Tag: Gio Paez

4 things we’ve learned about LSU in 2024

LSU is halfway through its regular season. Here’s four things we’ve learned about the Tigers.

We’re already halfway through the college football regular season. LSU has six games down with six more to go.

LSU’s first six games didn’t lack intrigue. LSU’s played four games against Power Four opponents and three came down to the wire. LSU came up short against USC in Week 1 but staged comebacks against South Carolina and Ole Miss to jump out to a 2-0 start in conference play.

After the Ole Miss upset, LSU is up to No. 8 in the AP Poll, five spots better than where it began the year at No. 13.

Given all that LSU lost after 2023, a 5-1 start is impressive. You can’t make the playoff in the first six games, but you can get knocked out of it. LSU did enough to stay alive and remain in the thick of the playoff race.

Here, we’ll look at five things we’ve learned about LSU in these last seven weeks. We had a lot of questions about this group entering the year and now with a good sample size to look at, many have been answered.

The receiver depth is even better than we thought

Receiver was somewhat of a question for LSU after losing [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] That type of production is hard to replace in one offseason, but LSU is managing just fine with a plethora of talented options.

[autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] leads the way with 30 catches for 463 yards. His five-catch, 111-yard performance vs. Ole Miss made it back-to-back 100-yard games for the fifth-year senior.

[autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] is enjoying a breakout year with 30 catches for 452 yards. Both marks rank in the top 10 among SEC receivers.  Transfers [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Zavion Thomas[/autotag] are both making impacts too.

Along with the receivers, tight end [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] leads all SEC tight ends with 33 receptions.

This group doesn’t have the same explosiveness element as last year’s, but it’s deep and dependable.

Defensive development is ahead of schedule

LSU brought in a new staff on the defensive side of the ball, hoping to accelerate the development and get the most out of its young talent. We’re seeing that so far.

Start at defensive tackle, where [autotag]Bo Davis[/autotag] continues to get competent production from its interior defensive line despite losing [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag]. True freshmen [autotag]Ahmad Breaux[/autotag] and [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] are both in the rotation while veteran transfer [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag] is on track to set career highs in stops and pressures.

At linebacker, Blake Baker has sophomore Whit Weeks playing like a star. Greg Penn has shown progress too.

LSU hired Corey Raymond to rebuild the secondary, and we’re already seeing the impact for LSU’s corners. The Tigers look much more comfortable in man coverage and playing balls in the air. Zy Alexander leads all SEC CBs in PFF coverage grade after week seven.

The OC transition could have been smoother

LSU’s offense is good, but it’s still experiencing some hiccups as it figures out its identity. Mike Denbrock took the OC job at Notre Dame after leading the best offense in the country at LSU in 2023.

Brian Kelly didn’t have to look far for Denbrock’s replacement, promoting QB coach Joe Sloan and WR coach Cortez Hankton.

Sloan called plays before in his time at Louisiana Tech, but this is his first time doing it at this level.

LSU has struggled to recreate last year’s success on the ground. Regression was expected without Jayden Daniels’ legs, but the fall is significant. After leading the country in EPA/rush last year, LSU ranks 94th this year.

Nussmeier isn’t a threat with his legs and LSU is yet to find an adjustment that makes up for that.

The drop-back game is one of the best in the FBS, but consistency is an issue. Nussmeier was uncomfortable early against Ole Miss but eventually settled in. Expect Sloan to get his QB in rhythm early against Arkansas.

LSU shows poise under pressure

All offseason, Brian Kelly spoke about the maturity of this team. He said it was the most “player-led” group he’s had since arriving in Baton Rouge. That’s starting to show up on the field.

LSU hasn’t played many comfortable games this year. Outside of South Alabama, virtually every game was close at one point. That said, LSU found a way to be 5-1.

The Tigers came up short at the end vs. USC, but LSU hung in there to get big conference wins against South Carolina and Ole Miss. Both wins required big plays late in the game.

Ideally, you’d like to see LSU controlling more games than it is, but remaining cool under pressure isn’t a skill every team has. It’ll come in handy with more close games in the coming weeks.

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What Jacobian Guillory’s injury means for the LSU defense

LSU football will be without DT Jacobian Guillory for the rest of the year. What does that mean for the Tigers defense?

LSU’s defense took a massive hit with the announcement that defensive tackle [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] would miss the entire season with a torn Achilles. Guillory, a fifth-year senior, was one of the only returning players with experience on the defensive line.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and staff spent much of the offseason shopping around the transfer portal for impact defensive tackles. The Tigers came up short for the services of highly touted transfers [autotag]Domanic Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Simeon Barrow[/autotag], but LSU managed to land [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay’Viar Suggs[/autotag].

Paez and Suggs brought much-needed experience and offered a significant boost to LSU’s depth up front. Paez ended up winning a starting job next to Guillory. Now, with Guillory’s injury, Suggs joins Paez on the first line.

This area was a concern for LSU entering the year. Even with Guillory, Paez and Suggs aren’t proven at an SEC level. Paez was a rotational player at Wisconsin while Suggs is moving up from the Division II level.

Paez and Suggs are now positioned to be the focal points of LSU’s defensive line. It’s hard to read much into what we saw against Nicholls State, but Kelly was impressed by the defensive tackles in the USC contest. Paez and Suggs weren’t disruptors, but they avoided huge mistakes and didn’t get pushed around by a good USC offensive line.

Still, Guillory was LSU’s best defensive tackle by a decent margin. He was a blue-chip recruit with significant SEC experience. He’s proven as an interior pass rusher and a guy who can plug the run. After an offseason with [autotag]Bo Davis[/autotag], he was primed for a career year.

That’s hard to replace.

As LSU’s SEC schedule gets underway, the Tigers will face some of the best offensive lines in the country. Most OL’s LSU sees will have a better overall talent level than LSU’s interior defensive line.

The Tigers have some promising freshmen at this spot. But they’re just that — freshman.

[autotag]Ahmad Breaux[/autotag] has already played 30 snaps, which comes as no surprise after Kelly said he was one of LSU’s most ready freshmen, physically and mentally.

If Breaux is ahead of schedule and Paez and Suggs hold their own, LSU will be fine. There will be some rough games, sure. But LSU can live with that trio.

That’s counting on a lot to go right, though. Breaux will have some growing pains and Suggs’ transition from D-II to the SEC won’t be seamless.

LSU will get another test this Saturday when it travels to South Carolina, but that’s just the start of a schedule that won’t offer many breaks.

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LSU defensive tackle out for the year with torn Achilles

LSU’s defensive line suffered a major loss as veteran Jacobian Guillory will miss the remainder of the season.

LSU has now suffered a major season-ending injury in each of the first two games of the 2024 season.

After running back [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] was lost for the year with a torn ACL in Week 1, defensive tackle [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] left the game against Nicholls on Saturday night and was seen in a wheelchair with a cast around his leg.

We now know that Guillory will miss the remainder of the 2024 season after suffering a torn Achilles, according to multiple reports.

It’s a significant loss at a position where LSU needed to stay healthy this season. Defensive tackle is thin with Guillory being only one of two returning players with game experience, alongside [autotag]Jalen Lee[/autotag]. The Tigers also acquired [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay’Viar Suggs[/autotag] in the transfer portal.

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The Tigers’ front seven appeared to be improved through two games, but it did give up 150 yards on the ground playing without Guillory most of the game.

How the defense manages his loss will be a major storyline to watch in the coming weeks as LSU begins SEC play next week on the road against South Carolina with ESPN’s College GameDay in town.

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LSU DT Jacobian Guillory leaves game vs. Nicholls with potentially serious leg injury

Jacobian Guillory left the game and was later spotted in a wheelchair with a cast around his leg.

One of LSU’s biggest fears was potentially realized during the first half of Saturday night’s home opener against Nicholls State.

Defensive tackle [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] limped to the sidelines after a play and entered LSU’s injury tent. When he emerged, he had a cast around his leg and was placed into a wheelchair, according to 247Sports’ Glen West.

It’s safe to assume his night is done, and while we don’t know the severity of the injury, it would be a potentially disastrous loss for the Tigers. Defensive tackle is a position without much depth as Guillory was one of just two returning players with game experience at the position.

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Without him, LSU will instead have to lean heavily on transfers [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay’Viar Suggs[/autotag].

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LSU DT Jacobian Guillory could be poised for a massive season in 2024

Brian Kelly thinks Jacobian Guillory will make a major impact in 2024.

LSU’s defense is the team’s biggest question mark as it prepares to begin the 2024 campaign against USC’s air raid offense in Las Vegas on Sunday night, and the defensive tackle group, in particular, is the area of most concern.

The Tigers lost three players who started games at the position last year and returned just two with game experience. [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag], now in his fifth season at LSU, seems to be the top guy.

During his game week press conference on Monday, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] detailed how Guillory has improved this offseason.

“He’s been our best defensive tackle, our most consistent, starting with the tail end of last year and that continued through the spring and into preseason camp,” Kelly said. “He’s extremely strong, physically strong, can hold the point, plays with great leverage and technique. He’s really come along incredibly well in terms of the ability to use his hands and disengage and find the football.

“It’s one thing to have strength at the point of attack, but if you can’t find the football, meh, OK, you just hold the point. What he’s been able to do is use great strength, and now he’s controlling the blocker and finding the football.”

Guillory’s production has been limited to this point in his career despite appearing in 39 games. He has totaled just 51 tackles, 27 of which came last season.

While that’s a respectable total, Kelly thinks Guillory will be a lot more productive in the tackling department this fall.

“What do I think we’ll see? He’s going to make a lot of tackles,” Kelly said. “Defensive tackles, if you look at their sheets at the end of the day in terms of assisted tackles, even unassisted tackles, sometimes they show up with maybe two, three, that’s a big day. He’s going to be a guy that’s going to be involved in the tackle sheet, and that’s saying a lot in a defensive tackle.”

The Tigers added two transfers at the position this offseason in Wisconsin’s [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag] and Grand Valley State’s [autotag]Jay’Viar Suggs[/autotag], who is making the leap from the Division II ranks.

But neither brings SEC experience to the table, something Guillory boasts quite a lot of entering what should be the best season of his career as he becomes a week-to-week starter.

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LSU DC Blake Baker explains how DT Jacobian Guillory has grown since freshman season

Jacobian Guillory was reunited with Blake Baker this offseason. Here’s how Guillory has grown since his redshirt freshman season in 2021.

One of the biggest questions LSU faced this past offseason dealt with the interior of the defensive line.

The Tigers return just two defensive tackles with game experience in fifth-year [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] and former Florida transfer [autotag]Jalen Lee[/autotag]. LSU also added transfers [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay’Viar Suggs[/autotag], but Guillory is expected to play a major role.

While the Tigers have a new defensive staff in place, there’s familiarity with Guillory. New defensive coordinator [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] previously coached at LSU during Guillory’s redshirt freshman season in 2021, and he detailed how the fifth-year senior has grown in the time since.

“It’s been fun, obviously being here Jacobian’s freshman year to now watching him grow,” Baker said. “More off the field than on the field, he’s always been a big strong player inside but he’s really, really matured off the field and becoming a vocal leader in a positive way.

“I feel really, really good with him inside… he’s played a lot of football, so he understands block recognition, he does a good job getting the calls and executing the calls. It’s been neat, just being away for a couple years and then coming back to see him and see his growth.”

Guillory has a lot of experience under his belt having appeared in 39 games for the Tigers over the last four years. However, this will be his first season as a full-time starter as he has started just three games over the course of his LSU career.

On his career, he has 51 total tackles (two for loss) and half a sack. But he could be poised for a breakout season as his role is expected to increase significantly this fall.

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LSU continues rebuild of defensive tackle room with 2 commits

LSU’s two newest additions on the defensive line are two more steps in the right direction.

When LSU hired [autotag]Bo Davis[/autotag] in January, I wrote about just how massive the addition was. It’s rare that a position coach can completely move the needle for a program, but that’s what Davis did at Texas.

Davis provided the Longhorns with the best interior defensive line in the country, headlined by T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy II. According to PFF, the duo were the top two graded defensive tackles in the country. After working with Davis, both went on to be NFL draft picks.

Sweat and Murphy were both highly touted recruits, but neither was the slam-dunk prospect that some five stars are. Per 247Sports, Sweat was a three-star and the No. 27 ranked DT in his class. Murphy was a four-star but sat outside the top 250.

On July 4, Davis and LSU landed two DT prospects that fit similar criteria. Two composite four-stars in [autotag]Brandon Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Zion Williams[/autotag]. Brown ranks as the No. 324 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Williams isn’t that far behind, sitting at No. 298.

They are the first two defensive tackle commits in LSU’s 2025 recruiting class which is sorely in need of interior defensive linemen. That’s why Davis was brought to LSU, to address that need at defensive tackle. Brown and Williams are the first steps to getting this room where it needs to be.

LSU hit the transfer portal to add depth for the upcoming year. The Tigers missed on top targets like [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Simeon Barrow[/autotag] but added [autotag]Jay’Viar Suggs[/autotag] and [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag]. The top piece is rising fifth-year senior [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag], but he’ll be off to the league after this year.

The Tigers have some prospects in the pipeline with [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], [autotag]De’Myrion Johnson[/autotag], and Ahmad Breaux, but you need to stack classes to get the needed depth.

A dominant interior defensive line can change the outlook for a defense. LSU thought they had that heading into 2023 with [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] and Mekhi Wingo, but poor defensive coaching mitigated that.

LSU got here because the defensive line coaching position has been a volatile spot for the Tigers. Just when LSU thought it had stability with [autotag]Jamar Cain[/autotag], he took an NFL job with the Broncos. It’s hard to find consistency and build relationships in recruiting when there’s a new face coaching the room every year.

LSU paid a heavy price for Davis, a former LSU defensive lineman in his own right. They’re hoping this is more than just a one-year thing. Davis has coached at LSU before, he was a part of national titles at Alabama and helped lead Texas to the playoff in 2023. The goal is for Davis to stick around and build something.

We’ve seen the job [autotag]Brad Davis[/autotag] has done with the offensive line. He took a mediocre unit and built it into one of the best offensive lines in the country. If Bo Davis can have a similar impact on the defensive line, LSU will be competing for SEC titles year after year.

The skill positions will never be much of a question. Louisiana has a way of producing elite receivers and running backs. Quarterback isn’t an issue that plagues the program anymore either.

Defensive tackle is, by far, LSU’s biggest question mark entering the year. It’s the one thing holding LSU back. With additions like Brown and Williams, that’s on its way to being fixed.

There’s a strong defensive tackle group within the state in 2026. That gives Davis and company the chance to keep up the momentum.

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5-star LSU true freshman Dominick McKinley shows off impressive transformation since arriving on campus

Dominick McKinley was listed at 280 pounds as a high school senior. Now, he’s bulked up all the way to 316 pounds.

LSU had a solid number of freshman signees opt to early enroll this offseason, but the biggest prize of the 2024 class just recently arrived on campus as a summer enrollee.

At long last, five-star true freshman defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] has arrived in Baton Rouge, and he’s quickly turning heads. McKinley, who hails from Acadiana High School in Lafayette and was the top prospect in the state of Louisiana, was listed at 280 pounds as a high school senior.

Now, as he makes his debut on LSU’s official 2024 roster, McKinley checks in at a stunning 6-foot-6, 316 pounds after he clearly spent the spring working hard in the weight room.

According to LSU Country’s Zack Nagy, McKinley has impressed the staff despite only being on campus briefly and should push for early playing time as a true freshman on a defensive line that lacks depth at the interior.

The Tigers return just two defensive tackles with game experience in [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Lee[/autotag]. They also added transfer [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay’Viar Suggs[/autotag], but they could also turn to McKinley to see early action now that he’s bulked up closer to the typical size of an SEC defensive lineman.

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LSU lands coveted defensive tackle transfer Jay’viar Suggs

LSU finally landed the experienced defensive tackle transfer it’s been looking for.

After missing out on several targets earlier in the transfer portal window, LSU has finally found its defensive tackle transfer.

On Wednesday night, Grand Valley State transfer [autotag]Jay’viar Suggs[/autotag] committed to the Tigers. Suggs had previously trimmed his list of contenders down to Wisconsin, Michigan and Kentucky in addition to the Tigers, who received his final visit on Monday.

Suggs brings some much-needed experience at the defensive tackle position, albeit from the Division II ranks. The Flint, Michigan, native spent five years at Grand Valley State but still has two remaining years of eligibility due to COVID after redshirting in 2019 and not appearing in a game in 2021 after the 2020 season was canceled.

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Suggs appeared in 22 games over the last two seasons, totaling 42 tackles (14.5 for loss), eight sacks, nine passes defensed and two forced fumbles. LSU’s staff has connections to GVSU as coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was on staff from 1987-03 and spent 13 seasons as the program’s head coach, winning a pair of Division II national titles.

Though there is a question of how his talent will translate to the SEC, he gives the Tigers some much-needed experience along the defensive line. LSU returns just two players with game experience at defensive tackle in [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Lee[/autotag]. It also added [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag], a veteran transfer from Wisconsin.

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LSU gets final visit from priority transfer target

LSU is looking to bolster its defensive tackle room in the transfer portal.

LSU will get the final visit from transfer portal defensive tackle [autotag]Jay’viar Suggs[/autotag] on Sunday.

As the Tigers continue their search for a defensive tackle, LSU’s focus has narrowed on the Grand Valley State transfer. Suggs recently included LSU in his top four along with Michigan, Wisconsin and Kentucky.

Suggs posted five sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss with Grand Valley State in 2023. After making that impact at the Division II level, he’s ready to try his hand at FBS football.

LSU getting Suggs’ final visit could be a good sign after the Tigers swung and missed on a few of the top defensive tackles in the portal. Prior to the transfer portal opening, head coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said defensive tackle is the only position LSU would chase in the second portal window.

Along with the final visit, LSU could have another advantage in this recruitment with Grand Valley State being the school where Kelly rose to prominence. Kelly coached there for 13 years and won two national titles.

LSU returns just two scholarship defensive tackles that were with the program last year. LSU added [autotag]Shone Washington[/autotag] from the junior college ranks along with Wisconsin transfer [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag]. The Tigers signed a solid group of defensive tackles from the high school level too, headlined by five-star Louisiana native [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag].

Suggs is unproven at the Power Four level, but he would add more upside to a room that needs it.

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