LSU Football: The area where the Tigers are better than last season
By Zach Ragan
LSU football has improved in one area since last season.
Throughout the long offseason, we’ve heard a lot of folks suggest that LSU football is going to be in trouble in 2020.
Losing 14 players to the 2020 NFL Draft, plus a couple of undrafted free agents, has left LSU with a lot of talent to replace.
Throw in several players choosing to opt out (including wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and defensive lineman Tyler Shelvin) and you can see why there may be reason for concern in Baton Rouge.
However, despite all of the key losses LSU has suffered, there’s actually one area where the Tigers have apparently improved.
Speed.
LSU football is reportedly faster in 2020 than they were in 2019
When a program loses 14 players to the NFL, the assumption is that there will be less speed on the roster.
But that’s not the case with LSU.
According to Sonny Shipp, who covers LSU for 247Sports, the Tigers are faster in 2020 than they were in 2019 — specifically on the defensive side of the ball.
“One source said the defense is faster than last year’s unit,” wrote Shipp.
Shipp pointed out that linebacker Patrick Queen’s speed has not only been replaced but maybe even upgraded with the addition of North Dakota State grad transfer Jabril Cox.
“Patrick Queen may be gone at LB, but the same speed he brought to the field is there with Jabril Cox but with a little more getup. Cox is making a ton of plays,” noted Shipp.
This is a great sign for the Tigers in 2020. The offense, without Joe Burrow, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, and others, obviously isn’t going to be as dominant this season as it was in 2019.
That means the defense, which will be led by Bo Pelini (who returns to LSU after serving as the head coach at Nebraska and Youngstown State), will need to be the Tigers’ strength in 2020.
Having elite speed is a good start. It’ll give Pelini plenty of creative ways to attack opposing offenses.
Next. Opting out was not an easy decision for Ja'Marr Chase. dark
It should be fun to watch LSU find success in a different way than they found success in 2019.