By Hunt Palmer
Brian Kelly said entering the spring portal window that LSU would not be aggressively looking to add pieces. However, should that opportunity arise, LSU would take a look.
A week ago, we learned that LSU would host Bernard Gooden, a defensive line transfer from South Florida. That visit went well, and Gooden signed with the Tigers on Friday.
The interior of LSU’s defensive front was shaken up once again prior to the spring when position coach Bo Davis bolted for the New Orleans Saints after just one season. That’s nothing new. LSU hasn’t had a coach work with the defensive tackles in consecutive seasons since Bill Johnson in 2019.
It presents challenges, though, as every new coach prefers a new style of player. Kyle Williams, a former all-American at LSU and Pro Bowler in the NFL, has taken the reigns of the LSU defensive tackles, and the hope in Baton Rouge is that he’ll provide some long-needed stability at the position moving forward.
Williams himself was an aggressive and playmaking tackle in college and at the NFL level. He’ll want much of that as a coach, too. Bernard Gooden plays with that style. Let’s dive into a spring edition of Portal Profile.
WHAT WE KNOW
Goodon was a three-star prospect out of Montgomery, Ala., when he signed with Wake Forest. After a redshirt season in 2021, Goodon played 12 games for the Demon Deacons as a reserve in 2022. He made seven tackles including 1.5 for loss and half a sack. In 2023, he transferred to USF and sat out a year.
This past season, 2024, he emerged as a dependable and productive option for the Bulls’ defense. He started 11 games, made 35 tackles including an impressive 10 behind the line of scrimmage.
Gooden is undersized for the SEC, just 6-foot-1 and 280 lbs. He is quick and disruptive on film, though.
Against Alabama, his only taste of SEC action, he batted down a pass and recovered a fumble. He did not record a tackle.
Pro Football Focus graded Gooden excellently all season, including the Alabama game where he received a 74.1 overall grade. His season-long grade was 82.2 including an elite 87.9 against the run.
Over the course of the season, Gooden played all over the defensive front. He logged 162 snaps at left defensive tackle, 146 at right defensive tackle, 70 at left defensive end and 11 at nose guard.
THE FIT
Adding big people that can move is always going to be a positive. So is positional versatility. So are age and maturity. Gooden has all of that working for him. He’s also on the smaller side. That could work against him.
Williams stated implicitly that he wants defensive tackles that can get up the field and make plays. His guys are not going to be just space eaters that live on blocks from guards and centers so the linebackers can roam. The type of player Williams is looking for is quicker and more elusive. Gooden fits that bill. His 10.5 tackles for loss last season are exactly what Williams is looking for.
LSU’s defensive tackle room now has a lot of versatility.
Jacobian Guillory returns as a huge, strong presence that will occupy blocks. Guillory is probably not going to make a ton of plays behind the line. Sydir Mitchell had a really nice spring. He’s also in that 330lbs range. Those guys are the beef.
Dominick McKinley has all the upside in the world at 6-foot-6 and 315 lbs. Ideally, he can fill any role you need from run stopping to pass blocking.
Then you have Ahmad Breaux and now Gooden who are leaner and quicker. They’re most likely the guys who can be disruptive behind the line of scrimmage.
Shone Washington adds depth, and three true freshmen will be in their first year.
HUNT’S PROJECTION
I think Guillory, Mitchell, Breaux and McKinley are ahead of Gooden at this point. These Group of Five transfers that move up have to prove themselves at the SEC level. Some can do it, some can’t.
If Gooden’s quickness does translate, he could be a game-changing player for Williams and Blake Baker’s defense. If it doesn’t, he’s an experienced depth piece
Depth is never a bad thing. Last year Guillory and McKinley got hurt in August.
I think Gooden gives LSU 10-to-15 snaps per game as a role player early with an opportunity for that role to expend if he starts to pop. His production, should everything go to plan, may not be massive, but you’re always an injury or two from needing more help, and Gooden offers a fifth-year option with a lot of college years under his belt.
