South Carolina Football: Best Defenses on the Gamecocks’ 2020 Schedule
By Jacob Elsey
#23. LSU
LSU was known for their high-powered offensive attack in ’20, but the defense held its own, even if they didn’t earn most of the headlines. The Tigers finished 31st in total defense, and had a ball hawking lineup that intercepted 17 passes.
There will certainly be some changes across the LSU defense next season, though. The Tigers lost six defenders to the NFL draft, and lost their coordinator Dave Aranda to Baylor.
Bo Pelini will take over for Aranda, as he returns to Baton Rouge for his second stint as defensive play-caller. He’ll have to replace three linebackers, K’Lavon Chaisson, Patrick Queen, and Jacob Phillips, in the middle of the defense, as well as safety Grant Delpit and cornerback Kristian Fulton in the secondary.
There will be new faces, but also plenty of talent. The reason for the 23rd place projection is largely based off recent recruiting, and the assumption that the Tigers will be able to replace the talent lost from last year’s national title team.
The player to watch on this defense is Derek Stingley, Jr., who may be college football’s most talented cornerback despite only having one season under his belt.