By Hunt Palmer
Senior safety Jardin Gilbert will miss all of spring practice with a shoulder injury.
Brian Kelly confirmed Saturday that the injury that plagued Gilbert much of the season wouldn’t be fully healed until the summer months.
With Gilbert down, a host of inexperienced players will see extended repetitions at the safety spot all of spring. Kelly lamented the safety production multiple times during the 2024 season and is looking for steady improvement from the position group.
He’s seen some early in spring.
“When I assess safety play…there are a couple of things I’m looking for,” Kelly said. “First is, are we making tackles at or near the line of scrimmage? And we are. Are we making open field tackles and getting the ball down when the ball breaks through the second level of the defense? And we are. We weren’t doing that and have not done that at a consistent basis.”
Those downhill aspects of the position are only half the battle, LSU’s safeties also much play the pass better in 2025.
“Are we, from a technical standpoint, playing the ball in the air well? And I see it in seven-on-seven in the structure of our defense, that we are,” Kelly continued. “So, the early indications are that we’re getting that kind of play that you generally see in the development of young players. Dashawn Spears, Joel Rogers, (Tamarcus) Cooley, those guys, in particular are getting a lot of work back there and have looked really good.”
Spears saw time throughout September as LSU juggled its options at safety. He played a season-high 44 snaps against Sout Carolina in Week 3, then 37 each in the next two games against UCLA and South Alabama. That number dipped to three against Ole Miss and five against Arkansas. Seniors Sage Ryan and Major Burns took most of those reps with Gilbert.
At 6-foot-3 and 205 lbs., Spears is LSU’s most physically imposing safety. Rogers only played in two games a season ago and enters 2025 as a redshirt freshman.
Cooley was brought in from North Carolina State where he shined as a corner and a nickel back. He started nine games for the Wolfpack and made 39 tackles. He also intercepted three passes including two in the bowl game.
Gilbert, who has started 21 games over four seasons at LSU and Texas A&M, very much factors into the rotation when he returns from injury. When asked about Gilbert, Kelly referred to him as a known commodity.
“You mentioned Gilbert, he hasn’t gotten any play back there, but we know about him,” Kelly said. “He’s outstanding against the run. He’s tough. He’s physical. Plug in a veteran guy when he gets healthy into that mix, and now you really have some things to work with when we talk about the structure of our defense.”
Though the younger players are getting the reps, Gilbert is present.
“He’s there every day,” Kelly said. “He’s been a great leader. He’s actually been the kind of veteran guy that you want. He’s been around those young guys. He’s been accountable. He’s been really good.”
