LSU football has had its starting quarterback picked out since the weekend, but that choice is still a mystery -- and that's exactly how new coach Brian Kelly wants it.
The new head coach spoke Monday and said the decision has been made in the QB race between transfer Jayden Daniels and redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier, but the official announcement won't be made until Sept. 4.
"Certainly I think everybody here wants to know who the quarterback is, I get that," Kelly said. "But I think it’s a tactical advantage for us not to announce it, so I’m gonna hold that announcement because I think it gives us a tactical advantage for not playing."
The mystery is something the Tigers can take advantage of until they play a game. The Florida State team they'll meet in the Caesars Superdome has already played a game, so they're advantage will be one of experience. The Seminoles played their season-opener a week ago in a 47-7 drubbing of Duquesne.
Kelly maintains that the decision came down to the wire, and even with a starter announced, the other player will be heavily involved. He qualified it as a decision between 1A and 1B, as opposed to simply picking a starter and a backup. Both players will contribute.
"We’re going to be natural in the ability to kind of flip to the next play with the next quarterback," he said. "This isn’t that you have to turn over your playsheet and go to Jayden Daniels’ play-calls or Nussmeier gameplan, it’s one and the same. And I think that in itself keeps you so engaged in what’s going on.”
The QB battle was initially billed as a four-man race with Daniels, Nussmeier, Myles Brennan and true freshman Walker Howard. But Brennan opted to retire from football midway through camp and Howard is expected to redshirt this season, though he can still see action in up to four games if the team so chooses.
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MORE FROM BRIAN KELLY
WHAT'S THE STATUS OF RB JOHN EMERY?
The Tigers running back is facing a two-game suspension to start the season, and Kelly says it remains a scenario that he can't expound upon.
“I’ve spoken on this before in that John has done everything that would allow him to be in good standing in the football program, but I have things that are out of my control as it relates to who I can play, and that’s not something I can comment on.”
THE OFFENSIVE LINE IS SET
Early in the offseason Brian Kelly pointed to a lot of positions that had yet to be penciled in, one of which was the offensive line. But a week ahead of the opener, that starting lineup appears to be set.
- LT: Will Campbell
- LG: Anthony Bradford
- C: Garrett Dellinger
- RG: Miles Frazier
- RT: Cam Wire
Kelly also named Tre'Mond Shorts as a player he expects to be in the mix, and there will likely be seven or eight names that contribute throughout the season.
“Once we felt comfortable with Garrett Dellinger at the center position, everything else was able to fall into place," Kelly said.
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HOW ABOUT WIDE RECEIVER
The wide receiver position is another where fans should expect to see as many as seven or eight names, including Jack Bech, Kayshon Boutte, Malik Nabers, Kyren Lacy, Brian Thomas and Jaray Jenkins.
Kelly said he also expects the offense to move Boutte and Nabers around the formation often to take advantage of matchups.
“It gives us really a nice rotation to keep guys fresh," Kelly said.
GAME WEEK SCHEDULE
With a game on Sunday, the Tigers are getting into their game week schedule a day later than normal, but here's how the weekly schedule will break down throughout the season:
- Sunday: off day
- Mental Monday: gameplanning
- Intense Tuesday: Get after it, full pads
- Grit Wednesday: Hump day, gotta be gritty
- Detail Thursday: Play fast, get it right
- Focus Friday: Walkthroughs
- Successful Saturday
In this case Monday was the off day, with gameplanning hitting full-speed on Tuesday. The other major change will come on gamedays. Kelly says the plan will be to get the team into the stadium in the morning on gamedays for early prep work and to get ready for the stadium atmosphere, at least for night games. The team will then head back to the hotel for lunch and return to the stadium later in the afternoon.
“It’ll be a great opener for us," Kelly said, "and one that we’re excited about.”
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