LSU Football Defensive Lineman Neil Farrell Planning to Opt Back in to 2020 Season, Source Confirms

Tigers get major addition to defensive line back with senior Farrell coming back

LSU received some much welcomed good news on Monday as defensive end Neil Farrell plans to opt back in to the 2020 season, Brody Miller of the Athletic reports. A source later spoke of Farrell's intentions with LSUCountry, adding it's "not an easy process."

There were rumblings this weekend that Farrell was considering a return to the Tigers after initially electing to opt out of the season on Aug. 8 and now the program returns one of its premier defensive players. After his grandmother was diagnosed with COVID-19, Farrell announced his departure from the program to focus on his family and making sure she was healthy. 

🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/OT8wGOqdEr

— Neil Farrell (@realspillneil) August 8, 2020

Farrell tweeted last week that his grandmother is getting better by the day and that he "missed football." Now his return gives LSU one of the loaded groups in the SEC. Farrell was the first LSU player to opt out due to COVID-19 and was then followed by Justin Thomas, TK McLendon and Tyler Shelvin for various reasons over the next couple of weeks. 

As a junior in 2019, Farrell recorded 46 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and three sacks for the purple and gold. He is viewed as a major building block up front in the Tigers switch to the 4-3 defense under new defensive coordinator Bo Pelini. 

Neil Farrell posted a 12.4% run stop percentage in 2019 (24 stops in 194 run snaps). That ranked first among Power 5 defensive linemen and led all SEC DL by a wide margin.

Second in the SEC was 2020 NFL Draft No. 7 overall pick Derrick Brown (9.7%). https://t.co/kTw8wOTGkw pic.twitter.com/DGzqEVVMga

— Cody Worsham (@CodyWorsham) June 18, 2020

With Farrell electing to opt back in, all of the sudden the Tigers front line of defense looks incredibly more formidable with Glen Logan, Siaki "Apu" Ika, Jaquelin Roy and Jacobian Guillory also in the rotation at defensive tackle. Shelvin, who also elected to opt out the same weekend as receiver Ja'Marr Chase, is also mulling a return Mike Scarborough of TigerBait.com reported this weekend. 

It's unclear at this time if Shelvin, a potential high draft pick in next spring's NFL draft, will ultimately decide to return. As for Farrell, he'll likely have to get back into playing shape after being away from the team for over a month. With 12 days until the season kicks off, it'll be tough for the 6-foot-4, 320-pound big man will be ready for gametime. 

At full strength, coach Ed Orgeron called the defensive line one of the deepest groups he'd ever been around and the insertion of Farrell back into the lineup would be a major strength with Mississippi State two weeks out. 

“That’s why we are going back to the 4-3,” Orgeron said on Off the Bench. “We felt we have talent, we have the guys we think that could play in the 4-3, [very] disruptive. I think this group is going to be a great group and it’s already helped us in recruiting."