LSU Football: Can Tigers bounce back and contend in SEC?

Tigers defense looking for a major bounceback in 2021

LSU is known for having stout defenses, but the 2020 defense was the worst LSU has seen in quite some time. Letting go of Pelini was a great step in the right direction and new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones should be a better fit in Baton Rouge.

Up front, the Tigers are going to return all four starters, but this was a unit that got pushed around regularly last season.

Andre Anthony and Ali Gaye are going to man the edges for LSU and they are going to have to get more pressure than last season. On the inside, look for Neil Farrell and Glen Logan to be starters again. Look for five-star recruit Maason Smith to get plenty of playing time as well.

At linebacker, leading tackler Damone Clark is back after registering 63 stops last season. Micah Baskerville is also back after being the team’s second-leading tackler last season. The third linebacker spot is up for grabs, with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College transfer Navontegue Strong being the leader for the job.

The secondary for LSU is going to be led by the best cornerback in the country in Derek Stingley Jr. Stingley Jr is going to be a top-five pick in next year’s NFL Draft and should be in for a great season.

Fellow corner Eli Ricks helps form one of the better corner tandems in the country with Stingley Jr and Ricks had four interceptions as a freshman last season. The safeties are a bit of a question mark with Todd Harris and Jay Ward slated to be the starters.