Tag: Jaquelin Roy

Jaquelin Roy among the best returning defensive tackles

It could be a breakout year for this interior disruptor.

The defensive line group might be the best of the team, outside of the wide receivers. The team recently learned that senior edge defender Ali Gaye would return for one more season to play opposite of BJ Ojulari. The duo should be very productive under the guidance of defensive line coach Jamar Cain, who comes over from Oklahoma.

The interior group will be led by Jaquelin Roy and Maason Smith. The former was listed among the best returners by Pro Football Focus. Roy stepped up due to the losses of Glen Logan and Neil Farrell Jr. With so many injuries to the edge, Smith had to slide outside more often than not. Roy will look to be even better in 2022.

Jaquelin Roy was ranked as the No. 9 returning interior defensive lineman heading into next season.

What PFF Says…

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Roy took a massive step forward in his 2021 true sophomore campaign. The 2020 top-50 overall recruit posted an 81.2 PFF grade, nearly 30 points higher than his true freshman mark. Roy tied with Georgia’s Jalen Carter for the highest pass-rush grade at the position in the Power Five (89.7). He will help form one of the most talented defensive lines in the country in 2022 with Maason Smith, BJ Ojulari, Ali Gaye and others.

Smith should have likely been on this list as well, but given that he spent time on the outside as well he was likely viewed as a hybrid player. Roy finished the season with 30 tackles, six TFLs, 1.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble.

This group could help mask some of their deficiencies on the backend until they can figure out their cornerback rotation in 2022.

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Comment below if you think Roy is ranked too low or if Maason Smith should be on the list. 

Report: Neil Farrell Jr to skip the Texas Bowl and prepare for the NFL draft

LSU loses their top-rated defender for the bowl game.

The LSU Tigers defense took a hit on Monday after it was reported that defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr would opt out of the bowl game. Fox Sports analyst and college football insider for The Athletic reported the news on Monday afternoon.

Farrell was a key part of the interior defensive line that showed vast improvement throughout the season despite losing key contributors down the stretch. He appeared in all 12 games for the Tigers with 45 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, two sacks, and two passes defended.

Farrell appeared in a total of 48 games in his five seasons with the Bayou Bengals. That included playing in all 15 games during the 2019 National Championship season under the guidance of defensive coordinator Dave Aranda.

He leaves the team with 143 total tackles, 22 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, four passes defended, and one forced fumble.

This will likely mean that Jaquelin Roy, a sophomore will be tasked with stepping into his spot on the starting rotation. Farrell was the highest-graded defender this season according to Pro Football Focus. If healthy enough to play in the bowl game, freshman Maason Smith could slide inside as well.

The LSU Tigers will play the Kansas State Wildcats in Houston on Jan. 4, as they represent the SEC in the Texas Bowl.

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Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

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Who were the top defensive players for the LSU Tigers in 2021?

Who were the top defenders for LSU?

Earlier in the season, it felt like there were going to be issues on the defensive side of the ball. Not a shocking development based on how the unit performed in 2020. Bo Pelini was replaced by Daronte Jones after Ed Orgeron whiffed on Marcus Freeman.

Following the open week when the team was coming off a loss to Ole Miss, they flipped the switch. A conversation with Orgeron’s friend Lane Kiffin just might have been the difference. They switched to a 3-4 defense that utilized more pressure on blitzes. They held Alabama to just 20 points, Arkansas to 16 points, and Texas A&M to just 24 points. In today’s college football world you will take that every single time.

Who would you say was the best defender of 2021? You would be hardpressed to find anyone who wouldn’t start with linebacker Damone Clark, who is a finalist for the Butkus Award.

Looking at the regular season grades for LSU, here is how they graded out on Pro Football Focus:

PFF’s All-SEC team lists seven LSU Tigers, omits Damone Clark

A total of seven LSU Tigers on the PFF All-SEC team, but one glaring ommission.

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Pro Football Focus has released their All-SEC team with seven LSU Tigers making the list. Only one made the first team, but not the player expected. One of the biggest omissions on this list is the conference’s leading tackler and Butkus Award finalist Damone Clark.

Clark has tallied 137 total tackles this year, an average of 11.42 tackles per game. He ranks No. 2 in the nation, the next closest SEC player was Arkansas’ Bumper Pool with 120 tackles. Pool was listed on the third team. It isn’t just the tackles for Clark as he was all over the field for LSU. He accumulated 15 TFL’s, five sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one interception. His two sacks against Texas A&M sealed the win.

The breakdown of LSU Tigers on the three teams and honorable mention list:

First Team

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Lineman: Neil Farrell Jr

Farrell finished with 25 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, and two sacks. He also had two passes defended on the year.

Next, a pair of second-teamers

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LSU Report Card: Which Tigers graded well, which ones didn’t per PFF

Who were the top-graded players for the LSU Tigers and who didn’t grade well in the 34-7 win over McNeese per Pro Football Focus.

As we wrap up the win over McNeese on Saturday, we take one final look back at the win for the LSU Tigers.

Top Offensive Grades

As far as their Pro Football Focus grades for this game, on offense nothing was spectacular. The team won 34-7 but early on the offense struggled to move the ball consistently against the FCS foe. Only four players on offense were graded in the 70+ range with Jack Bech coming in close to that. The breakdown of the top five players on offense

Player Game Grade Season Grade
Ed Ingram, OG 74.9 66.3
Liam Shanahan, C 73.2 73.1
Max Johnson, QB 72.5 59.3
Deion Smith, WR 71.1 71.1
Jack Bech, TE/WR 69.5 65.6

Bottom Offensive Grades

Player Game Grade Season Grade
Brian Thomas Jr, WR 38.6 49.6
Jaray Jenkins, WR 44.7 49.4
Charles Turner, OT 50.1 52.6
Koy Moore, WR 53.3 61.6
Alex Adams, WR 54.7 54.7

No surprises with Brian Thomas Jr and Jaray Jenkins posting the two bottom grades from this one. Both players dropped a pair of passes each. While the offense was able to score 34, it could have been more if receivers weren’t dropping passes. Something that needs to be fixed ahead of SEC play in a couple of weeks.

The Tigers’ offense needs help in the receiving game from someone other than Trey Palmer and Kayshon Boutte. Who will emerge as a legit No. 3 receiving option for Max Johnson?

Next, a look at the defense

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Looking into LSU’s two most pressing areas of concern against Missouri

LSU has two primary areas of concern as the Tigers face off against Missouri on Saturday.

With game day quickly approaching, the No. 17 LSU Tigers head to Columbia, Missouri for the first time ever to face their SEC East foe Missouri Tigers.

Hurricane Delta is impacting the game, which was originally slated to be played inside Tiger Stadium, and will now be moved to Faurot Field to be played on the turf of the “other Tigers.”

LSU has many familiar faces back for this game. Defensive lineman Glen Logan is expected to return, for one.

Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. returned last week and running back Chris Curry should be back after missing last week with an illness.

Here’s a look at the most pressing areas of concern for LSU against Missouri.

Defensive line

Last week, LSU started freshman Jaquelin Roy on the defensive line and failed to get the result they had hoped for. Roy finished with just one tackle, but still has a great amount of upside that will carry his career.

Glen Logan is expected back this week, and that provides the Tigers with a boost up front. But overall, the defensive line needs to get back on track.

Ali Gaye had trouble last week after having 11 tackles in the season opener, but has obviously shown he has the ability to make a strong impact in a single game.

Missouri isn’t a great rushing team on offense, but LSU has to get in the backfield more this week. Defensive coordinator Bo Pelini could even dial up more blitz packages given the lack of stats for Missouri quarterback Connor Bazelak.

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Studs and duds in LSU’s 41-7 win over Vanderbilt

LSU earned an impressive win against Vanderbilt on Saturday while putting up solid numbers from a few key players.

LSU defeated Vanderbilt in a dominant fashion on Saturday to move to 1-1 on the season. The No. 20 Tigers took a big step on both sides of the ball in their first win of the season, showing reason for optimism within the fan base after a disappointing 44-34 loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the opener.

Redshirt junior quarterback Myles Brennan looked more poised in the pocket this week and took less time on his throws.

Here’s a look at who came up big, and who could have done better in the Tigers’ 41-7 victory on Saturday night in Nashville.

Stud: Myles Brennan

Brennan completed 23-of-37 passes for 337 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. But it isn’t the numbers that place him on the studs list. His composure and calmness in the pocket gave him the ability to make better throws than last week.

The junior quarterback was dishing the ball everywhere to any receiver that was open. Two of his touchdowns went to Jontre Kirklin and the other two went to Terrace Marshall Jr.

If Brennan can continue what he started on Saturday, he could finish between 1,500 and 2,500 passing yards for the season.

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LSU football freshman profile: DT Jaquelin Roy

Roy will provide versatility and a great upside to an already loaded LSU defensive line.

When it comes to LSU recruiting top-tier talent on the defensive line, many former names could be mentioned. Freshman newcomer Jaquelin Roy wants to add his name to that list.

Ranked as the top recruit in the state of Louisiana for the class of 2020, Roy has a ton of upside to his game. A four-star prospect, Roy hails from University High in Baton Rouge, a school where LSU has had many recruits from.

He helped lead his team to back-to-back Louisiana Division II state championships during his sophomore and junior seasons.

At 6-foot-4, 302 pounds, Roy will provide versatility and a great upside to an already loaded LSU defensive line.

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Both he Jacobian Guillory were two of the top recruits in LSU’s class of 2020, and their tape explains why.

Roy has great footwork and is exceptional at the snap in getting into the backfield.

While he may not start right away, there is no question that the star-studded freshman will see valuable playing time this season.

With new defensive coordinator Bo Pelini implementing a new defensive scheme, it will allow the Tigers to utilize their two top freshman defensive linemen in numerous situations.

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Though Tyler Shelvin, Neil Farrell and Glen Logan appear to be the most likely starters when LSU plays its first game on September 26, Roy could give them a run for their money during fall camp in terms of a more defined role.

The Tigers are set for at least the next three seasons at defensive line. With Roy and Guillory being top notch players, the future is bright for the Tigers at the position.

It will be interesting to see how Roy competes through fall camp once it begins on August 17 and just exactly how much playing time he sees on the field in 2020 when the Tigers kick off their season at the end of September.

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