(photo credit: Nate Bell)
By Hunt Palmer
Jack Pyburn constantly thinks about football. Even walking around his kitchen.
In his quest to become the best edge player he can be, Pyburn is always working. LSU edge rushers coach Kevin Peoples has already made a big impact on the Florida transfer.
“He’s given me so many drills that I just walk around my house and just do moves around my kitchen counter and work my footwork all day long,” Pyburn said. “I’m making it a habit, and it’s made massive improvements. I had a few the other day that were his exact perfect footwork, and I was like, ‘it’s magic.’”
Pyburn has established himself as a proven run stopper at the SEC level. Last season he made 60 stops for Florida including eight against LSU back in November.
He feels like that is a solid foundation to a game he sees growing in his final collegiate season.
“Physicality has always been my No. 1 notch,” Pyburn said. “As I’ve gotten bigger, stronger, more athletic and more flexible throughout my college career, it’s really transpired into being able to outleverage a lot of offensive linemen. Now as I continue to develop my speed and my athleticism, my pass rush has really grown…I’ m just working to be a complete well-rounded player and not just a hammer and a smasher.”
Pyburn only has one sack to his name after three seasons. Patrick Payton, his former rival at Florida State, has 16.
Jimari Butler has 7.5 over the last two season, and Gabriel Reliford is entering his second year at LSU with high expectations.
That type of competition could have scared away other edge options, but Pyburn sees it another way.
“Every day gets me excited to play with these guys,” Pyburn said. “They’re tremendous players, tremendous athletes and tremendous humans. I think that having so many good guys in our room is going to push all of us to be that much more elite. At the end of the day, that’s why we’re all here. That’s why me, Pat and Jimari all came here, Gabe, too. We’e deep, and we’re going to be able to go all game long. And it’s going to be awesome.”
Though Pyburn attended high school in Jacksonville and grew up a Florida fan, LSU has always been present in his life. In a respect, part of the family.
“My step mom is from Hammond, Louisiana,” Pyburn said. “I have a lot of connections here. So many family and friends here. Everywhere I got, I run into someone I know. So that was a big part of (coming to LSU).”
Pyburn’s family often made trips to Louisiana to watch the Tigers and Gators play. Those trips bred some familiarity with Baton Rouge and Tiger Stadium. His family also has a camp about an hour outside of Baton Rouge.
Just an hour after Pyburn entered the transfer portal, LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker gave him a call.
“I was like, oh cool,” Pyburn said, “Planned few visits, and when I got (to LSU), you just kind of get a feeling. I’m someone that plays with passion. It’s hard for me if I don’t have a drive or feel passion. When I got here, I just felt like it was a sign from God or something. Something touched me, and I felt like this was the place for me.”
Now settled and working through his last collegiate spring and first in Baton Rouge, Pyburn has a new mindset.
The former three-star recruit who had to work his way up the depth chart at Florida is done concerning himself with outside opinions.
“At this point in my life, I’m done trying to prove people wrong,” Pyburn said. “A lot of my journey has been difficult. It’s always been about proving people wrong. I’m just at the point now where I’m trying to prove myself right.”
