SUBSCRIBE HERE TO SUPPORT LSUODYSSEY's MISSION IN PROVIDING TRAILBLAZING, CONSISTENT TIGERS COVERAGE
SUPPORT OUR FRIENDS @ EYECONIKBRAND.COM, LOUISIANA'S #1 STOP FOR CHAMPIONSHIP MENTALITY APPAREL
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
Here is LSUOdyssey's Top 5 Standout performances of 2024 Fall Camp.....from 5 Tigers who've climbed the mountain & are nearing the end of their preparation, putting all the pieces together for a hell bent for leather campaign ahead.
5.
SAIVION JONES
Grinding away throughout a rough and tumble Spring, playing for his 5th defensive line coach as he entered his 4th season, following a testing 2023, defensive end Saivion Jones is back....
Utilized in a manner that will generate the best out of the former St James madman, as a pure pass rusher, Jones has untapped All-SEC abilities which must be activated, and it appears the D-Line / Edge Rushing Axis of Bo Davis & Kevin Peoples understand exactly how to set him loose.
Jones is faster off the line than we've ever seen before, winning 1 v 1's against O-line stalwart Emery Jones Jr, he's started against Alabama on the road, he's played key reps in an SEC Championship Game....he's grabbed 9.5 TFLs and 7 sacks across 38 appearances & 17 starts....he's been around the block as a Tiger...he's tasted greatness....but until now, hasn't fully achieved it...luckily, he's hungry for more.....
Possessing 880 snaps across 3 full seasons of experience, starting his last 14 games, Jones will be ready to make plays in the USC backfield come September 1st.
4.
JORDAN ALLEN
Despite our appreciation for his personality & his game since his time at Lafayette Christian Academy, safety Jordan Allen wasn't who we penciled in as the next starting safety for LSU....but he's closing in on that role as we speak.
Picking off starting QB Garrett Nussmeier on multiple occasions, reading & reacting with speed, ferocity and smart execution, rarely caught out of position at the back end, Allen emerges as a strong option at safety throughout Fall Camp.
Alongside Dashawn Spears (formerly McBryde), Jordan Allen is climbing up the safety depth chart, bypassing a few others expected to feature instead of him, and performing so well, he's almost kicked his former LCA teammate & close friend Sage Ryan out of the free safety spot he held during Spring...Ryan now finding himself deputising at corner because of Allen, Spears & safety / star Kylin Jackson's growth.
Whether he starts week 1 for LSU or not, expect Jordan Allen to play the most reps of his career during a wild 2024 season....a campaign where I believe he'll be counted upon to deliver for Corey Raymond & Jake Olsen's DBU.
3.
KA'MORREUN PIMPTON
Blowing up in a big way this Fall Camp, in such a manner it sent another tight end packing, Ka'morreun Pimpton ascended to the #2 TE spot and then some, receiving rave reviews from his Head Coach, who affirmed, "he's gonna play..."
Due to his eye popping length, skyscraping hops, strong hands, and spectacular, almost unguardable athleticism, Pimpton's dominance finally settled a two year long question deep within a cavernous tight end room: because of the arrival of generational talent freshman Trey'Dez Green, would Pimpton or Markway be the one to leave???
Sending Mac Markway, a 2nd year Tiger who started a game as a freshman last Fall, out the door after just a week of Fall Camp, Pimpton asserted himself thanks to one brilliant catch after another, handling corners, nickels, safeties, linebackers all with aplomb.
Set to be a heavy duty red zone finisher and big play target alongside TE Mason Taylor in 12 personnel formations, we're about to witness the "tight ends heavy" passing game offense we always expected from former LSU offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock.
Pimpton didn't just set himself apart or win a critical, career-altering position battle against the formidable Markway, he became one of the team's most trusted targets over an outstanding Fall Camp....a month we'll all remember as a pivotal turning point in Pimpton's LSU career.
2.
CHRIS HILTON JR
Changing his number from 17 to 3 (Odell Beckham Jr's old number) wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr is fitting the bill & proving himself to be worthy of the #3 jersey, doing his best OBJ impressions here & there, but most of all.....showcasing why he is a singular talent all of his own making:
Out-running the LSU secondary and reaching beyond any & all coverage to catch 1 touchdown after another, often forcing the practice field into hushed gasps of reverence or setting 'em off into choruses of loud, blissful hollering.
Thanks to accurate teardrop downfield passes from Garrett Nussmeier, a feature of the pair's skyrocketing chemistry, we see Chris burning past DB teammates thanks to his state track champion speed, stiff arming would be tacklers into the dirt.....Hilton Jr isn't just purely a speedster anymore....he will become a complete NFL-ready receiver by December.
Almost every practice featured a monumental play from Hilton Jr, some biblical trapeze catch high above the outstretched arms of elite coverage.
Circus catches are now the norm.....blistering pace over the middle, deep down the sidelines, on the double move routes, shaking & baking, twisting & misting.....Chris Hilton Jr isn't putting up with another season on the sidelines, content to watch others make history....now is his time to go for one epic Fall ride that could change his life.
1.
ASHTON STAMPS
Becoming Corey Raymond's question-less 1st string cornerback, sophomore Ashton Stamps rose hard this Fall Camp, intercepting a pass nearly every time LSU hit the Ponderosa (Stamps intercepted 6 passes through their first 8 practices), batting away throws for #1 WR Kyren Lacy, as well as sticking to his electric receiver teammate.
Still young, still developing, Stamps will make mistakes....for example, he's shown a propensity to allow easy catches on inside routes (crossing, slants, ins etc), however, this was exactly the scenario LSU needed ahead of Week 1 vs USC:
In the reflection of the flames stemming out of 2023's infamous defensive dumpster fire, LSU needed one of their many young but high pedigree, elite level corners to step up & not only win a starting spot, but take over the room as the man, the leader, the alpha.....Ashton Stamps, and to a slightly lesser degree PJ Woodland (who narrowly misses this list), has accomplished just that.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
-PJ WOODLAND
-GABE RELIFORD
-GIO PAEZ
-PARIS SHAND
-GARRETT DELLINGER
-DASHAWN SPEARS
-JOHN EMERY JR
-CJ DANIELS
-ZAVION THOMAS
-JAVEN NICHOLAS
-JACOBIAN GUILLORY
-KYLIN JACKSON
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
©️ 2024 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
It is so exciting to see the surge in these five as well as a number of your honorable mentions. If we are to surprise, we need some surprises from a few of these young tigers with great potential. It appears the time is now for a number of them.