BATON ROUGE, La. – With spring practice approaching in just two weeks, this week we've been examining LSU players who could use a strong spring if they are to carve out some playing time in the fall.
So far this week we've discussed freshman safety Edward Paris Jr., receiver Quantavius Leslie and offensive guard Fehoko Fanaika. Today we move onto one of the few veterans at the rebuilding defensive tackle position.
Mickey Johnson (Defensive tackle, Jr.)
2013 review: An ESPN 150 prospect in 2011, Johnson played a minor role as a redshirt sophomore and was affected by injuries throughout the season. He appeared in just four games -- lopsided victories over UAB, Kent State, Mississippi State and Furman -- and recorded just three tackles.
Why spring is important: Both of LSU's starting defensive tackles, Anthony Johnson and Ego Ferguson, entered the NFL draft after the season, so this feels like now-or-never time for Johnson. He faces spring competition from talented players coming off a redshirt such as Greg Gilmore and Maquedius Bain and the competition will only grow this summer when Travonte Valentine, Trey Lealaimatafao and Davon Godchaux arrive on campus.
Best case/worst case: Johnson must prove that he can stay healthy and produce or he faces the prospect of being left behind by the young upstarts who enter the mix during the spring and summer. He's been on campus for three seasons and has only appeared in five games, so Johnson has hardly established himself as a go-to player. He can start doing that this spring and could play alongside players such as Christian LaCouture and Quentin Thomas, who ranked among the Tigers' top line reserves a year ago. The worst case would be that he continues along the trend that marked his first few seasons on campus and fails to carve out a niche at a position that could use a veteran's presence.
