What is LSU’s biggest question mark entering the 2024 season?

LSU had one of the most electric college football offenses in recent years in 2023.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels won the Heisman Trophy leading an electric group that featured a pair of first-round receivers in Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. But in spite of that group being able to score at will, a preseason top-five LSU team finished just 10-3 and failed to repeat as SEC West champions.

If you watched that team, the reason for that is no mystery. The defense was abysmal in 2023 and proved to be particularly vulnerable against the pass. That group could improve in 2024 with new defensive coordinator Blake Baker, but after adding just one key transfer in Jardin Gilbert, who is expected to start at safety, the Tigers are really banking on development in the secondary.

On a team with a lot of questions, the pass defense was deemed the biggest by ESPN’s Mark Schlabach.

The Tigers ranked 118th in the FBS last year in pass defense, allowing 255.6 yards per game, causing coach Brian Kelly to overhaul his defensive coaching staff heading into his third season at LSU. Kelly poached defensive coordinator Blake Baker from Missouri and brought back highly respected secondary coach Corey Raymond.

Seeing receivers run open in the spring game had to be concerning, but the Tigers feel like progress was made during the spring. LSU hopes Major Burns will be more comfortable at the hybrid star position, which will put him closer to the line of scrimmage, and Sage Ryan played better after moving from cornerback back to strong safety.

Only time will tell how much the offseason fixed the issues, but even with optimism surrounding LSU’s offense in 2024 with quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, the defense looks like it could be a limiting factor once again.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/lsu-biggest-mark-entering-2024-175256160.html

Author : LSU Tigers Wire

Publish date : 2024-07-20 17:52:56

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