:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73525458/usa_today_22205969.0.jpg)
The biggest reason why LSU’s secondary struggled so much in 2023 is also the simplest: they just weren’t that talented.
I don’t mean to diminish the college kids from last year’s roster. They are of course exceptional athletes and far be it from me to suggest I could do better. But when I look at the guys LSU rolled out in the secondary last fall, there wasn’t a single draftable player and I’m not sure how many future pros are this year.
The 2020 LSU defense was just as bad as last year’s, but that 2020 secondary at least had pros on it like Derek Stingley, Eli Ricks, Cordale Flott, and Jay Ward. Who got those guys to LSU? Corey Raymond. Who’s back in town to coach DBs? Corey Raymond.
2024 LSU Secondary
| Position | Player | Height/Weight | Tackles | PBUs | INTs | Miscellaneous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Height/Weight | Tackles | PBUs | INTs | Miscellaneous |
| Cornerbacks | 1 Ashton Stamps (Soph.) | 6'0"/190 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 11 games played, 4 starts |
| 11 PJ Woodland (Fr.) | 5'11"/165 | Three-star freshman | ||||
| 12 JK Johnson (Rs. Jr.) | 6'1"/185 | N/A | Missed all of 2023 with a leg fracture | |||
| 14 Zy Alexander (Sr.) | 6'2"/194 | 44 | 9 | 2 | Missed final 4 games of 2023 with an ACL tear | |
| 17 Jyaire Brown (Jr.)* | 5'11"/177 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 games played, no starts | |
| 21 Michael Turner (Fr.) | 6'1"/152 | Four-star freshman | Recruited as a wide receiver but played both ways in HS | |||
| 25 Javien Toviano (Soph.) | 6'1"/201 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 13 games played, 3 starts | |
| 28 Bernard Causey (Fr.) | 6'0"/167 | Three-star freshman | ||||
| 29 Wallace Foster IV (Fr.) | 5'10"/175 | Three-star freshman | ||||
| Safeties | 2 Jardin Gilbert (Rs. Jr.)** | 6'1"/197 | 5 | 1 | 0 | Missed final 10 games of 2023 with a shoulder injury |
| 6 Jordan Allen (Rs. Soph.) | 5'11"/199 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 games played, no starts; 0.5 TFLs | |
| 8 Major Burns (Sr.) | 6'2"/200 | 93 | 4 | 1 | 3 TFLs, 1 Sack, 1 TD | |
| 10 Dashawn Spears (Fr.) | 6'3"/208 | Four-star freshman | ||||
| 15 Sage Ryan (Rs. Jr.) | 5'11"/201 | 42 | 5 | 0 | 13 games played, 9 starts; 4.5 TFLs | |
| 22 Joel Rogers (Fr.) | 6'0"/202 | Four-star freshman | ||||
| 23 Kylin Jackson (Rs. Fr.) | 6'3"/200 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 games played | |
| 24 Ju'Juan Johnson (Fr.) | 5'11"/203 | Four-star freshman | ||||
| 27 Austin Ausberry (Rs. Soph.)*** | 6'0"/193 |
*At Ohio State
**At Texas A&M
***At Auburn
If I had to make a starting depth chart right now for USC I’d think that LSU goes with Ashton Stamps and Zy Alexander at the boundary, Sage Ryan as a STAR, and Jardin Gilbert and Major Burns playing the safety spots.
After taking his lumps as a freshman, Stamps has apparently made a name for himself this offseason. So much so that he’s the No. 1 corner in both number and position on the depth chart.
“It’s definitely from Coach Raymond. He’s sent Stingley, Flott, Fulton in the league. So just being able to pick up the on things that he may have seen in them, he’s feeding that to us and it’s really helped,” Stamps said earlier this week. He’s tough on us. It’s what I think we were missing last year. He’s a tough coach. He’s not there to be your friend and he’s always going to be tough on you.”
Pencilling in Alexander as a starter might not be the smartest decision, seeing as he’s less than a year removed from an ACL tear, but when he was healthy he was LSU’s best corner. If Alexander isn’t completely ready for action, perhaps a pair of former Ohio State Buckeyes are: JK Johnson and Jyaire Brown. Johnson didn’t see the field at all in 2023 after fracturing his leg so he’s a complete unknown, while Brown, a New Orleans native, barely saw the field last season for Ohio State.
Waiting in the wings are true freshmen PJ Woodland, Michael Turner, Bernard Causey, and Wallace Foster. This quartet may not be the most highly touted corners LSU’s ever signed, but coaches are high on them, Woodland and Causey specifically.
Javien Toviano has been reinstated after being suspended, Toviano was arrested in late July on charges of video voyeurism. He turned himself in to authorities on July 21.
“He’s back in football activities, and we’ll kind of get him going again, back in the mix,” Brian Kelly said on August 1. “Obviously, he’s going to be a competitive player for us. He played for us last year, and we’ll get him going as he works through his legal matters.”
Corner is a little dicy, but safety seems to be the stronger group in the secondary. Major Burns and Sage Ryan have played a whole lotta football for LSU and a simplified defense where they can just read and react seems tailor made for their skillset.
Jardin Gilbert could be a stabilizing presence in the backfield provided he’s healed from that shoulder injury that cost him the final 10 games of his junior season at A&M. A Baton Rouge native, Gilbert played in 12 games as a freshman in 2021, started 10 games as a sophomore in ‘22, and started the first two games of the ‘23 season before suffering his injury.
Jordan Allen and Kylin Jackson are entering their third and second years with program respectively. Neither have played much over the years, so if they want to factor into the 2025 secondary now’s the time to make an impression on a new defensive staff.
Of all the incoming freshmen, Dashawn Spears is the one I’m most excited about and no it’s not because he and I are fellow Denham Springs High Yellow Jackets...but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t help!
Spears comes to LSU as a high four-star, fringe top-50 prospect in the 2024 class. Listed at 6’3” and 208 pounds, he looks like the type of kid Raymond would pluck at DBU’s heyday. Fellow true freshmen Ju’Juan Johnson and Joel Rogers are also four-stars and ought to benefit from Raymond and Jake Olsen’s coaching.
Loading comments...