{"id":71753,"date":"2025-01-17T10:00:59","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T15:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=71753"},"modified":"2025-01-16T18:23:31","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T23:23:31","slug":"lsus-defensive-position-groups-where-will-the-tigers-improve-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/01\/17\/lsus-defensive-position-groups-where-will-the-tigers-improve-in-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"LSU\u2019s Defensive Position Groups: Where Will the Tigers Improve in 2025?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we continue to compare the talent<\/a> on LSU\u2019s current roster to the 2024 Tigers, it\u2019s time to examine LSU\u2019s defensive position groups. Blake Baker\u2019s defense finished 61st<\/sup> in the nation in total defense after his first year as the defensive coordinator. That ranking is much more impressive than it sounds when considering the once-proud LSU defense finished 105th<\/sup> in total defense in 2023. Baker will enter his second season with more familiarity, but will he have more talent at his disposal?<\/p>\n

Comparing LSU’s Defensive Position Groups<\/h2>\n

Defensive Tackle \u2013 Improved<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s start in the trenches with the most important LSU defensive position group. LSU leaned on transfers in 2024, getting serviceable play from Wisconsin\u2019s Gio Paez<\/a>. Grand Valley State\u2019s Jay\u2019Viar Suggs was disruptive, although undersized. One of the biggest additions to the 2025 LSU team is a player already on the roster \u2013 Jacobian Guillory<\/a>. Guillory has size and power that no replacement could duplicate after his early season injury.<\/p>\n

Freshmen standouts Ahmad Breaux and Dominick McKinley<\/a> will return with a year of experience and a full offseason of strength and conditioning. McKinley started to flash the talent that made him a blue-chip recruit towards the end of the season. The Tigers will add four defensive tackles from the high school ranks and Texas transfer Sydir Mitchell, making the position as deep as it has been since Brian Kelly\u2019s arrival.<\/p>\n

Defensive End \u2013 Declined<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Outstanding edge players Bradyn Swinson<\/a> and Sai’vion Jones were the strength of the LSU front in 2024, but both are now preparing for the NFL. Reserve defensive end Dashawn Womack is now at Ole Miss, but freshman Gabe Reliford showed promise. However, Reliford will have to continue to fight for snaps due to the arrival of Florida State\u2019s Patrick Payton<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Payton followed up his ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year 2022 season by getting seven sacks and breaking up 10 passes as a sophomore. His stats dipped in 2024 (along with the rest of the FSU roster), but the talent is present. Payton is six-foot-five inches tall, can bend, and has a motor that won\u2019t give up on plays. He\u2019s built to rush the passer. In his best year, his stats are comparable to Swinson’s. But we’re not ready to assume he’ll bounce back to eclipse the eight-and-a-half sacks Swinson finished with in 2024.<\/p>\n

LSU also picked up transfer Jake Pyburn from the University of Florida. Pyburn isn\u2019t the most skilled pass rusher, but he effectively sets the edge. He finished second on the team in total tackles and earned an impressive 77.1 Pro Football Focus grade in run defense. Jimari Butler left Nebraska for LSU after making seven tackles for loss in 2024. This comparison was close, but the 2024 group was underappreciated among the national media.<\/p>\n

Linebacker \u2013 Improved<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Tigers won\u2019t have their veteran leader Greg Penn at the linebacker position, but they won\u2019t have to look far for his replacement. Rising sophomore Davhon Keys<\/a> crept into the lineup as the 2024 season progressed. He seemed to grow with every rep. He finished with five tackles and a pick-six against Baylor in the Texas Bowl<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whit Weeks<\/a> led the Tigers in tackles in 2024 with 120, 36 more than the next leading tackler on the team. Although Weeks suffered an injury in the bowl game, he\u2019s expected to be at full strength well before Fall camp. His experience and growing confidence suggest an increased understanding of the game. The Tigers will return backup linebackers and special teams demons West Weeks<\/a> and Tylen Singleton.<\/p>\n

LSU had an elite linebacker recruiting class<\/a>, including track star Charles Ross, Jaiden Breaker, and yet another Weeks brother, Zach. The group is so talented that local star Keylan Moses tends to get overlooked. This group has talented although inexperienced depth. The growth of athletic linebackers Whit Weeks and Keys gives it an advantage over the 2024 room.<\/p>\n

Cornerback \u2013 Improved<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Cornerback Zy Alexander<\/a> is the biggest loss in the secondary by far, but the reinforcements are decorated<\/a>. DJ Pickett was ranked as the top high school cornerback in the country and is now on campus. Incoming transfer Mansoor Delane<\/a> played cornerback and safety for Virginia Tech, demonstrating the ability to cover, diagnose, and tackle in space.<\/p>\n

Florida transfer Ja\u2019Keem Jackson<\/a> played heavily as a true freshman and grabbed a starting job as a sophomore before an injury cut his season short. Ashton Stamps<\/a> has started for almost two seasons for LSU and grown along the way, but he\u2019ll have to fight off significant competition. PJ Woodland<\/a> returns and is an intriguing and competitive rising sophomore who needs to add weight to his frame.<\/p>\n

Safety \u2013 Improved <\/strong><\/h3>\n

LSU recently addressed its weakest position by adding the transfer portal\u2019s highest-rated safety in North Carolina State\u2019s Tamarcus Cooley<\/a>. Cooley is a versatile defensive back who led all ACC safeties in pass breakups. His multiple interceptions, sacks, and forced fumbles speak to his playmaking ability. Jardin Gilbert returns at safety for LSU, but Cooley and Delane could take the two safety spots if Jackson proves worthy of starting at cornerback. Either way, LSU fans can feel better about the safety position in 2025.<\/p>\n

Of course, we can\u2019t talk about the LSU defense without mentioning Harold Perkins<\/a>, so let\u2019s get to it. Major Burns is now out of eligibility, and Perkins is expected to man the Star position. While Perkins is better in coverage than he\u2019s given credit for, it will be interesting to see how often Baker leaves him to single-cover the slot.<\/p>\n

Javien Toviano will likely provide depth at the Star and safety positions but don\u2019t rule him out of becoming a starter. Players develop at different rates, so it\u2019s important to avoid writing players off too early. Baker will get a better idea of what guys like Toviano and rising sophomore Dashawn Spears<\/a> can become with better play from the front seven.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we continue to compare the talent on LSU\u2019s current roster to the 2024 Tigers, it\u2019s time to examine LSU\u2019s defensive position groups. Blake Baker\u2019s defense finished 61st in the nation in total defense after his first year as the defensive coordinator. That ranking is much more impressive than it sounds when considering the once-proud […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4690,"featured_media":71770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[32968,4504,729,34785,33811,34784,34786,34783,33281,32683,33562,34788,86,8143,9411,34782,32969,34787],"class_list":["post-71753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-sec","tag-ahmad-breaux","tag-blake-baker","tag-brian-kelly","tag-charles-ross","tag-dj-pickett","tag-greg-penn","tag-jaiden-breaker","tag-jake-pyburn","tag-jardin-gilbert","tag-javien-toviano","tag-jayviar-suggs","tag-keylan-moses","tag-lsu-tigers","tag-major-burns","tag-saivion-jones","tag-sydir-mitchell","tag-tylen-singleton","tag-zach-weeks"],"modified_by":"Maggie Yarnell, Senior Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4690"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71753"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71753\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71771,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71753\/revisions\/71771"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}