Brian Kelly details what Omar Speights brings to LSU's defense
The LSU Tigers are legitimate threats to compete for the SEC crown and a College Football Playoff berth in 2023. Thanks in large part to the talent the Tigers have brimming throughout their roster. One of the key areas where LSU has elite-level talent is at the linebacker position with the likes of Harold Perkins and Omar Speights.
Head coach Brian Kelly recently detailed what Speights brings to the defense and how his unique skill set could be significant in unleashing Perkins this season.
“Omar, his physicality and his ability to play in space are a unique combination,” said Kelly. “Generally, you have a linebacker that is really good in space but lacks some of the physicality in the box. He brings both of those, which is a trait that is very difficult to find in college football.
“You either have what is known as a box player, who’s a downhill run stuffer but sometimes struggles in space. He’s got both of those talents. And it allows us to move him around, expand, let him get out, and leave Harold in a consistent location. At the end of the day, if I’m on offense, I wanna get Harold out of the action and force him to cover down as much as possible. And Omar gives us that flexibility.
Speights joined LSU this offseason after spending the first four years of his collegiate career at Oregon State. Last season, he was a part of the Beavers’ vaunted defense that helped lead them to a 10-3 record. Speights finished last year with 83 total tackles, 39 solo, eight tackles for loss, and one pass defended.
Kelly reveals Maason Smith limited at LSU’s fall camp due to injury
Another one of LSU’s defensive stars is dealing with a few injuries at fall camp, defensive tackle Maason Smith. Kelly also addressed this too, saying his D-lineman has had to take it slow because he’s “banged up a little bit” and dealing with a sprained ankle.
Smith missed almost the entire 2022 season after suffering a torn ACL in the season opener against Florida State.
“He’s been banged up a little bit,” Kelly said. “Nothing that, you know, I don’t think we’re overly concerned with, there’s no structural damage to any joints or things of that nature. But look, he’s been out for a year. Everything hurts a little bit more after coming back into it.”
Smith was a freshman All-American and a freshman All-SEC selection in 2021.
He logged 19 tackles, 5.0 tackles for a loss and 4.0 sacks as a freshman, showing he could handle the rigors of the SEC with aplomb. The hope was that he would continue to emerge in 2022, but the injury prevented that.