BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - All signs point to Harvard transfer

Andrew Hatch starting LSU's season opener on Saturday against

Appalachian State, but head coach Les Miles is not ready to commit

to that yet.

"Our quarterbacks - I have great confidence in all three of

them, to be honest with you, and I can't tell you today who'll take

the field first," Miles said Monday. "I can tell you I'll be

comfortable with whoever that is."

Hatch, technically entering his second sophomore season after

getting medical redshirt for a shoulder injury last year, is the

most experienced quarterback on LSU's roster - and he's only thrown

two passes for the Tigers.

His lone appearance came in mop-up duty for LSU during a blowout

of Middle Tennessee early last season.

Neither of LSU's other two quarterbacks, redshirt freshman

Jarrett Lee and true freshman Jordan Jefferson, has taken a snap in

a game.

Miles and offensive coordinator Gary Crowton like what they've

seen from Jefferson, who has quick feet, throws hard, and seems to

have the best all-around athleticism of the three quarterbacks.

However, he is not only untested, but also has been practicing with

LSU for only a few weeks.

Miles said Hatch and Lee are competing for the majority of

snaps. They were with the Tigers during last season's national

championship campaign and shared all the snaps during spring

practice.

However, Lee missed practice and LSU's last preseason scrimmage

last week because of back spasms, giving Hatch the inside track to

the starting nod.

Miles said Lee's back is fine now and that he would announce a

starter later in the week.

"His back is not an issue at this time," Miles said. "I would

not be surprised if all three (quarterbacks) played at certain

times."

Hatch, who hasn't played regularly since he was with Harvard's

JV team as a true freshman in 2005, showed no sign of feeling

snubbed by not being named the starter yet, even though he took the

majority of first-team snaps while Lee was out.

Then again, a former Ivy Leaguer probably is smart enough to

speak diplomatically in situations like this.

"Whatever the coach thinks is best, we trust coach Miles

completely in our preparation," Hatch said. "However he's going

to handle it I'm sure will be best for the team, and on an

individual basis, I'm just focusing on my job and working hard each

day."

Miles said he isn't sure if or when he'd name a clear No. 1

quarterback.

LSU's first three games are at home against non-conference

opponents that will come in as underdogs. Those games could

potentially serve as tryouts to see if one quarterback stands out

in game situations.

"I'm not going to make a decision on the season based on

two-a-day camp," Miles said. "Obviously, the guys that play best

on Saturdays - those are the guys that will get more time."

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)