On3 Roundtable: LSU's secondary is biggest concern entering season
The stage is set for one of the most exciting matchups in Week 1 of the college football season, as LSU and Florida State meet again in a rematch of last season. But how will the Tigers’ new revamped secondary perform?
On3’s JD PicKell spoke with Shae Dixon of The Bengal Tiger ahead of the marquee matchup to discuss LSU’s intriguing defensive back situation.
“This was probably for me the biggest question mark I have on LSU’s team and it can certainly sway games,” Dixon said. “And a year ago they went heavy on the transfer portal but it paid off, they had some guys step up for them in a big way. Do you find those same results this year? And remember JD, they had four transfers, corners, this offseason added to the team.”
The Tigers restocked the cupboard at the cornerback position this offseason after losing two starters, Jarrick Bernard-Converse and Mekhi Garner. But according to Dixon, there’s a bit of unrest in LSU’s cornerback room ahead of their matchup with the Seminoles’ star-studded receiving corps.
“Well, JK Johnson from Ohio State is already injured, out for an indefinite period of time. We’ve seen Denver Harris take nothing but third-team reps and he wasn’t even with the team for the final week of fall camp. And now you’ve got as you mentioned Duce Chestnut and Zy Alexander getting the majority of first team reps in fall camp,” Dixon said. “And now Brian Kelly said they’ve moved Sage Ryan, who was their starting nickel, into the spot where Chestnut was playing. Meaning a guy who’s really a natural safety might be starting at corner for LSU.”
There’s no question it’s a strange time for LSU’s defensive backfield after being named DBU by ESPN this offseason for their historic slew of talent at the position.
And there’s also no question that whoever is playing at cornerback for the Tigers in Week 1 will have their hands full, as they face an FSU wide receiver room featuring names like Johnny Wilson, Keon Coleman, the explosive freshman Destyn Hill, and a duo of new transfer tight ends.
“It’s so far from the norm for a team that’s used to the Derek Stingleys and Tre’Davious Whites and recruiting at a high level, developing, and sending them off to the NFL. LSU sort of had to tread water here the past couple of seasons as they can kind of back to building that room, and they’re not out of the water yet, so I think that’s going to be a big test right out of the gates for what that corner room is made of,” Dixon concluded.