Tag: Sai’vion Jones

Early LSU defensive depth chart prediction for the 2023 season

Here’s what LSU’s defense could look like in 2023.

Earlier this week, we took an early look at what LSU could throw out there on offense this fall.

Now, It’s time for the defense.

This unit is more of a challenge to pin down. LSU’s offense is bringing back most of its production. The defense, however, is losing several key pieces.

[autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag] are gone after holding down the edge spots since 2020. The secondary is going through another makeover and veteran linebackers [autotag]Micah Baskerville[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Jones Jr.[/autotag] are gone too.

[autotag]DeMario Tolan[/autotag], a talented young linebacker, hit the portal along with a couple of young corners.

The cupboard is far from bare. LSU returns strong players on the interior and did heavy work in the transfer portal, especially on the backend. With [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] and a healthy [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag], the defense remains in a good spot.

Here’s how we think the defense could stack up next season.

Oregon transfer Bradyn Swinson gives LSU needed veteran pass rusher

LSU needed an edge rusher in the portal. It got one in Bradyn Swinson.

Brian Kelly said LSU will be signing 8-10 transfers this cycle.

The Tigers are off to a good start, earning three commitments from front seven players on the eve of early signing day. Among that group is [autotag]Bradyn Swinson[/autotag] — a veteran edge defender who spent the first three years of his career with Oregon.

Swinson, originally a three-star from Georgia, was recruited by LSU defensive line coach [autotag]Jamar Cain[/autotag] out of high school. Swinson was never a full-time player with the Ducks. He played just 542 defensive snaps in his three years there, with 334 of those coming in 2021.

In his career, he has 21 pressures and three sacks to his name. He’s batted a couple of passes and forced a fumble.

LSU will be losing [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag], two guys who have been solid contributors for several years now. In Ojuarli’s case, he blossomed into one of the nation’s best pass rushers in 2022.

The odds of finding another Ojulari on the transfer portal aren’t great. LSU likely won’t have another player of that caliber at that spot until five-star [autotag]DaShawn Womack[/autotag] lives up to his potential.

In Swinson, LSU doesn’t need a star. It just needs a veteran presence who can rotate in and stabilize the room. And despite the limited sack numbers, there’s reason to believe Swinsin is capable of more.

Among Pac-12 edge rushers with at least 70 pass rush snaps, Swinson ranked third in the conference in pass rush win rate per PFF. His overall pass-rush grade ranked ninth among the same group.

[autotag]Sai’Vion Jones[/autotag] is the lone returner who saw significant time at Ojulari’s JACK LB position in 2022 and relying on Womack to excel as a true freshman can’t be the only plan.

Swinson’s arrival removes some of the burden from the younger guys. It’ll also allow for more creative formations in obvious passing situations when LSU wants to overload the field with pass rushers.

Depth is critical on the defensive line. If you don’t have a true gamebreaker coming off the edge, the next best thing a staff can do is make sure the front seven players are staying fresh.

Getting Swinson addressed a critical need for LSU and it wouldn’t be surprising to see LSU continue to recruit pass rushers from the portal.

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Citrus Bowl provides LSU DE Sai’Vion Jones a chance for a breakout

LSU will need Jones to step up at edge rusher with BJ Ojulari opting out.

LSU will be without star pass rusher [autotag]B.J. Ojulari[/autotag] against Purdue as he opts out to prepare for the 2023 NFL draft.

As he has at points this year, expect [autotag]Sai’vion Jones[/autotag] to step into Ojulari’s role. Jones was one of LSU’s top players in the 2021 recruiting class and one of the best edge recruits in the country.

He didn’t see much time as a freshman, playing just 58 defensive snaps, but when Ojulari was in and out of the lineup in September this fall, there was an opportunity for Smith.

Stepping in against Southern, Jones totaled three pressures and a sack. He added sacks in week three and four too. On the year, Jones had 11 pressures and four sacks. At one point, he was one of the most efficient pass rushers in the SEC, but that production tailed off late in the season.

However, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] still highlighted Jones’ performance against Arkansas, which included a sack.

Jones’ pass rush win rate was just 7.4%, well below Ojulari’s mark of 18%. But Jones’ pass-rush productivity score of 8.0 ranked 11th among SEC edge rushers with at least 80 snaps.

He’s a guy that’s shown flashes, but hasn’t completely put it together. Going forward, LSU is needs Jones to take the next step. Ojulari, along with some members of the secondary, will be LSU’s biggest loss headed into 2023.

Pair that with the expected departure of [autotag]Ali Gaye[/autotag], and edge rusher is a need for LSU.

Jones is the most logical in-house option. There’s also [autotag]Quency Wiggins[/autotag], the talented freshman who took a redshirt this fall and played just two pass rush snaps.

LSU will be adding [autotag]Dashawn Womack[/autotag], a five-star pass rusher from Baltimore, as well.

Wiggins and Womack are talented, but unproven. Jones has yet to prove himself to an extent too, but we know he is a capable SEC player.

An LSU team that expects to compete for a title is going to need more than a couple of freshmen pass rushers.

[autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] was elite coming after the quarterback, but his services will be needed at linebacker, and he isn’t your prototypical front player that can defend the run on the edge.

Jones will get his shot in the bowl game. A strong performance against Purdue would make coaches and fans feel a lot better about what LSU has in 2023.

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