LSU Tigers: Ronnie Feist
BATON ROUGE, La. -- D.J. Welter struggled as a student so much that he missed all of the 2012 season because he was academically ineligible.
That has not stopped him from progressing so much as a student of the game of football that he might end up being LSU's starting middle linebacker.
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As LSU prepares to begin spring practice March 14, GeauxTigerNation will take daily looks at aspects of the spring camp. This is the third in the series:
BATON ROUGE, La. -- If you watched the NFL combine, you saw former LSU defensive linemen and defensive backs lining up to take their turns in drills.
So you want to know the areas of need as we head to the spring?
The combine gave you most of the answers.
Defensive end
Players lost: Barkevious Mingo, Sam Montgomery, Lavar Edwards, Chauncey Aghayere
Experience returning: Jermauria Rasco
Other candidates: Danielle Hunter, Jordan Allen, Justin Maclin.
Outlook: LSU won't have all of its candidates until August, when a trio of true freshmen arrive. But it'll be interesting to see who emerges out of the four veterans. Rasco worked his way into the top four last season and Hunter was a nice special teams player. Allen is coming off a knee injury. Any strong play from these four would be great news in the spring.
Defensive tackle
Players lost: Bennie Logan, Josh Downs
Experience returning: Anthony Johnson, Ego Ferguson
Others: Quentin Thomas, Mickey Johnson, Christian LaCouture.
Outlook: LSU is a little more solid here than at end because Johnson and Ferguson have seen plenty of snaps. Ferguson needs to step his game up though. There's a lot of talk that Thomas is a guy who might step up and earn significant playing time, possibly even challenging Ferguson for a starting spot. True freshman Maquedius Bain and Greg Gilmore will arrive in August. Another freshman, LaCouture, is already on campus.
Derick E. Hingle/US PresswireLamin Barrow is one of several options that LSU has to replace Kevin Minter at middle linebacker.Middle linebacker
Player lost: Kevin Minter
Experience returning: Lots of players, but are there any natural MLBs?
Outlook: This position is more a matter of finding the right guy than finding a guy. Does LSU move weak linebacker Lamin Barrow there? Does D.J. Welter, who was second team in the Chick-fil-A bowl after missing the season for academic reasons, get a shot? How about young Ronnie Feist? There are no shortage of candidates. It's just a matter of finding the right fit.
Left tackle
Player lost: Chris Faulk, Josh Dworaczyk
Experience returning: La'el Collins (could be moved from left guard), Vadal Alexander (could be moved from right tackle).
Others: Jerald Hawkins, Evan Washington, Jonah Austin, Ethan Pocic.
Outlook: Like middle linebacker, there are candidates here, but which one is the best fit? Collins was a highly-regarded prospect coming out of high school, but he got comfortable at left guard as a sophomore and there could be a reluctance to move him. Hawkins is a talented redshirt freshman, but do you really want a redshirt freshman blocking quarterback Zach Mettenberger's blind side? Alexander, last year's starter at right tackle, could be an option as well, but that would leave the Tigers having to find a new starter for two positions.
The all-SEC middle linebacker and Butkus Award finalist left the Tigers after putting together the most prolific tackling season of the Les Miles era (130). The middle linebacker spot will be up for competition, but the linebackers will remain a veteran group with the possibility of starting three upperclassmen in 2013.
Lamin Barrow, the weakside linebacker, will anchor the defense next season coming off a strong junior season where he had 104 tackles, a performance somewhat overshadowed by the often-dominant Minter.
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Bain, the No. 6 defensive tackle in the ESPN 150 and the highest-rated of the Tigers' 24 commitments, figures to play at LSU early. And he'll play a position where the Tigers have a tremendous recent track record for getting players to the NFL. Part of the reason there is a need for defensive tackles in this LSU class (Bain is one of four DT commitments in the class) is the presumed early departure of junior Bennie Logan to the NFL.
If Bain does play immediately, it will continue an LSU trend: Tiger freshmen should come ready to play because many of them will play. LSU used 15 true freshmen in the 2012 season, including four who started and a fifth who was a special-teams starter.
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It was the second day of the team being together as a group, meaning you are getting a feel for how newcomers might be used this year.
What's particularly interested is watching the linebackers, where true freshmen Ronnie Feist, Lamar Louis and Deion Jones, all true freshmen, have often worked together as a second-team unit behind first-teamers Kevin Minter, Tahj Jones and Lamin Barrow. That doesn't necessarily mean a veteran like Luke Muncie, who was competing with Barrow for the starting spot on the weak side, has completely fallen out of favor, but it is interesting to see the young players get early looks.
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Sam Montgomery told media members Thursday after the first day of August camp that he has gained 30 pounds in the off-season, pushing his weight over 270 pounds without sacrificing any of his speed.
"I think Sam is in position to have a great year," said LSU coach Les Miles of the junior, who was projected as the No. 5 player in the 2013 NFL draft by Mel Kiper. "I think he's more veteran, more seasoned, maybe more of a want this fall. He looks bigger and stronger to me."
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As will be the case for the first three practices of August, Thursday morning was a varsity practice, so there was no sign of any incoming freshmen or transfers. Thus, much to the dismay of media everywhere, Penn State transfer Rob Bolden was not on hand.
Instead, reporters caught 25 minutes of initial veteran workouts, with a few notes worth mentioning.
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Returning starters: Six on offense, six on defense and the place-kicker, punter and top return man on special teams.
Star power: Junior cornerback Tyrann Mathieu was a Heisman Trophy finalist last season. He tied for the team lead with 76 total tackles and led the SEC with six forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. He also returned two punts for touchdowns.
New faces: Lamar Louis and Ronnie Feist, a pair of true freshmen, went through spring drills and showed enough that that they’re going to be in the rotation at linebacker this season. Also keep an eye on incoming true freshman Kwon Alexander. In the secondary, redshirt freshman Jalen Collins could end up being the Tigers’ third cornerback, while redshirt freshman Micah Eugene is expected to push Craig Loston for the starting strong-safety spot.
Don’t forget about: Sixth-year senior Josh Dworaczyk didn’t go through the spring and missed all of last season with a knee injury. The NCAA granted him a sixth year of eligibility, and he adds a wealth of experience to an already-talented offensive line. Dworaczyk started at left guard in all 13 games of both the 2009 and 2010 seasons, but will have to beat out promising sophomore La'El Collins if he’s going to return to the starting lineup.
Big shoes to fill: Morris Claiborne picked up right where Patrick Peterson left off the year before and took away one whole side of the field at cornerback last season. He was an eraser back there for the Tigers and also contributed a key 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against West Virginia. Next in line is junior Tharold Simon, who has the size, skills and drive to be the next great corner to come out of LSU.
Key battle: LSU coach Les Miles likes to play a lot of running backs, but he can’t play five, and the Tigers have five who could start for a lot of teams. The new kid on the block is 6-foot-2, 225-pound freshman Jeremy Hill, who might be the most complete package physically. Juniors Michael Ford and Spencer Ware combined for more than 1,450 rushing yards last season, and 240-pound sophomore Kenny Hilliard came on toward the end of the season. There’s also junior Alfred Blue, who averaged 6.9 yards per carry a year ago. The competition at running back should be fierce over the next month.
Rising star: After starring on special teams last season and blowing up a few opposing return men, sophomore Jarvis Landry is ready to make his mark at receiver. He runs excellent routes and catches everything. He’ll be a vital part of the Tigers’ passing game this fall.
Bottom line: The Tigers came up one game short a year ago after winning 13 in a row against a brutal schedule and then laying an egg in the BCS National Championship Game against Alabama. They lost three talented underclassmen to the NFL draft, but the defense has a chance to be even better in 2012. Good luck in finding a deeper, more talented defensive line this side of the NFL. The secondary won’t be too far behind. If quarterback Zach Mettenberger can have success throwing the ball down the field, it’s going to open up all sorts of things on offense for the Tigers. Their running game will be as potent as ever. The schedule is also much easier, and Alabama has to come to Baton Rouge this season. When you add it all up, it has the feel of another national-championship run for the Tigers, who are still smarting from what happened to them in New Orleans last season.
The consensus about LSU coach Les Miles for a long time was that he'd always favor experience over youth. For years the argument about the Tigers' head man was that he wouldn't give newcomers a fair shake against established players.
That doesn't hold much water these days -- not after the past two seasons. LSU is 24-3 in the past two seasons, and green players have played a role of their own in setting that mark. In 2010 it was defensive backs Tyrann Mathieu, Tharold Simon and Eric Reid reaching the field early to make an impact.
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It wasn't long ago that you thought of linebackers when LSU's dominant defense came up.
As recently as 2009, the Tiges had Kelvin Sheppard, Perry Riley, Jacob Cutrera and Harry Coleman, all future NFL players (though Coleman has since moved on to the CFL) alternating between three positions. Sheppard and Riley, in particular, were solid.
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If one were to look at an LSU defensive depth chart, he'd see four linemen, three linebacker and four defensive back positions.
But in the last two years, John Chavis' defense hasn't really looked that way very often. Forced to match up with the ever-popular spread offenses and faced with personnel where the Tigers defensive backs were a bit stronger as a unit than the linebackers, the five-DB look has been more the norm for LSU.
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GeauxTigerNation Mailbag (June 15) 
Today, they'll discuss:
1. Recruiting grades
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1. 2012 was a down year: It wasn't just your imagination. Surrounded by projected first-round draft picks on the defensive line and secondary, the 2012 linebackers were the LSU defense's weak link.
The Tigers had three senior linebackers last season -- Karnell Hatcher, Ryan Baker and Stefoin Francois -- who tested poorly at either the NFL combine or LSU's pro day, verifying what you thought you saw on the field. Ultimately, none of the three were drafted although Baker did ink a free-agent deal with Tampa Bay.
Considering that they were lined up behind a first-round draft pick (tackle Michael Brockers) and in front of another (cornerback Morris Claiborne) and were surrounded by a multitude of younger players who project to be future first-round picks (safety Eric Reid, cornerback Tyrann Mathieu and defensive ends Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo), the lack of high-end talent at the position stood out.
IN A RUSH: What, just because LSU threw the ball more you thought the rushing game was going to disappear? It was as solid as ever with the two teams combining for 268 yards on 50 carries. Particularly strong was Alfred Blue, who led the game with 73 yards on nine carries, including some physical runs late in the game.
FRESH, BUT READY?: A couple of freshmen linebackers had productive days for the Purple team with Ronnie Feist recording seven tackles, one for loss, and Lamar Louis getting five tackles and returning an intercepted pass 74 yards for a touchdown. With LSU looking for new blood at linebacker, the two Class of 2012 recruits who graduated early and enrolled for the spring semester showed flashes of brilliance.
FAB-EST OF THE FIVE: Odell Beckham Jr. caught the long bombs. Russell Shepard caught the touchdowns. But the go-to receiver for Mettenberger Saturday was Jarvis Landry, who caught six passes for 120 yards. His 54-yard reception was the longest of the day for White team.
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BATON ROUGE -- After a month of speculation about what to expect from spring practice, there's finally going to be some payoff.
Sure, there's plenty to be said for Saturday's spring game being a non-factor. The Tigers are going to keep it vanilla, and touching the quarterbacks will be a no-no. The exhibition's second half usually uses a running clock, so the team won't even get the grinding experience of a full game.
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ABOUT GEAUX TIGER NATION
Gary Laney
Gary Laney joined ESPN.com in 2012 after spending a year and a half as online sports editor of the Baton Rouge (La.) Advocate. Before that, he covered LSU sports for the Advocate. He has also been the sports editor at the Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise and covered McNeese State athletics for the Lake Charles (La.) American Press. Laney currently lives in Baton Rouge. Email him at glaneyespn@gmail.com