Five standouts from LSU's 2023 Spring Game

The Tigers have ended the 2023 Spring Game, officially putting an end to the spring season and pushing forward to the summer months. It was a 32-32 tie game between the offense and defense on Saturday afternoon in Tiger Stadium.

Here are five standouts and a handful of honorable mention players that made some plays or caught my eye.

Honorable Mention: LB Whit Weeks, DB Javien Toviano, LB Harold Perkins, WR Landon Ibietta

Weeks had a really impressive pick six putting his athleticism and updside on full display. As an early enrolled freshman Weeks has already made his impact on the Tigers’ depth chart.

Another early enrolled freshman was Toviano who played a ton of snaps with the ones and twos. It looked like he bounced between safety and Nickel and was effective in both spots for a freshman.

Perkins had one awesome QB pressure from the inside, but other than that was not a standout for the most part. I’m excited to go back and watch the tape to see how he was used in more depth. Omar Speights was also solid.

Ibietta looked very comfortable on kick return and showed his speed with a 70-yard touchdown run.

5. DT Paris Shand

We knew the interior defensive line was a key question for this roster with the injuries to the roster right now, so it was interesting to watch Shand get run with the starters alongside Jacobian Guillory. He had a really impressive play to record a sack and overall showed some flashes to impress. We’ll see what his role is when Maason Smith, Jordan Jefferson, and Mekhi Wingo are back, but it’s nice to see him play well.

4. QB Garrett Nussmeier

It never gets old watching Nussmeier uncork a 60-yard pass placed in the perfect spot. The arm talent is absolutely legit, as we’ve known for some time now. The short-to-intermediate throws were made quickly and on-time. He took a few sacks, but I’m OK with that instead of forcing a throw into traffic. Nussmeier ended the game with 139 yards passing and two touchdowns on 5-of-8 passing. Kelly talked about Nussmeier also not having the starting offensive line like Jayden Daniels.

Daniels was good on Saturday as well, finishing with 168 yards and two touchdowns on 10-of-11 passing, but Nussmeier’s down-field accuracy was a clear separator for him. I just can’t see him not helping the Tigers win games this season, whether he starts or not. This just continued to enforce what I’ve seen since he was a freshman.

3. JACK Bradyn Swinson

Swinson’s speed and athleticism stood out in a big way, which is what we expected to see. He chased down both quarterbacks and continuously was able to get around the edge at the Jack position. The transfer from Oregon needed to come in and prove himself after getting limited playing time over the past two years for the Ducks and he has a real opportunity to do that here.

Ovie Oghoufo was really impressive as well and could have been included here just as easily as Swinson which speaks to the talent of those two. Overall, it’s a positive for the position that Swinson looked good after the position entered the spring with plenty of questions about filling the role of BJ Ojulari.

2. WR Kyren Lacy

Lacy had the highlight of the day with his one-handed grab that he took to the house for a 70-yard touchdown. It was one of several highlights for Lacy who ended the day with 92 yards and one touchdown on four catches.

He’s been talked about as one of the most-improved players on the offense and he showed out on Saturday. With all of the talk about Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., it appears to be Lacy who could be a significant difference maker in 2023 with his experience and fluidity. With him playing at this level, that’s a really strong trio of receivers entering the fall.

1. CB Laterrance Welch

Welch was outstanding, with a pair of pass breakups and multiple other times where he was thrown at and didn’t allow a reception. Zy Alexander and JK Johnson were the two starting cornerbacks, but Welch had some really impressive reps against Chris Hilton, Jalen Brown, Gregory Clayton and others on the second team. I don’t think he’s necessarily going to start this season, but it’s great to see that he’s able to be a legitimate contributor this season wherever he ends up in the depth chart.

Out of high school, Welch was a player I loved in the 2022 class because of his athleticism and size and it seems like he’s putting it all together and is comfortably in the competition with the three transfers as we leave the spring.