Avery Johnson to take detour before going to LSU
Freshman WR plans to enroll in prep school, then LSU
Avery Johnson’s dream of following in the cleat steps of his famous older brother at LSU has been hit with a delay of game.
Johnson came up short in his final attempt at a qualifying SAT score and will attend a prep school instead of LSU this fall, his father Patrick Peterson Sr. said Saturday.
Johnson is the younger brother of former LSU All-American cornerback Patrick Peterson, whose Arizona Cardinals face the New Orleans Saints in Sunday’s Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
The plan at this point is for Johnson to work on making the required score this fall and enroll at LSU in January, when he would have four years to complete his four years of eligibility.
“He will get it done,” the elder Peterson said. “He’s anxious to be a Tiger soon.”
Johnson is LSU’s second academic casualty of this recruiting class. Quarterback Jeremy Liggins of Oxford, Miss., will play this fall at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
The Tigers are still waiting on a qualifying grade for Fehoko Fanaika (6-foot-6, 340 pounds), a junior college transfer from Sacramento, Calif., who has also been a no-show so far at LSU’s camp.
Peterson said it hasn’t been decided which prep school his son will attend, but he would likely be headed somewhere in Georgia or Virginia.
Johnson (6-2, 180) was the first commitment of LSU’s 2012 class, a four-star prospect from Pompano Beach (Fla.) Blanche Ely.
His brother played there, as does LSU’s most recent 2013 commitment, cornerback/athlete prospect Rashard Robinson (6-2, 161).
Tigers add shoulder pads
LSU players added shoulder pads to their ensemble Saturday as they hit the practice fields for the third day of preseason camp.
With temperatures held down into the low 80s by heavy clouds, Tiger veterans focused on agility drills in the part of practice viewed by the media Saturday morning. Running backs weaved their way through a tight grouping of short orange cones, while defensive linemen worked on their lateral movement through a mini obstacle course of giant rubber balls and blocking pads.
The practice was quarterbacked by junior Zach Mettenberger and redshirt freshman Stephen Rivers, who worked on passes in the flats with their receivers and underneath routes in the middle of the field to running backs. Mettenberger even lobbed a pass to running backs coach Frank Wilson, whose wheel route drew a “Nice!” from the Tigers’ starter.
Along with the quarterbacks, defensive end Barkevious Mingo again worked out in a green (non-contact) jersey.
LSU’s newcomers and remaining veterans worked out in the Tigers’ indoor facility, the third straight day they have practiced under the roof. All except for Jamie Keehn, that is. LSU’s latest Australian punter practiced on the turf field next to the indoor facility.
Quarterbacks Rob Bolden, Jerrard Randall and Brad Kragthorpe worked the passing game, throwing deep routes before shifting to working on goal-line option plays. Bolden, the former Penn State quarterback who is noted for being a dual threat, looked the smoothest of all of LSU’s quarterbacks in running the option.
Season tickets sold out
If you don’t already have LSU football season tickets, it may be time to phone a friend.
For the ninth straight year, LSU has sold out of its allotment of season tickets, athletic ticket manager Brian Broussard said.
LSU sold 68,772 season tickets for its eight-game home schedule, equaling the mark set in 2011.
“The demand for LSU football season tickets continues to grow,” Broussard said Saturday in a university news release. “The requests for LSU season tickets continue to be higher than the number of tickets that we have to offer. However, those fans that couldn’t get season tickets have an opportunity to buy single-game tickets for several of our home games.”
LSU currently has individual game tickets available for non-conference games with North Texas, Idaho and Towson, as well as ticket packages pairing the Mississippi State game with the North Texas or Idaho contests.
Home games against Alabama, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Washington are sold out.
LSU opens the season at 6 p.m. Sept. 1 against North Texas in Tiger Stadium, followed by home games with Washington (6 p.m., Sept. 8) and Idaho (7 p.m., Sept. 15). It is the first time since 1980 that the Tigers will open with three straight night home games.