Ed Orgeron comments on LSU’s quarterback situation heading into spring
By Will Ogburn
Published:
For years, the LSU Tigers have been trying to find a consistent quarterback; in 2017, they have a wide selection to choose from.
Per Ed Orgeron’s address to the media on Tuesday, the competition for the starting job is still ongoing:
Look at spring and some of the key battles, as we all know: on offense, we opened up the competition at the quarterback spot, and Danny has had an excellent offseason. He’s been a leader. He’s been working hard. Justin McMillan looks good, Lindsay Scott. Lowell Narcisse is coming here. He’s rehabbing his knee. He’s looking good. He’s working hard out there. He’s lost a little weight, enjoying being an LSU Tiger. And also we have Myles Brennan, who’s going to arrive in June. So those guys are going to be vying for the starting quarterback (job). It’s going to be fun to see those guys flourish under Matt Canada.
A reporter then asked if anyone could push Etling for his spot, to which Orgeron responded:
Oh, yeah. Sure. But Danny’s the leader, clearly, right now and will probably end up being the leader. We don’t know that, but I wanted to make it open for Justin, for Lindsay, for Lowell, for Myles. That’s what we told them when we recruited them. We want to give them a chance. Matt’s going to run his offense, but he’s going to be able adapt to the type of quarterback that we have. He’s proven that throughout the years. And we’re going to still run the football here, with Derrius Guice and the running backs. But we are going to open up the offense, throw it down field, multiple shifts in formations. That’s what he’s known for.
The current leader in Ed Orgeron’s self-described quarterback battle is Danny Etling, the incumbent starter who led the Tigers to a 7-3 record last season. His numbers weren’t eye-popping, completing 160-of-269 passes for 2,123 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions, but he was sixth-place in the SEC in passing yards per game during his tenure as a starter.
Justin McMillan and Lindsay Scott are both three-star dual-threat recruits, Scott from the 2016 class and McMillan from 2015. Neither have much experience to lean on, as only McMillan has seen the field, attempting a single pass and registering a rushing attempt in the Tigers’ game against Jacksonville State last season.
The big buzz around Baton Rouge, however, centers around their two incoming freshmen, Lowell Narcisse and Myles Brennan. Both were rated as four-star prospects by 247, and each has a chance to make an impact down the line. Orgeron’s comments seem to suggest that they may have to wait for their chance, with Elting leading the battle, Narcisse recovering from an injury, and Brennan not yet on campus.
It will certainly be interesting to see who leads team White and team Purple during the Tigers’ spring game on April 22.
A former resident of both Baton Rouge and the heart of Crimson Tide country, Will Ogburn handles multimedia content and news coverage for Saturday Down South.
