Tag: Jacobian Guillory

Stock Up, Stock Down: LSU wins first game of the season against Nicholls

Let’s look at who saw their stock rise and who saw their stock fall in the win over the Colonels.

Let me say this upfront, this team has some issues. I have no idea what the Tigers coaching staff needs to do to fix those issues either. Just like last year’s team, this team can not run the football. LSU has two of the top offensive tackles in the country and some solid starting linemen but can’t provide the push it needs to run the ball.

It’s not like LSU was taking on an SEC opponent or USC again, this is Nicholls State. If there is a team you would think you can impose your will on, it would be these guys. Yet the Tigers were only able to run the ball 21 times for 64 yards. Three yards per carry against a non-Division I team is atrocious. Sure, [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] and the LSU passing game are good, but they need the run game to help open up the passing game.

Let’s look at who saw their stock rise and who saw their stock fall in this game.

Stock Down: The Run Game

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LSU has to find a way to run the football. This was a huge problem in 2023 but [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] was able to pick up a lot of that slack. The Tigers need to run the ball with their actual running backs instead of their quarterbacks.

Stock Up: Kyren Lacy

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For the second week in a row, [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] had a great game. He finished the night with five receptions for 65 yards and three touchdowns.

Stock Up: Greg Penn III

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[autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag] was all over the field for the Tigers’ defense. He finished the night with the most tackles on the team as he had nine tackles.

Stock Up: Garrett Nussmeier

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Another great night for Nussmeier as he was nearly perfect. He finished the game after going 27-for-37 for 302 yards and six touchdowns. He definitely did not get “outplayed” this week.

Stock Down: Injuries

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The last thing this team needs is to have a lot of injuries. [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] left the game with an injury and did not return. He was later seen in a wheelchair with a cast on his leg. Nussmeier and Lacy also exited the game with injuries for moments as well. LSU needs to stay healthy.

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5 takeaways from LSU’s win over Nicholls State in Week 2

LSU is in the win column in 2024. Here are five takeaways from the Tigers win over Nicholls.

LSU football got its first win of the 2024 campaign as the Tigers returned home to host Nicholls State on Saturday night. Brian Kelly’s group took some time to find their footing, but LSU pulled away in the second half for a final score of 44-21.

It was the opening night for Tiger Stadium’s 100th anniversary season and Tiger fans were treated to a brand new video board, new LED lights, and an improved sound system.

On the field, LSU QB [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] led the way with six touchdowns. Three of those went to WR [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], who paired the scores with five catches for 65 yards.

LSU is still waiting for its run game to wake up, with [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] pacing the team with just 19 yards apiece.

It was a thrilling day around the sport, but luckily for Tiger fans, LSU avoided the chaos.

The win should help stabilize LSU as it opens conference play against South Carolina next week. Here are five takeaways from LSU’s win over Nicholls State.

Sloppy start for the Tigers

LSU expects to have its way with an FCS opponent. That’s not what happened in the first half and it was another sloppy start for the Tigers.

LSU picked up a first down but failed to score on the first drive. The offense eventually picked it up, but it wasn’t smooth sailing the first two quarters.

The bigger concern was on the defensive side of the ball. Nicholls was more physical than LSU up front, methodically moving down the field and controlling the football.

Nicholls didn’t throw a single incompletion in the first half and LSU didn’t do much to make the Colonels uncomfortable.

The first half was capped with a special teams error as [autotag]Damian Ramos[/autotag] pushed a field goal right.

A few injury scares

You want to exit these buy games healthy, but LSU had a few scares on Saturday night.

Nussmeier and Lacy both left the game to receive attention from the trainers. Both players returned, but seeing two key pieces on the sideline wasn’t a welcome sight for LSU fans.

The bigger concern is defensive tackle [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag], who left the game and was later seen in a cast and wheelchair.

LSU is already thin at defensive tackle and Guillory is the only proven DT on the roster. If LSU is without Guillory for an extended period of time, it changes the outlook for LSU up front.

Ju’Juan Johnson makes his RB debut

[autotag]Ju’Juan Johnson[/autotag] has played running back for just a few days, but you wouldn’t know that if you saw him on the field Saturday.

Johnson was a QB in high school and recruited as a DB, but with LSU’s RB growing thin, the Tigers are giving Johnson a shot. He was involved early on Saturday night, getting his first touch on LSU’s second drive.

Later in the half, Johnson caught a pass and made a few defenders miss. Not long after that, Nussmeier found Johnson for a score.

Johnson is no stranger to having the ball in his hands. He was a star quarterback at the high school level, after all.

We’ll get a better idea of LSU’s plans for Johnson next week. Were the Tigers just using an FCS opponent to get him some reps or does he factor into LSU’s rotation in conference play?

Aaron Anderson continues to emerge

We knew Lacy, [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] would factor into this offense, but there was suspense surrounding LSU’s fourth receiver.

[autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag] was the obvious candidate, but he’s missed the first two games with an injury. In Hilton’s absence, [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] has stepped up,

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said the redshirt sophomore had a breakout game last week and Anderson produced again on Saturday night. The numbers weren’t gaudy, but Anderson caught five passes for 63 yards.

LSU doesn’t need Anderson to be a gamebreaker, but he’s on pace for a 762 yard season after two games. That’ll do.

Questions remain entering conference play

LSU got it together in the second half, but there will be anxiety entering conference play. LSU’s SEC schedule gets underway with a road trip to South Carolina next week. The Gamecocks impressed on Saturday with an emphatic win over Kentucky.

If South Carolina repeats that performance and LSU comes out flat again, LSU won’t like the result next week.

LSU should feel good about its passing game, but health at receiver is a minor concern. The run game is the biggest question on LSU’s offense. The depth at RB is worth monitoring and LSU’s offensive line will be tested again next week after it struggled against USC.

On defense, LSU is still working out its rotation in the secondary. LSU likes what it has with [autotag]Ashton Stamps[/autotag] and [autotag]PJ Woodland[/autotag] at corner, but both are young and mistakes are inevitable.

Up front, the Guillory injury complicates things even further.

LSU’s ceiling is still the College Football Playoff, but its impossible not to ask a few questions after LSU’s 1-1 start.

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LSU pulls away in second half to beat Nicholls in home opener

It was closer than the Tigers would have hoped, but they earned their first win of the season with a 44-21 victory over Nicholls.

It was certainly closer at times than LSU would have liked, but coach Brian Kelly’s team pulled away in the second half to beat Nicholls State 44-21 in its Week 2 home opener on Saturday night. The Tigers move to 1-1 heading into its SEC opener on the road against South Carolina, which will host College GameDay next week.

Nicholls, a ranked FCS opponent facing LSU for the first time in program history, held its own for a while. The Colonels trailed just 23-14 at halftime and cut the Tigers lead to just two early in the third, but some offensive explosion was enough for them to avoid a much scarier conclusion.

[autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] was strong in this game, completing 27 of 37 passes for 302 yards and six touchdowns. It was a good thing he was that productive because the ground game was non-existent.

The Tigers managed just 64 yards on 21 carries, with no back exceeding 19 yards individually. That’s a concern, especially with the season-ending injury to [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag]

Freshman defensive back [autotag]Ju’Juan Johnson[/autotag], who moved to running back this week, helped bridge that gap and caught a touchdown pass out of the backfield. [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], who was injured in the first half but returned, caught three touchdown passes and totaled 65 yards in the receiving game.

After giving up a big day to USC, LSU’s defensive concerns were far from alleviated in this game. While it held Nicholls under 300 yards — just barely — quarterback Pat McQuaide was efficient and avoided turnovers while Collin Guggenheim went off for 145 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

While Lacy was able to return, LSU didn’t escape the game entirely unscathed from an injury perspective. Veteran defensive tackle [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] exited the game, didn’t return and was later spotted on the sideline in a wheelchair with his leg in a cast.

That would be a major loss if it proves to be for a significant period.

It wasn’t exactly the performance the Tigers were hoping for, but it gave them their first win and something to build on with a South Carolina matchup looming that suddenly seems tougher than expected.

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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.

https://twitter.com/glenwest21/status/1832570887645884480

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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Brian Kelly says LSU DT Jacobian Guillory has improved a lot since he arrived

Jacobian Guillory has improved quite a bit since Brian Kelly arrived in Baton Rouge.

LSU’s defense struggled quite a bit in 2023, and one of the biggest concerns for new coordinator [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] this fall comes at the defensive tackle spot.

With three players from that group drafted this past spring, the Tigers return just two players with game experience at defensive tackle. One of those is [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag], who is expected to start this season in his fifth year.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] put it bluntly when evaluating how Guillory has improved since he and the staff arrived ahead of the 2022 season.

“Well, he wasn’t a very good football player when we got here,” Kelly said. “He was technically out of control, he did not play with the kind of discipline necessary to play the position at a high level, and consequently, he didn’t play a whole lot of football.

“I think his maturity and his understanding that he needed to be very good at his technique and leverage, and I think last year he figured that out. And because he’s so strong and explosive and can play with great leverage, he’s now taking those strengths of his and put himself in a position to be an outstanding football and can play at the next level because of it.”

Kelly also praised Guillory’s improvements from a mental perspective and said he does a much better job of handling his emotions now.

“He has handled himself very well emotionally and because of that, I think we’ve seen this player ascend the way he has,” Kelly said.

Guillory started one game in 2023 but appeared in all 13, making a career-high 27 tackles. He has made 39 career appearances in four years with three starts.

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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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On3 logs prediction for LSU to land 3-star defensive tackle

LSU is picking up steam with one of its defensive tackle targets.

Rebuilding the defensive tackle room is a top priority for LSU head coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and defensive line coach [autotag]Bo Davis[/autotag].

Kelly has stressed the Tigers’ need at interior defensive line on multiple occasions. LSU signed a good high school class and brought in a couple of transfers, but [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] is the lone returner with significant experience.

As LSU looks to add more talent to the room in its 2025 class, On3’s Chad Simmons logged a prediction for LSU to land three-star defensive tackle [autotag]Xavier Ukponu[/autotag]. Simmons is the second On3 analyst to predict LSU as the winner after Billy Embody logged an LSU pick last month.

Along with LSU, Ukponu’s shown interest in Arkansas, Texas and Florida throughout his recruitment, but the Tigers appear to be in a good spot.

Ukponu is 6-foot-2, 390 pounds and has three stars from all major recruiting services. Rivals is the highest on Ukponu’s talent, ranking him as the 33rd-best defensive tackle in the class.

LSU’s 2025 class ranks second in the country, according to On3. The Tigers have 11 commits, including [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag], the top-ranked recruit in the country. The class has some offensive firepower, but the staff is hoping to make a few key additions on defense.

Continuing the in-flux of talent into the defensive tackle room is critical for LSU to get back to the standard it once had on the defensive side of the ball.

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