Maason Smith living up to five-star status: 'That kid is a dog.'

LSU is in its second week of spring ball and one name continues to be a popular discussion amongst media, coaches and players: Maason Smith.

The five-star freshman defensive tackle, and No. 1 overall player in the country, per Rivals, graduated high school in December and arrived in Baton Rouge in January. That extra time with the team is clearly paying off early in spring camp for Smith, who is very likely to see a starting rotation this fall.

"I can see a guy like Maason Smith moving up. He had a great practice (Wednesday), becoming a starter in the rotation," Ed Orgeron said about Smith when asked about position battles. Smith got to the quarterback reportedly three times during Wednesday's practice.

"We have six, seven, eight defensive linemen that can play, which we need that."

The Tigers' defensive line will be one of the deepest groups this year when you add Smith in with returning veterans Andre Anthony, Glen Logan, Neil Farrell, Ali Gaye, Jaquelin Roy, Jacobian Guillory, Joseph Evans and edge rusher BJ Ojulari. LSU also signed Landon Jackson, Saivion Jones, Bryce Langston and Zavier Carter in the 2021 class.

"Maason Smith, he came in ahead of the game. You wouldn't even know he's a freshman if it wasn't on paper," said Farrell, who admitted that the DL unit is "the closest we've ever been" since 2017.

"(Maason) teaches me. We teach each other. I learn from him. He's a good pass rusher. I take notes from him, he takes notes from me. Everyday we're in the film and helping each other get better."

Farrell added: "We got a point to prove. We want to be one of the best DLs in the SEC, if not the country. We just work hard everyday. No talk, all work. Keep our head down and work hard."

The Tigers also return its entire starting OL, including Ed Ingram, who many NFL draft experts considered to be one of the best guards in the country. Just like his coaches and teammates, Ingram has also been impressed by Smith.

"That kid is a dog. I can already seen it now," he said, adding, "When he's out there playing you can just see how mean and nasty he is. He's a hard player. I've gone against him a couple times and he's given me a couple problems. He's a good pass rusher; he rushes with intent. He has a lot of stuff to learn, but right now he's doing pretty good and holding his own."

Gaye praised Smith too: "He's going to be somebody to watch out for because he's really special and has some special talents."

Orgeron added new defensive coaches Daronte Jones, Blake Baker and Andre Carter in the offseason and he's cautiously optimistic about what he's seen throughout spring thus far.

"I'm going to be careful about what I say from last year to this year because last year I said something and it come back to bite me so I'm going to be very guarded in what I say, but I do see a difference. I see our guys with their cleats in the grass, I see communication being better, I see the defense simpler, I see our guys back in there playing football, but I'm going to hold judgement until the season.

"Lesson learned."