone with his paws outstretched and his feet constantly tapping the turf. “Outside is more of an island,” Alexander said. “Got to have great feet, great awareness to block guys with a lot of speed.” “You’ve got to be more balanced and patient,” Hawkins said. Alexander isn’t new to right tackle. He started nine games there as a freshman in 2012 after injuries shuffled the starting group. He’s had his sights on returning to tackle since moving to left guard for his sophomore and junior seasons. He nearly left the program after last season to enter the NFL draft. It was “50-50 for a minute,” Alexander admitted. What drew him back? A shot to play tackle, of course. The same could be said for Hawkins, who as a redshirt sophomore was draft-eligible last year. He stayed to make the switch from right to left tackle, the most critical position on the line. His position move isn’t as intricate as Alexander’s switch. The biggest difference, Hawkins said, is his stance and steps. Instead of moving toward the right as a right tackle, he’ll be moving more left on the left side. He’s still on an island. They both are. “We talk about it all day at practice,” Hawkins said. “Got to hold down the island.”
Followup on the OL.................The next big OT.... Aug 18, 2015 | 06:17 pm Chidi Valentine-Okeke's long journey to LSU Hunter PaniaguaTigerSportsDigest.com Chidi Valentine-Okeke didn’t grow up with a football in his bed like American children. He was barely familiar with the game. Some Nigerian televisions pick up a broadcast of ESPN, so Valentine-Okeke caught highlights and a live or replayed game every now and then. A young Valentine-Okeke never imagined he’d one day play it and his talent would bring him to one of the nation’s top programs. He never thought he’d spend his summer afternoon in pads, blocking other men as big as him. He never pictured Tiger Stadium or the electricity it creates on a Saturday night. But Valentine-Okeke is very much immersed in football culture now, aware of everything that was once so foreign. “I came to Baton Rouge on Aug. 5,” Valentine-Okeke said, “and with everything I’ve learned here, it’s felt like five years.” Valentine-Okeke was a basketball and soccer player growing up in Nigera. A foundation often held camps for football and basketball, and a coach saw his talent on the hardwood and encouraged him to pick up a helmet. That’s when he started learning the game, doing drills with the limited equipment available. That same foundation selected him to move to the United States, get an education and play football. He arrived here in the summer of 2013, and a year later, he was one of the top offensive line prospects in the country. That opened up an even newer world while he was still getting used to life across the Atlantic. Valentine-Okeke soon fielded offers from all the top SEC programs. He wanted to play with the best, and his handlers in America helped him select the ones that fitted him best. LSU was one of those schools, and they received an official visit from him late in the 2015 recruiting cycle. The Tigers were an outside contender until that trip, and they managed to land his signature come National Signing Day. “I feel at home over here,” he said. “I’m not missing Nigeria, because I’m home. I know why I chose LSU.” Valentine-Okeke still had hurdles to jump before he could reach the next level of his new dream. The NCAA flagged his ACT scores during the eligibility process, and he had to retake the test this past summer before he’d get accepted. “I was just encouraging him to hang on and stay positive to know it would all work out,” said LSU offensive line coach Jeff Grimes. “It was a pleasure because he’s a joy to be around.” Valentine-Okeke eventually got the good word from the NCAA and arrived in Baton Rouge in time for fall camp. Now Grimes has found even more enjoyment in actually getting to coach him. He’s very raw, as you’d expect from someone still learning the ins and outs of the sport. But LSU has placed him at the premier position on the offensive line — left tackle — because they see big-time potential. “I try to learn everything quick, so I can adapt,” Valentine-Okeke said. “It‘s hard, but I put my mind in it. This is what I want to do, and that’s why I keep learning fast, trying to be on the same pace as everybody.” He expects to redshirt this season, so he’s still at least a year away from his official debut. His story is an incredible one. There are so many chapters left to be written, but if he accomplishes what’s expected, he’ll be one that inspires many. “To come from Africa to the United States and leave your family and start fresh, it’s incredible,” Grimes said. “He’s going to have unbelievable success and a really cool story to share with people down the road.”
