Through five games this season, LSU is ranked 71st in total defense. An improvement over last year, when the Tigers ranked 108th.
LSU’s defensive line has played well, with the pass rushing ability of Bradyn Swinson and Sai’von Jones as the strength of that unit.
The Tigers have lost linebacker Harold Perkins to a season-ending knee injury, but fellow linebackers Whit Week and Greg Penn III have been very good.
Cornerback Ashton Stamps has been solid at one of the cornerback positions and veteran Zy Alexander will hopefully be back from a concussion for the October 12th matchup against Ole Miss.
So that leaves the safety position as the one area that still needs to show a big jump in improvement.
“It’s not like we are pressing them and putting them down on the line of scrimmage, we just have to be technically better, not necessarily ask somebody to do something they can’t do,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said.
“We were 12 yards deep and we were late getting out of our pedal late, the guys can play the position, they have to be technically better.”
It sounds like LSU is not asking much out of its safeties. But they are struggling to help in support of run defense.
Jordan Allen, Major Burns, Jardin Gilbert, Kylin Jackson, Sage Ryan and Dashawn Spears have all played at least 40 first-team reps at safety according to Pro Football Focus.
Kelly said starting at practice on Tuesday, the rotation will stop.
“We’ve rolled a lot of guys in there, we get to (Ole Miss game) there is not going to be rolling, it’s going to be guys playing, so this kind of been to try and get it on film and these are the guys that should be starting,” Kelly said.
Ryan and Spears started at safety against South Alabama. Burns replaced Perkins at the Star position, which is a hybrid position that serves as a linebacker and a safety.
I expect that’s who LSU go with against Ole Miss. Spears is a true freshman learning and Ryan is a natural safety, but spent preseason camp and the first couple of games playing cornerback for the injured Zy Alexander.
Gilbert would be the first guy off the bench that gets a chance to rotate in.
