LSU aims to be intentional, selective in rebuilding defense

LSU has different goals and a different approach this offseason when it comes to player retention, portal additions, and overall roster numbers. Head coach Brian Kelly believes team is in a great spot when looking at how it proceeds moving forward, and has laid out a plan for the offseason in order to achieve roster retention, while also keying in on areas of improvements.

Last year, the Tigers took several defensive transfers in an attempt to fill holes and accumulate talent. Instead, the result was LSU fielding one of the worst defenses in the SEC.

Brian Kelly has talked about potential staff changes, but he has keyed in on specifics on the defense that can be addressed quickly. Cornerback, defensive line, and other positions were all talked about at his Tuesday morning press conference as he looked to make it clear what his mindset was entering the offseason.

“Look at our defense. We took 15 out of the portal and 13 played on defense,” Kelly said. “We were not a close knit group because they were from different parts. They had not played together. We saw how they played early in the season and we saw how they played later in the season. It’s a red flag when you have to do that and we don’t believe we have to do that [this year]. Will we take maybe a player here or there at a certain position? Most likely. We are much more targeted, much more focused. We were taking numbers on defense to right the ship, relative to our defensive structure last year. We’re not going to have to do that. We’re counting 10 of our 11 players with the most snaps coming back next year. Some may say that’s not a great thing, but we think it is because we have experience. We didn’t have that last year.”

Developing the returners

That continuity could prove valuable, but it’s also about development and overall talent accumulation for LSU this winter. Kelly talks about returning 10 of the top 11 in snap counts, which we assume not to include the players out of eligibility.

That list of 11 would be Major Burns, Greg Penn, Harold Perkins, Sage Ryan. Maason Smith, Sai’vion Jones, Zy Alexander, Bradyn Swinson, Mekhi Wingo, Whit Weeks, and Javien Toviano. Keeping that core would help settle the foundation for a defense in 2024.

As for the immediate, LSU looks to spend the next few weeks preparing for a bowl game and a chance to win the 10th game of the season. The practices serve as important opportunities for young players to further develop and shine with an extra month of preparation.

We’ll see who enters the portal from LSU in the coming weeks, but the players who remain on roster look to increase their productivity heading into 2024 and that starts with a bowl game victory.

“We have a good sense of the players that will be available for the bowl game,” Kelly said. “For me to tell you exactly who those players are, I couldn’t do that. We spent all of last week doing exit interviews with our players. This week we’re really recruiting and then we’ll look at our staff. As it relates to our players we think we’re in a good position as to who we think is playing and any of that information will come out in the next week or so.”