LSU's Jacobian Guillory Taking Charge in Tigers Defensive Line Room

Guillory remains the vocal leader for the Tigers' defensive line, leading by example during Fall Camp.

Sep 3, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; LSU Tigers defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory (90) before the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports / Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

LSU defensive lineman Jacobian Guillory is the "old head" in the locker room now with a chance to lead a young defensive line in Baton Rouge.

With a trio of newcomers on the roster and several youngsters looking to make a difference, it's Guillory becoming a vocal leader for the position group.

There's been significant chatter surrounding the LSU defensive line and the lack of bodies within the unit, but for Guillory, he has the utmost confident in his guys.

Guillory sat down with reporters on Monday to discuss the talent, becoming a leader and more.

The Defensive Line Room as a Whole

"We got a lot of bodies. Guys that have transferred in: Gio [Paez], Shone [Washington] that’s transferring in. You got Jay [Suggs]. You got a lot of guys that transferred in and you got guys that’s been here like me and Jalen Lee.

'The freshmen Dom [McKinley]and Ahmad [Breaux]... [I'm] making sure everybody can just be on the same page and I think every day we’re getting better. You have a guy like Dominick McKinley coming in; he’s got to learn from day one and so do the guys from other schools.”

Playing for Bo Davis

“Bo has had so much experience everywhere he’s been, he’s been countless places. The film he shows us is from all over where he’s been. He’s coached taller guys, shorter guys, he’s coached so many guys that when it comes to guys coming in being raw, he already knows, ‘okay, this is what that guy needs’, and he’s catered to them.

"It’s a slow process, but it’s a process, and every day we get better. Like [Monday] was like big with our hands, and I feel like today we practiced slightly better with our hands here than the last practice, so it’s just like, you know what I’m saying, just getting better and better every practice."

Taking on That Leadership Role in Baton Rouge

“What more could you ask for? Playing for LSU, getting to strap up every Saturday to play for LSU, this is what I’ve always wanted and I finally got it, so why not go all out for it? This is my last year, why not go all out with everything I do? If it was just as simple as just going, doing a walkthrough, why not go all out in it? The challenge that’s ahead of me, I feel like I’m accepting it, but I know that I still have more to do, just like everyone else in the room has more to do.

"So when I push myself harder, I know it makes them want to go harder. So just trying to just push myself every day. Waking up every morning, making sure I push myself hard enough so these guys can push themselves harder.”

Brad Davis and Bo Davis Holding Down the Trenches

“The intensity, I’m so used to it that it’s just like how can I listen to the messages they’re saying and now apply that to my game or whatever I did wrong? Because it’s like when they’re yelling at you, it’s not that they’re yelling at you, they’re yelling at the problem. It’s kind of like not a F you, a F that. You know what I mean? So in a sense of that.

"I’ve just had a head of both. It’s just it is good and I know when Brad is getting on offense a lot I’ve listened to make sure you know I’m saying I can keep up with it what they’re doing.”

The Challenges That Lie Ahead

“This is what I’ve always wanted. It puts a smile on my face that you even said that. It’s like people can either run away from a challenge or you can face it head on. So just where I’ve come from, I’ve been here so long, I know the ins and outs, I know that this is what I have to do to get better and get to the next level.

"Why not attack it full heartedly every single day? It’s my last day because I don’t know when this game can be taken away from me. So just, I know that I have to go out there. I have to go out there and perform for them. But this is for me too. I need to go out there and make sure I’m crisp so I can go out there Saturday nights and also so I can perform.”

Handling the Extra Bodies, Utilizing Depth

“It’s not necessarily a scare tactic, it’s the real. It’s college football now, you have to realize we’re trying to win now. Last year is last year, this year’s this year, so we wanna win now. With the effort that we put on for them [in the spring] in practice, we cannot win with us. But the guys understood that in spring, have worked all summer.

"Now we’re in fall camp, and it’s like a progression every single day to get better. Just focusing on the smallest things. [Monday] was a tough one. It was hot out there, but like you’re gonna get tested. These days is what we mostly need because what are you gonna do when it gets tough, when we’re in the fourth? Like we’re in the fourth quarter of game, we need you. What are you gonna do? I really appreciate these guys getting up every morning coming here meeting we getting in the meeting.

"We don’t pre -practice going through our practice and like like some of these guys have never been down south, so it’s tough for them, but I really appreciate those guys for fighting through every time We’ve never lost a defensive lineman at practice and fall camp. So just keep it just keep pushing through that so I can just preaching them every single day.”

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