LSU finished 61st in total defense in 2024, which isn’t great, but much better than the historically bad 2023 season. With Blake Baker entering his second season as defensive coordinator, LSU is expected to make another jump in improvement on that side of the ball.
Here are three Tigers that have looked good during preseason camp that are expected to make a make a difference in 2025.
LB Harold Perkins
LSU head coach Brian Kelly said earlier in camp that this is his year.
The Tigers coaching staff spent fall camp the last two seasons trying to make him an inside linebacker.
During this past offseason, defensive coordinator Blake Baker asked Perkins what position he wants to play and he said the star position, which would allow him to play as outside linebacker and rush the passer and also drop back in coverage.
"He's just so dynamic. I think, out there in space, when you see his ability to lose, you know, there's a check down to the flat or obviously coming off the edge, or even internally, he just has a sixth gear that not many guys in college football possess," said Baker. “He can do it all. He can cover, he can blitz. He's got great range on in zone. He's tailor made for that job."
And Baker says Perkins looks healthy after suffering a torn ACL in the fourth week of the season last year.
DT Bernard Gooden
He’s only listed at 6-foot-1, 268 pounds, which is not very big for a defensive tackle, but the transfer from South Florida just keeps making plays during LSU’s fall camp, especially behind the line of scrimmage.
“Bernard Gooden has been a joy in every sense of the word to coach, he’s high energy,” said Baker. “The thing that he does really well, because he is so twitchy and has such good get off, his second foot in his in the ground before the offensive lineman, so even though might be giving up 30 pounds, he’s able to get leverage and power and the offensive lineman doesn’t his second foot in the ground.”
Gooden had 35 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks at South Florida last season. He received honorable mention honors by the AAC coaches.
Is Gooden having success because LSU’s offensive line is a weakness or can he truly create havoc for this LSU defense?
A.J. Haulcy
Safety has been a weak spot for LSU’s defense the last couple of years, but Houston transfer A.J. Haulcy appears to be a major upgrade.
The Houston native has played a lot of college football, 36 games over the last seasons and 33 starts. Haulcy was an All-Big 12 Conference First Team safety at Houston last season as he made 74 tackles, intercepted five passes and defended 13 passes.
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“He’s extremely instinctual, one of the most instinctual players that I’ve been around, so him just having the awareness and the communication,” Baker said.
Haulcy will start at safety and the other starter at safety, could be another player out of the transfer portal, North Carolina State Tamarcus Cooley.
Jardin Gilbert, Dashawn Spears, and Javien Toviano would be the backups.
LSU looks much better at this position than in years past and all of them could see significant playing time.