Everything LSU coach Ed Orgeron said Tuesday about player march, opt-outs

Ongoing conversations concerning national issues of racism and social justice and the high-profile departures of Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Shelvin dominated Ed Orgeron's press conference Tuesday.

Here's everything the LSU coach told members of the media via Zoom on the two most prominent topics.

Opening Comments

"We had an outstanding practice yesterday in full pads. We put in short yardage. We had a lot of one-on-ones, bump combo drills. We had a lot of competition. Some guys stepped up. We talked about 'Next man up.' I thought that Kayshon Boutte had a great day yesterday. Jacobian Guillory. Those guys were making plays.You know, over the weekend, we had a lot of time to think about things that are going on. I talked to the team yesterday. I talked to Pete Carroll, my mentor, about how he's handling the things outside the football facility — the social injustice, racism — and we talked about it as a team. And we're getting more educated about it, letting our guys voice their opinion, talking about the things that they're going through and how we can be a part of the solution. It was a great, great day yesterday. Tremendous leadership on our football team led by JaCoby Stevens and Andre Anthony and Myles Brennan. Those guys are doing a great job of leading our team. They had a player-only meeting for about 15 minutes to discuss Ja'Marr leaving and discuss Tyler leaving and obviously stepping up and not blinking and doing the things that we need to do — one team, one heartbeat. I thought it was a tremendous day for our football team. Obviously over the weekend Ja’Marr and Tyler decided to leave. We wish them the best. They did everything they could for LSU while they were here — helped us win a championship, a very integral part of our championship football team. We wish them the very best in the NFL and their training coming up. And we're gonna support 'em 110%."

What did you talk to the young men about with regards to the decision to opt out?

"Obviously everybody's situation is different. Ja'Marr had a different situation than Tyler. I talked to them both about it. They told me the reasons why they wanted to leave. Obviously that's up to them if they want to talk about that. They both had legitimate reasons why they left the team. It was hard. It was hard for both of 'em. Ja'Marr, it was really hard for him to leave the team, and so was Tyler. So I think those guys obviously talked to their families and made a decision, so that's their decision. You know, guys are gonna opt out for different reasons. That's the time we're living in. But, you know what, we have guys that are gonna step up. There are some opportunities for new guys to come in. And we have a good roster that can handle that. Obviously I don't want anybody else to opt out. I wish that that might be the last one hopefully, but it may not be. And we've got to deal with it."

Why weren't you there with the team Friday for the march?

"You know what? Here's what I want to ask you: Why you keep on printing stuff and not come and ask me? And where are you getting your sources from? All y'all have got to do is ask me. And if you wanna know something about our football team, call me and ask me instead of trying to say that you're printing about sources, OK? I told you that's how I'm gonna handle things while I'm at LSU. And if you want to have outside sources and talk about my football team and print something that I didn't say, that's your choice. Why don't you come ask me?"

What Friday's experience was like on Friday?

"Yeah, you know, it was different, obviously. But at the end I had a meeting with the players. They voiced their opinion. I voiced mine. That was all handled in-house. I thought it was a good growing experience for both of us — for me as a head coach and for our football team and for me to listen to the things that are going on with them and why they did it and being a part of the solution. So I thought it ended up being a very productive day."

How has the depth chart shifted on the defensive line and how have some guys stepped up?

"Jacobian Guillory had an outstanding practice yesterday. Man, the guy made plays. Jaquelin Roy, those guys are gonna have to play for us. Glen Logan and now (Siaki) 'Apu' Ika's gonna start are nose. And what we did, and I'm gonna tell you this is a hard decision: Joe Evans was doing really, really good on the offensive line — I mean, really, really blocking well. I talked to him today. I think that he has a chance to play on defense, so we're gonna move him to defense today to add some depth, especially inside. Outside we've got some very good players. We've got some young defensive ends that are gonna play a lot. Andre Anthony and Travez Moore's playing better, and thank God we got Ali (Gaye) from junior college. And then we've got Phillip Webb and B.J. Ojulari that's coming and Desmond (Little) is coming. So we have some young guys. They're gonna have to play. They're gonna have to get better as the season goes on."

Will LSU seek a grad transfer this close to the season with school already starting?

"Yes, yes, we're always looking for players. We're looking at players right now, obviously. We have some news. We had a need at cornerback. But that was the only initial that we have. In order for us to sign some people, we have to have initials, so that was the last initial scholarship that we have. And we're looking for a cornerback. And I think we're gonna use it on a cornerback, and it should be happening soon."

Can we ask why you weren't at the beginning of the march? We saw you at the end, and you spoke and everything? Could you have been there the whole time?

"I didn't even know what they were doing. I wasn't informed or anything. Now, I sent some coaches over there to see if they were gonna come to practice. And I walked in the 1:30 meeting, and there wasn't a lot of people there. I went upstairs. I got a call, 'Coach, the team would like to meet you. They're at the president's office.' That's the next thing I heard. As far as a march through campus, I wasn't informed on all that. I didn't know anything about that. That was a players-only deal, so I went with them when they called me, and that was at the president's office. And I'm glad I did."

Are there any other players on the team who may opt out this season that you've talked to?

"You know, there's a couple of guys who are thinking about it, to be honest with you. And, again, everyone's for different reasons — maybe family reasons or maybe health reasons or they may have something they need to opt for. Maybe there's one or two that I know are thinking about it. Hopefully they don't. But, again, if they do, that's what we're living with. We have depth, and if they do opt out, we're still gonna have a great football team."

How much of an asset is it to have a player like JaCoby Stevens showing leadership off the field?

"Phenomenal. I can't thank him enough for what he's done. We had a leadership meeting on Monday. Our guys are having a meeting again today talking about things. We really opened up some dialogue. And I know who team leaders are. It doesn't take me long to figure it out. When he speaks, everybody's listening. He's very intelligent. You know, his family's from Louisiana. He's a great player, a great young man, so he's a big asset to our football team."

Have you ever been on a team that has had so much turnover not just on the roster but some key staff positions in just one season?

"It's gonna happen on a championship team. I don't remember because I wasn't the head coach the amount of the turnover because I didn't have to face that at Miami and USC, but I'm sure we had 'em. But it's next man up. And that's why we've gotta recruit. But that's why you're at LSU. You have some good young players that can play. I know our guys are gonna step up. It is a lot of turnover. But it's a great challenge for our staff."

Does this remind you of 2018 when you didn't have a lot of experience? And how difficult will it be to get anywhere close to where you were last year?

"Were you in my meeting this morning? That's exactly what we talked about. I mean, exactly. It reminded me of those times and, you know what, especially the day after we lost to Troy. I mean, the black clouds were all over. It wasn't good. But, you know what, I think that's one of the most important games we've played since I've been coach here. That's when things started changing. That's when we got back to business. That's when we focused in on the daily tasks. We didn't start thinking ahead. Every day, we took one day at a time. I said, 'I'm gonna enjoy myself coming to work, I'm gonna enjoy coaching this football team. Whatever this team ends up to be, my job is to get 'em to be the best that they can be.' And you know what, I think that when you coach that way and when you approach it that way and you get better on a daily basis, the process is gonna take care of the results. So I kind of had to re-think that, because I caught myself thinking, 'Hey, man, we've gotta do this, we've gotta do this, it's gotta be this way.' And that's the wrong thinking. The best thinking is take it one day at a time. This is the team we have. Let's get 'em better. Let's see what's gonna happen.'"

What were your biggest takeaways from talking to Pete Carroll?

"I think for me, when I say, 'Block out the noise,' I mean, when we come into work, we focus on the task at hand — but not being oblivious to what's going on out there, because obviously it's affecting our players. So if it's affecting our players, I need to be educated on what's going on, why it's going on, listen to them, open up some dialogue and find some solutions."

On the team, if there was any group that could survive losing a player like Ja'Marr, is it the receivers?

"That's what we discussed. If there's any position that can take that, it would be the wide receivers and the defensive line, because we have a lot of depth there. And, you know, a guy that a lot of people don't talk about is a great player: It's Terrace Marshall. I think Terrace Marshall. You know, that's 200 balls between (Justin) Jefferson and Ja'Marr that's gotta be caught. And these guys are eager to catch 'em, man. So, Kayshon Boutte, Koy Moore and those guys have stuck out. Jontre Kirklin. Racey McMath. And Terrace Marshall. This is their time. And I think that what you're gonna see is guys are gonna step up and there's gonna be one new superstar that we don't know about because it's his time."

Did Tyler Shelvin's departure hurt more because of the relationship there as the former defensive line coach?

"First of all, I didn't want him to leave. I talked to his grandma, I talked to his momma and daddy, and I talked to his mentors. And I thought that he could stay here and be a dominant football player. Now he's 375 pounds. I think the best weight for Tyler is 330. And I think that he can be a dominant force. And all these things I'm saying, I've talked to him personally. And I love him. I love him like a son. So I hope the best for him. He made that decision. I thought he should've stayed obviously, but that was his decision. So here's what I told him: I said, 'Hey, get your weight down to 330, make sure you're in shape and go have one heck of an NFL career and make us proud.' That's all I can say."