LSU DT Jacobian Guillory passes on the NFL Draft
LSU defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory will not enter the NFL Draft, instead choosing to return to Baton Rouge for the 2024 season, he tells The Bengal Tiger staff.
Guillory, who signed with the Tigers in 2020, appeared in all 13 games for LSU this season, making one start. Guillory now has 39 career appearances and three starts during his three years in Baton Rouge.
The Alexandria (La.) native had his best season in 2023, logging 27 tackles across LSU’s 13 games. During his three seasons on campus, Guillory – who has been used primarily at nose tackle – has totaled 51 tackles, two tackles for loss and 0.5 sack.
The news is notable given LSU’s top three defensive tackles from the 2023 season are all moving on to the NFL Draft.
Maason Smith (532 snaps), Jordan Jefferson (379 snaps) and Mekhi Wingo (344 snaps) are all gone from the roster, with Smith and Wingo leaving school early for the NFL Draft, while Jefferson exhausted his college eligibility.
Guillory saw the fourth-most snaps (238) among the interior defensive linemen, while Jalen Lee saw the fifth-most snaps (52 snaps). Tygee Hill (45 snaps), Fitzgerald West (7 snaps), walk-on Lane Blue (5 snaps), walk-on Preston Hickey (3 snaps) and Bryce Langston (3 snaps) rounded out the snap counts for interior defensive linemen. Hill, West and Langston all entered the NCAA Transfer Portal over the past month.
With his return, Guillory will be a veteran piece for first-year LSU defensive line coach Bo Davis, who both played and coached for the Tigers before making recent coaching stops in both the NFL and at Alabama and Texas.
Earlier this season, Guillory opened up on his development – pointing to LSU’s offensive line as a key piece to strengthening his game.
“I was taught since the day I first came here, iron sharpens iron. Going against Will Campbell and Charles Turner and Emery Jones and Garrett Dellinger and (Miles Frazier), I named the whole o-line, but just going against those guys every day, I know that definitely makes me better,” Guillory said. “I know without a doubt because I know what they’re doing while they’re in game. They’re giving it all they got. Also at practice, they’re giving it all they got. If you’re giving me all I got right now in practice, it’s going to make the game so much easier. So, having practice being like 10 times harder than the game is what you really want, so the game could just be second nature.”
