Rosetta: Lee’s future at LSU may be up for debate

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Dec 28, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee says the thought of whether to transfer hasn’t been on his mind.

Tigers offensive coordinator Gary Crowton seemed almost offended at the idea.

LSU coach Les Miles gave one of his patented steely stares and shot the notion down that Lee doesn’t have a place with the Tigers.

I don’t doubt Lee is welcome to stay, because if you value intangibles like character and the willingness to accept responsibility, well, you can’t have enough guys like Jarrett Lee. But should Lee stay under the current makeup of the LSU offense and what appears imminent.

Jordan Jefferson is the present flavor of the month and could possibly solidify his spot as the starter with a strong performance against Georgia Tech on Wednesday in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Russell Shepard, one of the nation’s top recruits, is on the way and it’s hard to fathom him not getting on the field as quickly as possible, either as the starter or in a role where he and Jefferson share the job — perhaps on the field at the same time.

That could leave Lee and Andrew Hatch as the odd men out in the foreseeable future. And if the LSU offense continues down the path its headed, with a quarterback who has to be a dual threat with his feet when a play breaks down, that doesn’t fit Lee’s talents at all.

Lee needs to have the controls of an offense where he can line up in the shotgun, get rid of the ball quickly and not be forced into running situations. That somewhat fits what Crowton and Miles seem to want to do, but the offense will continue to evolve and it’s hard to picture Lee adapting to be the same kind of quarterbacks Jefferson and Shepard are.

Of course, Lee is also quite capable of handing the ball off to Charles Scott, Keiland Williams, Richard Murphy and Stevan Ridley, who will remain a staple of the Tigers’ scheme as long as Miles runs the show.

Lee’s decision-making has to improve for him to be effective in whatever offense he guides, and that’s another part of the equation that has to be considered.

Can Lee take the kind of quantum leap between this week and spring practice and next August to think he will be that much better?

Crowton said the offseason will make that possible as long as Lee has the right mindset. “His future is bright because he’ll be one more step closer to being where we want him to be,” Crowton said.