By Hunt Palmer
LSU’s prominence in the defensive backfield has been well chronicled.
The moniker “DBU” showed up nearly two decades ago and has become a real source of pride in the football program. That pride took a hit in 2023. Head coach Brian Kelly brought longtime cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond back from Florida.
His job is to restore the greatness in LSU’s secondary.
In the opener on Sunday, there were flashes. Cornerback Ashton Stamps broke up a pass that appeared to be a touchdown. Freshman PJ Woodland responded to a pass interference call by breaking up the next play he was targeted on.
Still, USC quarterback Miller Moss finished the game with 378 yards through the air, and the Trojans scored touchdowns on their last two offensive drives.
While it wasn’t a perfect effort, Kelly sees improvement.
“We like the work that Ashton provided us,” Kelly said. “We think PJ is coming along. As you know, Ashton is a sophomore. PJ is a true freshman.”
Veteran help may be on the way. Senior Zy Alexander started the first eight games for LSU last year before tearing his ACL against Army.
“Zy Alexander has made really good progress.” Kelly said. “What you’ll see is his workload, as it is related to plays, will increase dramatically over the next four weeks, and it will start this week on special teams and will continue to pick up at the corner position.”
Ohio State junior transfers JK Johnson and Jyaire Brown figure into the mix as well.
But a youth movement appears on the way, perhaps out of necessity. With Stamps and Woodland logging significant snaps at cornerback, a pair of youngsters may also be headed to the field at safety.
“At the safety position, we’re looking at (freshmen) Kylin (Jackson), Dashawn Spears to definitely get a good amount of work,” Kelly said. “(Junior) Jardin (Gilbert) is nursing a bit of a deep thigh contusion and can’t play the first half (due to targeting). (redshirt sophomore) Jordan (Allen) has got a bit of a turf toe. He’s cleared to play. He practiced (Tuesday). So, right now, it’s a three-man rotation at the safety position, and you can expect to see a lot of those younger players.”
The test Saturday won’t look quite the same. USC’s offense figure to be among the best passing units in the country if history holds up. Nicholls State only managed 138 passing yards against Louisiana Tech on Saturday. Quarterback Pat McQuaide only completed 10 of his 26 passes.
