Progrums

Fresh Blood: LSU’s Defensive Rookies Take Flight

First-year coach Lane Kiffin’s LSU squad has already scored a win by keeping defensive coordinator Blake Baker and secondary coach Corey Raymond on staff. The defense got younger and deeper this offseason with prized freshmen Deuce Geralds and Richard Anderson—two elite tackles—and five-star edge rusher Lamar Brown. Geralds has held a first-team spot since spring drills, and Anderson has burst onto the scene during fall camp. Redshirt freshman safety Jhase Thomas, who recorded zero tackles last season, now lines up opposite Boise State transfer Ty Benefield on the first unit. Both Anderson and Thomas hail from Louisiana high-school powerhouses—Edna Karr and Destrehan—where they helped bring home multiple state titles. With Kiffin rotating his youth movement through every rep, LSU’s defensive future might already be here.

Looks like Lane Kiffin accidentally discovered the fountain of youth in Baton Rouge—complete with turf burns and Gatorade showers. Who knew that the cure for defensive back woes was a pair of 19-year-olds named Geralds and Anderson sprinting around like caffeinated squirrels? Meanwhile, Jhase Thomas has gone from special-teams benchwarmer to potential All-American faster than you can say “football factory.” Critics who said LSU’s D was as youthful as last season’s playbook now have egg on their helmets. If these kids keep it up, the Tigers might retire “defensive rebuild” from their vocabulary—right after they retire their high-school jerseys.