It would be an understatement to say thatĀ LSU footballĀ has a wealth of riches in their linebacker room. The team brings back most of their production in the group from last season with Harold Perkins Jr and Greg Penn III. Add immediate impact players like Omar Speights and Ovie Oghoufo, and the Tigers find themselves with possibly the best linebacker room in college football.
The LSU football linebacker room brings back tons of experience
Right away, Harold Perkins Jr is the face of the room. The former five-star out of Texas came in as a freshman last season and took over. He finished the year with 7.5 sacks but only hadĀ 1.5 before their eighth game of the year.
While it took him some time to adjust to the college game, thereās no doubt he was one of the most electric players in the country by the end of the year.
Along with Perkins Jr, Greg Penn III returns for the Tigers, bringing back a steady presence in the room. Penn III isnāt the most flashy player on the field. He wonāt necessarily record the sacks and interceptions that many stat chasers look for, but instead, he provides a sure tackling presence that every time needs.
On the season, Greg Penn III recorded 77 tackles and two pass deflections. Alongside Perkins Jr, the Tigersā linebacker room returns one of college footballās most talented young groups.
Transfer additions make this room dangerous
While the returning talent is undoubtedly elite, theĀ transfer portalĀ additions make things even better. The Tigers brought in 14 total transfers this offseason, including three linebacker/edge rushers. Those three players are Omar Speights, Ovie Oghoufo and Bradyn Swinson, each of which will make an immediate impact in 2023.
Bradyn Swinson was the first to announce his commitment to the Tigersā football program. The 6-foot-4, 233-pound former Oregon Duck comes to Baton Rouge with two more years remaining.
Despite finding decent playing time during his years in Oregon, he struggled to make a significant impact for the Ducks. The 2021 season was by far his best, recording 24 tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble. Still, the former three-star has both the size and talent to make his fresh start in Baton Rouge a good one.
The next linebacker commitment came from former Notre Dame and Texas edge rusher Ovie Oghoufo. Coach Brian Kelly actually coached Oghoufo for three seasons in South Bend, IN, so this could be the smoothest transition of the three.
Early signs show that Oghoufo will be the starting Jack linebacker for the Tigers, as heās shown plenty of flashes throughout his career. Over his four seasons of playing time, heās recordedĀ 117 tackles and six tackles.
Finally, former Oregon State linebacker Omar Speights was the final commitment at the position. Speights was a tackling machine for the Beavers, recording 304 tackles over his four-year career. He made an impact from the moment he set foot on campus and was chosen to theĀ All-Pac-12 First Team in 2022.
247 Sports views this as one of the best position groups in college football
Itās easy to see that the LSU football linebacker room could be one of the best positions on the team. Well, it might even be one of the best position groups in all ofĀ college football.
Earlier this month, Brad Crawford of 247 SportsĀ released his list of the 12 most talented position groups in 2023. The list was highlighted by groups like Ohio Stateās wide receivers and MichiganāsĀ running backs. Still, right up near the top was the Tigersā linebackers.
In the list, he notedĀ Harold Perkins Jr, Omar Speights and Ovie Oghoufo as players to watch. Hereās what he had to say about the room as a whole:
āPerkins is the runaway favorite to win the SECās Defensive Player of the Year award after wreaking havoc on the league as a five-star true freshman last fall. He was truly unleashed late in the year when more reps led to crazy production and an array of highlights. Landing Speights (308 career tackles), who was Oregon Stateās best defender in 2022, was a major win for Brian Kelly in the portal, along with Oghoufo, who played for him at Notre Dame for three seasons before spending the last two years at Texas.ā
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