LSU Football Newcomer Profile: Dashawn Spears Looking To Make Immediate Impact

The No. 1 safety in Louisiana continues turning heads, shined during spring as an early-enrollee.

Brian Kelly and the LSU football staff reeled in a commitment from the No. 1 safety in Louisiana, Dashawn Spears, in the 2024 cycle with the immediate impact stud turning heads already.

Spears, a consensus Top 10 safety in America coming out of high school, made his way to Baton Rouge in January as an early-enrollee.

Now, he's already making an impact in Death Valley.

Spears, who changed his last name from McBryde to Spears recently to honor his stepfather, was an eye-catcher during spring ball after impressing through camp.

He ran with the second-team at times and impressed thoroughly during his first reps with a defense looking to take steps in the right direction in 2024.

It'll be hard to keep Spears off of the field this fall. He's been a bright spot and has an opportunity to take impactful snaps if need be. After getting a firsthand look at the youngster during March and April, he was noticeably impactful.

He's a long, athletic defensive back who was a fast-riser in the 2024 cycle. Now, Spears is carrying his momentum to Baton Rouge.

LSU has been enjoying a few members of the 2024 recruiting class turning heads this offseason with Spears, five-star defensive tackle Dominick McKinley and coveted cornerback PJ Woodland making noise.

As it stands, Sage Ryan and Texas A&M transfer Jardin Gilbert have been running as the starting safeties with Major Burns rolling in the STAR position.

But if Spears continues developing as a player, it'll be intriguing to see the role he carves out during his first season in Baton Rouge.

#LSU safety Dashawn Spears (McBryde) was an eye-catcher during Spring Football after arriving as an early-enrollee.

Now, he’s carrying the momentum into summer workouts.

The No. 1 safety in Louisiana is making an impact in Baton Rouge with a chance to see key snaps in Year 1. pic.twitter.com/dvgD2I68MG

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) July 4, 2024

The LSU defense has been a thorn in the program's side over the last few years, but with youngsters impressing early, the future is bright.

Look for Spears to continue making a name for himself in Death Valley with Fall Camp just a few weeks away.

Here's the latest buzz on freshman cornerback PJ Woodland, who has earned first-team reps during his first offseason in Baton Rouge:

Another Impressive Freshman: PJ Woodland

One of the new faces in the cornerback room is true freshman PJ Woodland.

The youngster has already started turning heads after skyrocketing up the depth chart during his first spring in Baton Rouge as an early-enrollee.

Woodland, a Mississippi native who committed to the Tigers last fall, took first-team reps during spring football on the opposite side of sophomore cornerback Ashton Stamps.

It's no surprise that Woodland is impressing so early. Ask defensive coordinator Blake Baker who summed it up best during the spring:

“Competitiveness. PJ Woodland is a competitor,” Baker said of Woodland.“He’s feisty, he’s physical, and he can run. More than anything, for a freshman, we’ve thrown him out there with the ones some and thrown him out there against our top receivers and he competes. That’s where it starts, but he has the physical tools. He has long levers, he’s physical and he can run, so I’ve been impressed with him. It wasn’t easy. Those first three days before spring break I guarantee you he was saying ‘what in the world did I do coming here early?’ but he’s been really impressive these last few days.”

Woodland will continue putting on size after checking in at 5-foot-11, 160 pounds once on campus, but the physicality and intangibles are certainly there. He's feisty as Baker said and continues taking that next step in a cornerback room that has players pushing for first team reps.

For most of spring practice, it was Stamps and Javien Toviano who handled the starting reps, but towards the end of camp, Woodland continued making a name for himself after earning first-team reps of his own alongside Stamps. Toviano took second-team reps to close out spring ball.

It's a different scheme than a season ago. LSU will work in a press coverage set for the most part under Baker and cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond where it allows the Tigers to be more physical.

“It’s based on personnel,” Baker said of playing press man. “If you got two guys you can put out there on an island it makes life a lot easier as a defensive coordinator. It comes down to who you have personnel wise, then really trying to present the same picture to the quarterback and the defensive coordinator pre-snap and giving those guys an opportunity to not have to sit there and play press man every single snap because it does get tiring. We’re going to play a lot of man, but I also know we’re going to do what’s best for our guys back there as well.”

Now, the four-star cornerback has an opportunity to start as a true freshman in Baton Rouge as he continues shining during the offseason.

As it stands right now, Woodland and Stamps are the first-team cornerbacks with Fall Camp vastly approaching in early August.

Other LSU News:

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LSU Football Recruiting Review: Tigers Secure Several Commitments in June

Ex-No. 1 Pick JaMarcus Russell Fired as Coach, Faces Lawsuit

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