Brian Kelly's Analysis: LSU Football Wrapping Up Fall Camp, Seeing Growth on Defense

The LSU Tigers are 10 days away from Week 1 against USC, Fall Camp nearing finish line.

Dec 9, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Jayden Daniels poses with LSU coach Brian Kelly after winning the Heisman Trophy in the Astor ballroom at the New York Marriott Marquis. Mandatory Credit: Todd Van Emst/Heisman Trust/Pool-USA TODAY Sports / Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers will roll out a new-look offense in 2024 with Garrett Nussmeier under center this season.

With Jayden Daniels off to the NFL, Nussmeier now has the "keys to the car" with an opportunity to carry the program's success over from 2023.

But there will be a few key changes for the team as a whole this fall and it starts with the defense under Blake Baker.

The new defensive coordinator in Baton Rouge made his way back to Louisiana ready to turn this unit around with his intensity and passion for the game, but his schematic changes have put this group in position to be successful.

From blitz packages to putting LSU linebacker Harold Perkins in the right spots, there's been growth this offseason on defense.

Brian Kelly has seen it as well.

Now, it's full steam ahead to USC game preparation for the Bayou Bengals with the program beginning to ramp up practice on Tuesday for the Trojans.

Kelly caught up with reporters on Wednesday to get his final thoughts on Fall Camp this month.

Kelly's Analysis:

Utilizing Depth to Advantage

"I think the sum of this team will be greater than any one of its parts. I think it's going to be a unit where a lot of guys are going to be integral in its success. We're gonna play five or six defensive tackles, we're gonna play five defensive ends, four or five linebackers. There's going to be a lot of guys a part of this. We all can pull out the Harold Perkins, but I think there's more players that are going to enter the mix than we had last year."

The LSU Practice Report:

- A. Stamps + JK Johnson were the 1st Team CBs. S. Ryan sidelined.
- PJ Woodland + Zy Alexander 2nd Team CBs.
- Miles Frazier was banged up. T. Adams slid in with the 1st Team OL.
- WR K. Parker had a huge day with the 1’s. Chris Hilton sidelined. pic.twitter.com/lSLhGi6fCf

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) August 21, 2024

New Defense Under Blake Baker

"When you talk about the elements of defense, it starts with players having an energy and enthusiasm for the coaches in which they're playing for. There's gotta be a sense of excitement and I thought at times we lacked that and we're seeing that on a consistent basis. That's the price of just playing defense."

"Schematically what I've always felt from an offensive perspective is that if you don't know where guys are lined up every down, that's a good place to start. The ability to pressure on the perimeter, to mix coverages so the quarterback doesn't know what he's getting every play, that is an important piece of playing really good defense."

Consistency in the Secondary

"What I like the most is we're playing the ball well down the field, there are deflected balls, there's balls we are competing for and we simply don't have those 'what the hecks.' We're not having blown coverages, there's certainly a much more consistent approach to what we're doing on the back end of our defense and part of that is there's more maturity back there. I see it and I know Blake [Baker], Corey [Raymond] and Jake [Olsen] see a much more consistent unit."

Harold Perkins Leveling Up

"We're having a hard time blocking him and we've got a pretty good offensive line. I think the best thing I could say about a player, regardless of the position they play, is he has elevated the players around him.

"I couldn't say that about Harold his first two years, he did not elevate the players around him. He is now entering that category of elevating the players around him. That's a pretty good thing for Tiger fans."

More LSU News:

Fall Camp Week 3 Preview: Storylines, Position Battles and Depth Chart Predictions

LSU Inching Towards No. 1 Recruiting Class in America

The Eye-Catchers: Who's Standing Out During Fall Camp?

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