When it comes to the 2023 LSU football defense, they have the potential to be one of the best in college football. At the same time, however, there are plenty of question marks throughout the group. Luckily, the linebacker group is a major exception to that statement. The Tigers’ linebacker group is one of the team’s most veteran-filled units, and coach Brian Kelly should be thrilled with what he has at his disposal.
2023 LSU football preview: veteran presence will be the star of the show
What a group the Tigers have this season. Heading into the offseason, things were looking incredible for Brian Kelly and the Tigers’ linebacker room.
After all, they were set to bring back stars Harold Perkins Jr and Greg Penn III. Both players had more than their fair share of flashes throughout the 2022 season. Then, just to add to things, the Tigers landed a big-time commitment from former Oregon State linebacker Omar Speights.
For context, at Oregon State, Speights finished within the top two tackle leaders on the team for all four of his seasons with the program. Now, heading into his fifth season of college football, Speights has recorded a total of 304 tackles.
Add in Perkins Jr and Penn III’s 149 tackles from last season, and very few programs can compete with the experience and production LSU football has in their linebacker room in 2023.
Finally, junior West Weeks is another name to keep an eye on. He’s entering his second season with the program (transferred from Virginia in 2021), and hasn’t quite broken out yet, recording 59 total tackles in his two seasons. Still, with the relative lack of depth at linebacker for the Tigers, he could see an increase in playing time in 2023.
Young pieces could provide much-needed depth
You can have all the talent in the world on your team, but an injury or two can quickly derail anyone’s season. That’s precisely why depth is so important, especially at a position like linebacker.
Unfortunately for Tiger fans, this could bite Brian Kelly and LSU in 2023 if an injury or two pop up. While experience is a strength among the veteran group, the players lined up behind them almost lack in that department.
Still, that’s not to say that talent is an issue. The future could be incredibly bright with the Tigers’ young talent in the position.
In the class of 2023, LSU football signed two four-star linebackers: Whit Weeks and Christian Braithwaite.
Weeks, the younger brother of West Weeks, has already begun to show flashes, taking an interception back for a touchdown during the Tigers’ spring game in April.
Both freshmen were listed as top 30 recruits in their position group in the class of 2023. With a year or two of college-level conditioning under their belts, we could see plenty of the pair well into the future.
Are there any potential breakout players in the room?
One of the names in this linebacker room that doesn’t get enough attention is Greg Penn III. While I wouldn’t necessarily consider this a potential breakout season for him, I expect him to become much more of a household name throughout college football in 2023.
Penn III saw his playing time skyrocket in 2022, bringing his tackle total up from 11 to 78 in just one season. Furthermore, he showed an ability to get into the backfield, recording six tackles for loss on the season.
With everyone’s attention being on guys like Harold Perkins Jr and Omar Speights this year, I could see another increase in tackle totals for him in 2023. Plus, the Tigers’ defensive line looks much improved, which could open some holes for linebackers to sneak into the backfield this season.
Keep an eye on Penn III as he continues to evolve into a more complete college football linebacker. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound junior could be in for a big year.
Who will start?
The veterans are the guys to watch this year. I very much expect the starting core to comprise of Harold Perkins Jr, Greg Penn III and Omar Speights.
Speights has been a tackle machine his entire career and is already viewed as a leader throughout the LSU football defense.
Then, as I mentioned above, Penn III is on the verge of breaking out in a significant way. He started all 14 games for the Tigers in 2022, and he’s done nothing to indicate a possible change.
Finally, Harold Perkins Jr is the man of the hour. The true sophomore is not only the best player in this linebacker room, but he could be the best defensive player in college football. His athleticism is simply on another level, and Tiger fans should be thrilled that he has at least two more seasons donning the purple and gold.
We’ll be continuing this 2023 LSU football preview for all the position groups until Brian Kelly and the Tigers return to action on September 3rd versus the Florida State Seminoles. Check back on LSUGlory.com tomorrow to read our thoughts on the LSU tight end room.
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