BATON ROUGE — One of the biggest things that has stuck out about LSU football's defense this fall camp has been the younger player injecting themselves into the two-deep conversation. Guys like redshirt freshman safety Jhase Thomas, along with true freshmen trio defensive linemen Deuce Geralds, Richard Anderson and Lamar Brown, have been seen getting repping at and/or near the top of their position's drills. And looking good doing it. Third year LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker was retained by first-year head coach Lane Kiffin, who said that he's got a ton of confidence in Baker, his position coaches and their philosophy. For Baker, this fall camp so far, part of what he's seen has been quality play from some younger players. LSU PRACTICE NOTES Notable LSU football wide receiver missing from 2nd straight practice Following the team's ninth preseason practice Friday, Baker talked with media for his only availability of fall camp. He said depth at safety was a concern going into fall camp, but the way Thomas has stepped up has been impressive and needed. "Jhase Thomas has been one of the biggest surprises to me in camp," Baker said. "He's played outstanding. You look at the growth Faheem (Delane's) had. I feel really, really good about a lot of those guys. I probably wouldn't have said that when we started fall camp. "They're all young. That was one of our biggest concerns when you talk about the depth pieces. Jhase, CJ (Jimcoily), Dashawn Spears really hasn't played, Faheem, just a second year guy now. To see those guys step up and move the ball in game-like situations, it's been good and I'm happy where we're at right now."
Kiffin has raved about the young defensive line trio of Anderson, Brown and Geralds and what he's seen out of them. Geralds and Anderson were both early enrollees so they went through spring with the team but Brown was a summer addition and has had to play catch up. But that hasn't stopped him from making an impression on his coaches and teammates. The leaps that Geralds, who has been working with the first-team defense at practice since the beginning of fall camp, and Anderson, who has been garnering more first-team reps of late, have been eyebrow raising for Baker. "They're as good as I've been around when you talk about a trio of freshmen. We've thrown more install at those group than I ever had in my career," Baker said. "Those guys are repping with the one's and two's so they're getting the full install. "There's been growing pains, we're going to have to fight through that freshman wall at some point. I think all three of them are doing a good job of fighting it right now. But I am proud of where they are at now and where they've come from. They work at it, they all love football. They've got really bright futures. You'll see all three of those guys on the field." Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football DC Blake Baker details why young players will play this season