Noah Cain sends message to young running backs on roster

LSU running back Noah Cain is entering his second season with the Tigers after spending three seasons at Penn State. There’s no doubt that he brings a veteran presence and experience to LSU’s running back room, along with wisdom that he isn’t afraid to share. And during the Tiger’s spring practices, Cain shared some of that knowledge with the teams younger ball carriers.

“Of course right now we’ve got guy that aren’t in the mix right now, they’ll be back coming towards the summer and in camp,” Cain said. “But like right now man it’s really all about controlling what you can, impressing the coaches every day, every opportunity you get. Because it’s not like this all the time where you’ve got this many opportunities to showcase your skillset to the coaches, and get better, and receive coaching.”

The environment of spring practice is far more unique from the rest of the year, as coaches usually shy away from making extreme moves regarding starting lineups and playing time. This allows veteran players to continue to sharpen their skills, younger players to prove their worth, and everyone to compete and get coached up.

“So I tell Trey (Holly) and even other young guys in the room man y’all just got to take coaching and make the most of your opportunities every day, because circumstances could change at any moment in this game. So you got to just be prepared,” Cain said.

Cain isn’t the only Tiger entering his second season in Baton Rouge, as head coach Brian Kelly is looking to build on the remarkable foundation he set up in his first season at the helm last year. And as he does so, Cain admitted that there is a different level of buy-in and commitment to Kelly’s cause.

“Yeah, most definitely, it’s a big difference from last year to this year. More guys are way more bought into the small things that Coach Kelly implements with our day-in day-out process of just being prepared,” Cain said. “And I feel like from when we started in January to now everybody’s been locked in, of course got hiccups here and there, but for the most part everybody’s holding themselves accountable. Understanding that you can be replaced at any moment, so you got to prepare, you gotta be ready to go to work every day.”

The Tigers went 10-4 last season securing the SEC West title, making an SEC Championship game appearance, and a bowl victory in their first season with Kelly. Add another year of continuity and more veteran leadership like Cain has displayed, and the Tigers may be able to improve even more in 2023.