LSU post-spring concerns: Fournette's weight, Beckwith's knee and more
LSU wrapped up its spring practice activities with Saturday’s National L Club Spring Football Game.
That’s the last we’ll see of the Tigers, who are predicted by many to be a national championship contender in 2016, for a while.
Les Miles left Tigers fans with some nuggets to chew on over the summer, as reported by The Advocate’s Ross Dellenger.
Leonard Fournette’s weight
Miles made a comment on Saturday that left some scratching their heads.
“Leonard Fournette’s got to trim up,” the coach said. “For him to get the speed he’s capable of, I think he needs to be lighter.”
That’s likely nothing more than a motivational ploy to ensure that Fournette stays hard at work over the summer, but it will be interesting to see what the Heisman contender looks like when fall camp begins.
Kendell Beckwith’s knee
Beckwith, who may be the most important cog to the Tigers defense this fall, missed most of the spring due to a knee injury.
Now that the spring session is over, Beckwith was willing to share some details on his status heading into the summer.
It was a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) injury which did not require a surgical procedure. It will get better with rest.
“I can rest it now. The type of injury it was, it’s got to heal over time,” he said. “I feel like I’ll be good in another week or two.”
He joked with reporters that his knee was at “87 percent” strength following Saturday’s spring game.
Will Clapp’s hip
According to Dellenger, who spoke with Will Clapp’s father, the Tigers projected starting offensive guard will undergo surgery on his hip this week.
The expectation is that his recovery timetable will make him available by the time camp begins in August.
Darrel Williams’ ankle
Fournette wasn’t the only LSU RB that saw a lightened load at Saturday’s spring game.
Darrel Williams carried the ball just three times.
Miles says it was an ankle injury that needed some precautionary measure:
“We didn’t want to extend him (Saturday),” Miles said. “He had an ankle (injury) at the back end of spring. Probably could have lit up the spring game. Get him healthy and our football team becomes much better football team.”