What Are LSU Football's Options in Secondary After Elias Ricks Injury?

Tigers to rely on a number of players with four of five starters missing in the secondary

LSU's roster is hemorrhaging at a couple of key positions but none moreso than the secondary. The last few weeks has taken critical pieces away from this group at both safety and cornerback.

First it was star Derek Stingley, who reaggrevated an injury right before the start of SEC play and had a procedure that leaves his future this season very much in doubt. Then it was starting safeties Major Burns and Jay Ward who went down against Kentucky and was followed by a complete knockout punch when Elias Ricks was lost to a shoulder injury. 

Coach Ed Orgeron revealed on Wednesday that Ricks' injury would be season ending as the sophomore undergoes shoulder surgery very soon. There were rumors as to how this latest setback in Ricks' LSU career would affect his future with the program but his mother put all of those rumors to bed in an interview with The Athletic.

“Elias plays through pain,” Shauna Ricks told The Athletic's Brody Miller. “This is not an opt-out. This is not, ‘He’s gonna transfer.’ He’s injured.”

“We live here. I’ll scream it from the mountain tops. We don’t just rent a home, we own our home here. My husband’s family, they’re from Hammond, La. We have a whole family here.”

Now the purple and gold are down four of their five starting members in the secondary and running out of options in terms of depth. 

Orgeron said the initial plan is to move Cordale Flott from the nickel to the outside corner position and slide freshman safety Sage Ryan to the nickel position. Fans have been clammering for Ryan to see a significant bump in play and Saturday against the Gators will provide a tremendous opportunity for Ryan to start.

"It does make it tough but next man up," Orgeron said. "Somebody's gotta rise up to the occasion, we've lost several players especially starters on defense. We've got some young guys who will have to step up."

But this will be a rotation that's likely in flux for the remainder of the season with plenty of young players on the roster likely to see snaps as well. Starting with Flott, the now junior defensive back has made tremendous strides as the nickel corner the move to the outside opposite of McGlothern will be an interesting one to follow. 

Flott is third on the team in tackles, has one interception, a forced fumble and two pass breakups. The loss of Burns and Ward is significant as the two have predominantly earned most of the work at safety prior to this week.

Veterans Todd Harris and Cam Lewis as well as sophomore Jordan Toles make the most sense to earn snaps over the next few weeks. The Tigers also have freshmen Derrick Davis and Matthew Langlois who have yet to earn snaps this season at safety as well. There is talent that remains at safety but plenty unknown about how this group will perform. 

By the time Lewis and Toles started to earn significant snaps against Kentucky, the Wildcats had already set the tone on the ground and didn't really challenge the Tigers downfield. Lewis and Toles combined for eight tackles in the loss and will no doubt be a part of the rotation moving forward.

How this secondary responds with the most recent losses of Ricks, Burns and Ward will ultimately dictate how this defense recovers from back-to-back losses to Auburn and Kentucky.