"By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever, knocks."
Second Witch, Macbeth 4.1.44-47
What makes a man a monster? Shakespeare explores that notion in the bleak tragedy that is Macbeth. In the opening act, Macbeth is a decorated war hero and brave soldier. He’s a Scottish general. By the end of the play, he’s compromised to a permanent end leaving a path of blood behind him.
Yet, Macbeth is not a monster. A murderer, yes. He lacks virtue but not a conscience. Macbeth is a tale of the corrupting influence of unchecked power. He longed to be nothing more than the King of Scotland, yet he paved that path with bloodlust. He becomes King, but simultaneously a tyrant. He knows no other way to deal with conflict than continued violence and murder, which ultimately leads to his demise.
There’s rich irony to the second witch referring to Macbeth as the "something wicked" which is coming. Early in the play, the witches came to Macbeth with prophesies of his becoming King. It’s the act that set his descent into madness into motion. The witches first sought Macbeth; now Macbeth seeks them. Even they, no paragons of moral virtue, can sense the evil that emanates from Scottish King.
For the SEC, something wicked this way comes, and his name is Glen Logan.
How Did We Get Here?
Last season was arguably the greatest recruiting year for defensive tackles in Louisiana history. Rashard Lawrence and Edwin Alexander spent the season as top 100 talents. Logan himself was just outside the top 100. Stephon Taylor, Briston Guidry, D’Andre Christmas-Giles, Gerald Wilbon all signed with Power 5 schools. That’s seven Power talents at one position in one state. Loaded.
Though he never reached the hype of Alexander and Lawrence, Logan remained a highly regarded prospect. Oklahoma pounced first, offering in the middle of his sophomore season. Ole Miss, Nebraska and Arizona State came shortly after. His LSU offer came that next May, a month after he took an unofficial visit to campus. LSU, of course, remains judicious with instate offers, and having Lawrence and Alexander atop their board, they had to be selective on offering another instate DT with a slew of OOS players in play. Of course, offering a player at the end of his Sophomore year is hardly "slow playing." It’s illustrative of Logan’s immense abilities.
His actual recruitment played out quietly. He made trips to Baton Rouge twice in 2014, and then another pair in early 2015, before committing to LSU in June before his Senior Year. He took but one other visit, an unofficial, out to Miami. Miami later came in play after the hiring of famed DL coach Craig Kuligowski, who tried to make a late push for him in January. A day later Logan took his official visit to Baton Rouge, shut down his recruitment and inked with LSU on signing day.
What Can He Do?
Height: 6’4"
Weight: 284
There’s not much available on testing times for Logan. Firstly, Logan is a big bodied guy without being soft. There’s not a ton of bad body weight here. One of the primary goals of the last two recruiting classes was to add some size and strength that had faded in the Chavis era. In the Chavis scheme, Logan would be exclusively a DT. But both Kevin Steele and now under Dave Aranda, Logan will be a DE. He will likely get tried at 3 and 5 technique. Logan said he’s been focusing on getting stronger but staying lean. They obviously want to take advantage of his athleticism. Word on the street that Orgeron is making plans on keeping his word that he wanted Logan to play early.
Strengths: Size/Length, Hustle, Athleticism
Weaknesses: First Step, Technique
Size/Length: Logan is a big dude. It stands out on tape. He looks great in a uniform.
Hustle: Just watch the first play on the reel. At :14 says just about everything about why Orgeron thought he could play early. Screen play down the field and Logan hustles and makes the tackle when he easily could have become a spectator. If he keeps that motor, something special could happen.
Athleticism: Logan has rare move skills for a near 300 pounder. Look at 4:20. He whips out a spin move and easily stays in position to make the play. 4:52 you can see how explosive he blows by the OL. That’s a 6’4", 285 pound kid speed rushing like a 230 pound DE. Look at 6:03. I’m so impressed with the change of direction skills and how quickly he gets to top speed.
First Step: For whatever reason, he lacks here. I don’t think it’s an athletic weakness, but he’s just a touch behind in his get off. I imagine that’s priority number one for Orgeron to tweak. As discussed above, his move skills are fine, so I think all the athletic tools are there. I’m not sure if he needs a stance tweak. He has good bend, so it may just be a timing issue.
Technique: Any young lineman coming to college needs technique refinement. It comes with the territory of most of them having a ridiculous combination of size and athletic ability that allows them to dominate their competition in HS. Logan is no exception. You see flashes of good hand usage and he doesn’t come out overly high from his stance. So there’s some recognition of technique there, but more work to be done.
What’s Next?
The shift in defensive scheme means former DEs are shifting to OLB and bodies are being shuffled all across the board. LSU’s entrenched players will likely hold on to their roles. Lewis Neal, Frank Herron, Greg Gilmore, Christian LaCouture and Davon Godchaux are sure to be heavily involved in the rotation. But five bodies do not a rotation make. So Orgeron will likely have to find some freshman contributors and Glen Logan may be up atop that list.
At 6’4", 284, Logan has plenty size to play right away. At this point, I’m expecting him to be heavily involved in the rotation much the way Davon Godchaux was his freshman season. Godchaux is really the type of player he most reminds me. Godchaux was similarly a big-bodied kid without a ton of bad weight. I did not think Godchaux would contribute so early. Logan, I see the path. The question may be how many snaps he gets. He won’t play ahead of LaCouture and Godchaux. Neal has been adding bulk to fight more inside, but it seems he may be best suited for a role as a fastball they move around the formation. Herron and Gilmore became more entrenched as second wave options in 2015, but their roles are hardly distinguished. There’s opportunity for Logan to play, right alongside Rashard Lawrence, as we discussed before. Expect Logan to fit into that mix.
Long term, Logan should be a starter as early as next season. I think he’s that talented and promising. He’s got all the athletic tools and seems to have the work ethic and mentality to capitalize. Orgeron seems to have taken an early liking to Logan and for that reason, I could see him rising to the top of heap.
High End: All American and top draft pick.
Low End: Multi-year starter.
Realistic: All-Conference player. Gonna be a great player.