LSU In-Depth Chart: Safety

By Hunt Palmer

Coaches rarely call out specific position groups.

On the practice field, coaches can be very direct. In the media, they’ll pull back a bit. Brian Kelly specifically called out his safeties multiple times last year. He detailed the paring down of their responsibilities, suggested they had to play better and addressed the need in the offseason.

In short, safety was a problem.

Jardin Gilbert separated his shoulder last year. He’s healthy. And a new influx of bodies should provide competition to ensure that LSU is significantly better on the back end.

LSU allowed the most 50-plus yard plays in the conference last season and was 15^th in 40-plus yard rushing plays. Only 1-7 Kentucky was worse. That’s not all on the safeties, but it’s an illustration of the struggles that back end of the defense endured.

Gilbert’s health, two transfers and some maturation of young players is the elixir Kelly has prescribed to remedy the problems. Will it work?

WHO’S GONE

Major Burns (Graduation: Signed with Bears)
Sage Ryan (Transfer: Ole Miss)
Jordan Allen (Transfer: Houston)
Kylin Jackson (Transfer: TCU)

WHO’S BACK

Jardin Gilbert (6’1”, 193, 5-Sr)
Javien Toviano (6’1”, 197, Jr)
Dashawn Spears (6’3”, 208, Soph)
Joel Rogers (6’0”, 198, R-Fr)
Austin Ausberry (6’0”, 195, R-Jr)

WHO’S NEW

Tamarcus Cooley (6’0”, 198, NC State, R-Soph)
A.J. Haulcy (6’0”, 222, Houston, Sr)
Jacob Bradford (5’11”, 195, Fr)
Jhase Thomas (6’1”, 190, Fr)

WHAT WE KNOW

Jardin Gilbert has started 21 games at SEC stops. He’s got good size and plenty of experience, but playing safety with a separated shoulder, which he did last year, is tough. He made 55 tackles and picked off a pass against UCLA. He graded a 57.7 overall and a 55.1 in tackling last season per Pro Football Focus. His toughest two games were against Alabama and Texas A&M when he missed four tackles and graded 25.2 and 27.0 in tackling.

Javien Toviano signed with LSU as a cornerback and has shifted to safety. He’s played in 26 games with four starts as a depth piece in the secondary. Rivals called him a five-star coming out of high school. He was running with the second team as camp opened, and that’s where he’s spent most of his time at LSU.

Dashawn Spears was a trendy breakout pick last season. I certainly called for it. He saw significant action in September, and that all but vanished. He played 148 snaps in the first five games and 30 over the last five before the bowl game. LSU elected to go with Burns and Sage Ryan for their experience. Spears is LSU’s most imposing safety at 6-foot-3 and 208 lbs. He just hasn’t quite broken through yet. On Wednesday, he wasn’t involved with the first team or the second team. That’s not a reason to sound any alarms, but it is an indication that he’s mired in some serious competition after being a top four safety in the country two years ago.

Joel Rogers is another local product from St. Francisville. He’s a great athlete who played quarterback for West Feliciana and starred in four sports. Last year he only saw action on defense for seven snaps in the Texas Bowl. While Gilbert was recovering from surgery in the spring, Rogers got a ton of reps because AJ Haulcy hadn’t arrived yet.

Austin Ausberry came back home after two years at Auburn. The U-High product played 157 special teams snaps in 2024.

Haulcy stood out on Wednesday because of his size. He’s not overly tall at 6-foot, but he’s put together at 222 lbs., the biggest of all the safeties by about 15 lbs. Haulcy has been a ballhawk at both of his college stops. He tied for the Big 12 lead in interceptions last year with five and graded 85.8 in coverage which is outstanding. Opposing coaches voted him First Team All-Big 12 a year after he was Big 12 Newcomer of the Year by leading Houston in tackles with 98, the most by a Cougar since 2018. As a freshman at New Mexico, he made 24 tackles in a single game. His size and previous production are impressive.

Tamarcus Cooley is also on his third college stop. He went from Maryland to NC State last year and started nine games at nickel for the Wolfpack. He had two interceptions in the bowl game. Aside from a rough day against North Carolina where he missed three tackles, he was a sure tackler and good run defender. He graded 81.3 against the run on Pro Football Focus and only missed five tackles on the year. His coverage grade was an 80, as well. Cooley is on the shorter side, but he can play safety and drop down to the nickel which is a valuable skillset.

Jacob Bradford and Jhase Thomas are in-state products who earned four stars. Bradford was the No. 19 safety in the class, and Thomas was No. 21. Thomas’s dad, Fred, played in the NFL. Bradford’s brother, Blaine, is a highly coveted high school senior who is committed to Ohio State.

HUNT’S PROJECTION

This group has to up its level of play.

The first two out on Wednesday were Gilbert and Cooley. Haulcy and Toviano manned the second team.

I find it hard to believe Haulcy isn’t going to start. His production over three years and sheer size are a combination on one else on the roster can match. Spears is as big, but he hasn’t played. Gilbert has played, but he hasn’t produced like that. Cooley was productive at NC State, but he’s not as physical.

I think Gilbert and Cooley battle for the spot opposite Haulcy with the understanding that Cooley is more than capable of dropping down to play nickel depending on where Harold Perkins is lined up. On third downs, Cooley may play coverage while Perkins joins the line of scrimmage to be a terror off the edge.

The biggest question mark is Spears. He looks like Eric Reid in pads and was similarly rated out of high school. He just didn’t break through last year when given the chance. LSU added two proven college safeties to go with a three-year SEC starter. Breaking through that barrier to the field is going to be tough for Spears.

That’s not even mentioning Toviano who was working in front of Spears on Wednesday. I think Spears’s ceiling is significantly higher than Toviano’s, but, considering the issues LSU had at the position last year, Kelly is likely looking for consistency as opposed to talent.

I think Haulcy is going to be an All-SEC player. His credentials are incredibly impressive. Gilbert probably mans the other side with Cooley playing a ton of snaps. I think Spears may have to wait another year for his turn. That’s not something I would have typed last August.

The most important thing is LSU’s safety play improving. It pretty easy to suggest that happens in 2025.