Heading into 2024, there was a lot to fix on the defensive side of the ball. Notably, the Tiger secondary had some serious depth issues, and so looking ahead, coach Brian Kelly will bring in nine new addition defensive backs, with LSU class of 2024 signee Dashawn McBryde potentially headlining the group.
LSU football preparing to welcome at least nine new addition defensive backs in 2024
It was a rough 2023 season for the Tiger defensive backfield. As injuries and off-field issues continued to stack up, depth continued to drop, and by the end of the season, multiple freshmen were receiving starting snaps.
In turn, even some of the lower-tier quarterbacks on their schedule were having career days vs. LSU. Through 13 games, the purple and gold ranked No. 115 in passing yards allowed (255.6 yards per game), No. 78 in scoring defense (28 points per game) and No. 101 in passing efficiency defense (143.58 efficiency allowed).
Long story short, it was a tough year for the Tiger defense, and coach Brian Kelly has made it abundantly clear that it simply was not good enough. In response, LSU will now welcome in an entirely new defensive coaching staff in 2024 to go along with at least nine new addition defensive backs.
The complete list of class of 2024 defensive backs includes safeties Dashawn McBryde, Joel Rogers, Austin Ausberry and Jardin Gilbert, as well as cornerbacks Ju’Juan Johnson, Bernard Causey, PJ Woodland, Wallace Foster and Jyaire Brown.
Among their new pieces are three transfers, so not only are they bringing in new talent, but experienced talent. While this won’t necessarily fix things heading into 2024, it most certainly can’t hurt.
New defensive coordinator Blake Baker is looking for playmakers on the defensive side of the ball, and with a completely revamped roster, it’s hard to imagine that he doesn’t have at least a few on hand.
LSU class of 2024 signee Dashawn McBryde could be a name to keep a close eye on
One player of particular note is four-star class of 2024 signee Dashawn McBryde, who’s set to make his way over to Baton Rouge from just around the corner in Denham Springs, LA.
In fact, earlier today, Brad Crawford of 247Sports named the Denham Springs High School standout as the most impactful signee for the Tigers in 2024.
Coming out of high school, Dashawn McBryde ranks as the No. 54 player nationally, according to 247Sports, as well as No. 2 among safeties and No. 3 in Louisiana.
It’s important to note that barring any last minute adjustments, LSU is preparing to bring in 35 new players this season, so there was no shortage of options to select. However, coming in as a 6-foot-2, 200-pound safety, it’s not hard to see why McBryde was the pick.
He could very well be good enough to see the field almost immediately for the purple and gold, and with seven months remaining until the start of the 2024 season, don’t be surprised to see an even bigger improvement from the already stellar LSU class of 2024 signee.
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