Javien Toviano and Ashton Stamps have been thrown into the fire this season. As true freshman, they've been counted on to step in and make plays in the secondary against some of the best competition in the country.
On Tuesday, we got the chance to sit down and talk to both of the young corners about their collegiate experiences so far.
The first of the duo we spoke with was Javien Toviano. The four-star corner from Arlington, Texas came in as a cornerback, but Brian Kelly and LSU have been moving him all around the secondary. He's been asked to step in at both corner and safety so far in his young career, and he talked about learning both positions in such a short time.
We asked Toviano about what position he started with when he got here in the spring and when the team let him know that they were going to need him to step in at corner.
He said he began at corner in the spring, but he quickly moved around into the nickel and safety positions. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that it became obvious they'd need him to step up at corner, but he wants to do anything he can to get on the field.
We asked him about what the process has been like for him and Stamps to see the field as true freshman and what's enabled them to make such a big impact so early in their careers.
He said they're just trusting what they've been taught, and now with some film they can review, they can learn more each week and go out there and compete at a high level on Saturday's.
Toviano's first start as a true freshman couldn't have been an easier test, right? All he had to do was trot out on the field against Nick Saban's Crimson Tide in Bryant-Denny Stadium and defend a wide receiver core that was averaging over 15 yards per catch.
He was asked if he was nervous before the game and if he thought he played well, and this was his response:
Next up was his counterpart, Ashton Stamps.
Since fall camp, Stamps name has been one that was getting a lot of attention. He was a standout in camp and was set to see a lot of playing time his freshman season. He attributes his success early in his career to how he prepared in high school. As a senior, Stamps said he was preparing like he was a freshman in college so he'd be ready as soon as he stepped foot on campus.
When you watch Stamps on the field, he makes some mistakes you'd expect from a true freshman corner, but he also plays with a lot of confidence.
We asked him how he's able to play with such confidence as a true freshman against some of the best competition out there, and he gives a lot of the credit to LSU's cornerback coach, Robert Steeples.
There are a lot of differences between high school and collegiate football. From game speed to the physicality, it can be hard for players to make the adjustment so quickly.
Stamps said the physical was the hardest aspect to adjust to at the collegiate level. He's been injured a bit throughout the year, and he feels that was partially due to the physicality and workload of being a college football player.
Stamps said since he arrived on campus, he's gained about 15-20 pounds. He was a smaller corner in high school, weighing in at 165-pounds, but since he arrived on campus, he's weighed in as high as 189-pounds and he feels adding that much weight may have been one of the reasons he got hurt.
The two freshman corners have made their fair share of mistakes, but they will only get better as they move further along in their careers. Playing as true freshman not only gives them more experience, but it gives them a bunch of tape they can review with Coach Steeples in the offseason to better prepare them for their sophomore seasons.
Stamps and Toviano should be integral parts of this LSU secondary for the next 2-3 years, and with some possible transfers coming in this offseason, the Tigers secondary could look a completely different unit in 2024.
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