JD PicKell: Getting the defense's edge back is key for Brian Kelly at LSU
A new era for LSU football is getting underway, with new head coach Brian Kelly leading the way. The former Notre Dame coach came to Baton Rouge during the offseason, and now he begins his journey of returning the Tigers program to the great level it is expected to be at.
In a recent episode of The Hard Count, On3’s J.D. PicKell broke down some of the keys for Kelly as he begins his tenure at LSU. Towards the top of the list was the need for a return to a physical, hard-nosed style of defense that LSU has long been accustomed to.
“Second thing: Can this defense get back to playing the LSU brand of football,” PicKell said. “Gave up 27 points a game last year. They bring back three starters from that team, or from that side of the ball which maybe is a good thing. You’re giving up 27 a game. Can they just get back to that edge, that attitude on defense? Because we think about these great LSU teams and they almost always have an edge and a swagger on defense. I didn’t see that last year from LSU.”
LSU needs stars to emerge on defense to aid Kelly in his first year
On previous LSU defenses, there was an established top-end star that led the way. Whether that was on the defensive front, in the secondary or somewhere in between, the Tigers have typically had a couple of key leaders setting the tone on that side of the ball.
Getting back to that will be a pivotal part of Kelly’s success at LSU.
“I didn’t see anybody being the spearhead and coming down and taking somebody’s legs out on a sweep and being able to get a tackle for loss or being that defensive back on the back end where you’re going to make sure you throw away from them,” said PicKell. “There was nobody that I’m thinking about right now that came to mind when I talk about those kinds of players in LSU history. Tyrann Mathieu, Grant Delpit, Eric Reed, there’s nobody that’s really setting the tone on this defense.
“Can somebody step up and be the leader, and then can LSU get back to playing that brand of defense because that’s been their calling card in the past. They gotta do it to be successful.”