The current state of the defensive tackle room

Brian Kelly and the LSU football team secured a commitment from one of the top defensive tackles remaining in the NCAA transfer portal Wednesday night after Grand Valley State’s Jay’Viar Suggs made his announcement.

Suggs became the second defensive lineman to reveal his commitment to the Bayou Bengals during the spring portal window; joining Gio Paez of Wisconsin.

Now, LSU will focus on summer workouts with a trio of new faces in the defensive tackle room heading to Baton Rouge with five-star signee Dominick McKinley joining Suggs and Paez.

Here’s a look at the current state of the LSU DT Room:

Veterans: Jacobian Guillory and Jalen Lee

Guillory and Lee handled the majority of LSU’s first-team reps during spring camp over the past two months, where Guillory was tabbed as the starter. The fifth-year senior returned to Baton Rouge with the opportunity to take control of that position group and did so this offseason.

The 6-foot-2, 320-pounder has looked good during camp and has quickly become a vocal leader for this defense. He took first-team reps throughout camp and didn’t miss a beat as he was in position to replace snaps taken by Mekhi Wingo and Maason Smith.

As for Lee, the second-year Tiger was lined up next to Guillory for most of camp. The Florida transfer will be poised to take key snaps this offseason with a lack of depth with this position group. At 6-foot-3 and 307 pounds, he slimmed down a bit and looked more mobile during spring camp.

It was a battle throughout spring ball for Lee. He shared reps with offensive lineman-turned-defensive lineman Kimo Makane’ole for first-team duties and needs to have a good offseason to take impactful snaps this fall.

Youngsters: De’Myrion Johnson, Shone Washington, Preston Hickey and Ahmad Breaux

Johnson…. The true freshman arrived in Baton Rouge this offseason and was thrust into key snaps due to the Tigers’ lack of depth. A player who will need time to season his game, Johnson is a defensive tackle who will likely redshirt during the first year with the program while he acclimates to the college game. In the long term, expect the young person to make progress in the right direction.

Washington… JUCO transfer Washington headed to Death Valley with high hopes. After committing to LSU out of high school, he chose to sign with the Georgia Bulldogs for his freshman campaign before going the JUCO route. Once again on the recruiting scene, Washington has become a coveted target for Power Five programs with LSU landing his signature. It will be intriguing to see what shots he takes this fall in Death Valley, considering he may need time to reach the next level.

Hickey… The backup took second-team snaps during spring camp and was an impressive rotation player for the Tigers when they needed him. Now, as LSU looks to add reinforcements through the NCAA transfer portal, we’ll be monitoring where Hickey fits on the depth chart.

Breaux…. Ahmad Breaux, an early enrollee, moved to another position. After arriving in Baton Rouge as a defensive end, Breaux recently moved to the interior defensive line given the program’s depth issues currently. The freshman currently stands at 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds, but will definitely need to put on some significant size to make an impact sooner rather than later. Nonetheless, he will be an intriguing prospect for LSU in the long run.

The signatory: Dominick McKinley

The five-star freshman will arrive in Death Valley this summer where he will immediately play a key role for LSU. Defensive line coach Bo Davis got his guy a commitment earlier this year and never looked back after McKinley officially put pen to paper in February. Now, the five-star signee will have all eyes on him this offseason leading into the season opener against USC, given that he will be a player who will need to take snaps.

Transfer additions: Jay’Viar Suggs and Gio Paez

Bo Davis and the LSU staff added a pair of defensive tackles via the free agent market this spring, with Grand Valley State’s Jay’Viar Suggs being the latest to announce his commitment.

Suggs, who had a lot of interest in the transfer portal, chose LSU over a multitude of programs, including Michigan, USC, Kentucky and Florida State.

The Michigan native will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at LSU after spending five years with Grand Valley State.

Suggs took a redshirt year in his first season with the program, with the following season in 2020 canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 6-foot-3, 282-pounder has 21 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 5 assists and 1 forced fumble in 2022 with GVSU.

The following season in 2023, Suggs remained consistent after recording 21 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks with 4 pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Suggs has been a consistent contributor at the Division II level, but he’s clearly ready to move to the next level at a Power Four school.

Now he joins an LSU roster where he will have the opportunity to step in and earn a starting spot alongside veteran defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory if all goes according to plan.

Suggs is the second commitment in the transfer portal for the Tigers this spring after the Tigers added a defensive tackle from Wisconsin Gio Paez weeks ago.

The Wisconsin transfer will head south this summer where he will be a key part of the Tigers’ rotation during the 2024 season.

Paez is a native of Los Angeles, California and redshirted his first season with the Badgers. In year two, he only played in one game, but that counted as the COVID season in 2020. Over the past three seasons, he played in 32 games and recorded 36 tackles.

It was a work in progress this offseason to add depth to the defensive tackle room, but now it’s all focused on offseason workouts where Bo Davis and the LSU staff can develop the talent on the current roster.

With five-star signee Dominick McKinley, Suggs and current defensive tackles just weeks away from kicking off summer ball, there is significant intrigue as to what the defensive line can become.

Look for defensive end Paris Shand and/or Sai’vion Jones to practice this summer with the ability to play both inside and outside.

Other LSU news:

LSU Football secures commitment from award-winning transfer defensive tackle Jay’viar Suggs

Report: LSU a ‘legitimate contender’ for coveted EDGE Tyler Baron

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