BATON ROUGE — LSU coach Les Miles and his coaching staff welcomed 104 players to campus on Wednesday as the Tigers opened fall camp in preparation for the 2009 season.
The Tigers will practice for the first time on Thursday morning in what will be the first of four days of split-squad practices. The veterans will workout during the morning each day, while the freshman will take the afternoon session. The first full-squad practice comes next Tuesday when the Tigers put on full pads for the first time.
“It’s a great time of year,” Miles said. “We’re reconvening a team that really wants to play. They’ve had a really strong summer, and frankly I expect the efforts in two-a-day camp to be what we need. We want to play dominant football out here, and frankly our team understands that.
”I’m looking forward to this (year). I can tell you that when I got dressed today I realized I get to coach. I get to be with my team, so it’s a good day.”
The Tigers are looking to rebound from last year’s 8-5 season, which culminated with a 38-3 win over 14th-ranked Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
“Eight (wins) was unacceptable,” Miles said of last year’s win total. “To be honest with you, we used to play and are used to playing for championships. We won 11 games and won the SEC West in my first year here, and we fell a little short. That’s how it is.
“These falls are marked by great efforts, great games and certainly improvement. A team that improves and achieves certainly is worthy of that recognition, but this program is designed to hang banners in this building. You just look around, and that’s what we want to do.”
The only player listed on the 105-man roster who didn’t report is linebacker Tahj Jones. Jones is still awaiting clearance from the NCAA, which is expected to come later this week. Miles also said that freshman safety Craig Loston is still finishing up some course work and won’t be able to join the team until school starts.
Miles noted that defensive end Sidell Corley has left the team and is expected to transfer to another school closer to his home of Mobile, Ala.
The first day of practice on Thursday will be the first time that Miles and the rest of the coaching staff can be on the field with LSU’s 2009 signing class, a group that was ranked by some as the best recruiting class in the nation.
“I’m excited to see these guys in an LSU uniform,” Miles said. “I think there is a lot of competition and I believe there are some guys in that freshman class that will come onto the field by need and by ability.
“I had a long talk with my staff this morning, and evaluation is going to be the key. When you have a veteran team and you know who’s in, there were times when there was little conversation that needed to be had. Today, because of talent, there are a group of guys that need to be reviewed more regularly.”
Wednesday’s schedule, despite not having practice, was a busy one for the Tigers as the squad checked into the campus apartments during the morning and then spent the afternoon going through a series of meetings and orientation. The team also got fitted for equipment in addition to undergoing a physical exam. The day was capped off by a team meeting.