LSU Football sophomore makes bold claim that should get Tigers fans excited

LSU football sophomore defensive back Eli Ricks made a bold claim on Tuesday about the Tigers’ defense in 2021 that should get fans excited.

Ricks spoke to reporters on Tuesday before the Tigers’ afternoon practice and he was asked about the potential of LSU’s defense in 2021.

The California native said he believes that LSU could have the best defense in the country this season.

Here’s video of Ricks’ response (via Jacques Doucet):

This is an extremely bold claim for Ricks to make — especially after LSU had the No. 98 scoring defense in the nation last season.

Of course, that ranking is a bit misleading. The Tigers’ defense was a mess last season mostly because of the presence of Bo Pelini, who was never a good fit as the defensive coordinator under Ed Orgeron. It wasn’t about a lack of talent — it was about the lack of shared vision.

Could Eli Ricks be right about LSU football’s defense?

LSU has the talent to make Ricks’ words ring true.

Derek Stingley Jr is the best cornerback in the nation. Ricks isn’t far behind him.

And the defensive line looks like it could be one of the nastiest defensive lines in the nation (the Tigers’ defensive line has plenty of talent and depth). True freshman defensive lineman Maason Smith is already impressing this fall. Neil Farrell, Glen Logan, and Andre Anthony are veteran defensive linemen the Tigers’ can lean on. Throw in BJ Ojulari, Ali Gaye, and Joseph Evans and you have a deep defensive line unit that can dominate in the trenches.

LSU obviously has a lot to prove after the 2020 season didn’t turn out the way most folks expected.

But I have a lot of faith in the Tigers entering the 2021 season. 2020 was a weird year for LSU. There was a lot of change — 14 players left for the NFL, Dave Aranda and Joe Brady left, learning to navigate COVID-19, various player opt-outs. Those were all obstacles that LSU was forced to overcome in 2020.

Despite those challenges, we saw LSU’s potential in the final two games of the season (wins against Florida and Ole Miss). That’s the team I expect to see more of in 2021.

This is a program that’s hungry and ready to prove folks wrong. Ricks’ bold claim may end up being 100 percent correct.