The LSU Tigers are in the midst of their first bye week of the 2024 season. They boast a 4-1 record and will host the Ole Miss Rebels in Death Valley a week from Saturday.

Through five games, we've seen the Tigers defense slowly, but surely, improve under new defensive coordinator Blake Baker, so today we're going to take a look at the state of LSU's defense as they prepare to host the Rebels.

The Tigers defensive line, more specifically the defensive tackles, were the biggest concern on this Tigers defense heading into the season, but through five games, I think they've actually played pretty well.

LSU has two elite edge rushers in Sai'vion Jones and Bradyn Swinson, the only problem is they aren't getting too much production from their backups. Da'Shawn Womack is the only other edge rusher who's shown some promise - he has nine pressures on 43 pass rush snaps - but for some reason he just isn't getting on the field all that often.

As for the defensive tackles, they took a big hit when they lost Jacobian Guillory, but they have been serviceable. Gio Paez and Ahmad Breaux might not blow you away as pass rushers, but they've done well against the run. I would like to see Jay'viar Suggs and Dominick McKinley get more work in obvious passing situations, because they're pretty clearly your best pass rushing DTs.

Overall, I wouldn't say this unit is a "strength," but I wouldn't say they're holding them back either. If you told me before the season that LSU would get this kind of play from their defensive line, I would've called it a win.

Much like the DTs, LSU's linebacking core took a huge hit when Harold Perkins suffered an ACL injury and was ruled out for the season, but that didn't stop Whit Weeks and Greg Penn III from having a really good night against South Alabama. The duo totaled 23 tackles on Saturday and led the defense that held the Jags to 10 points.

Whit Weeks was a very nice complimentary piece last season, but he's really come into his own in 2024. He is tied for the team lead in tackles, leads in run stops and leads the linebacking unit in pressures. He's always around the football, and while he takes some bad angles at times, he does much more good than bad. Greg Penn III has also really taken the next step this year. He was awarded the No. 18 jersey and he's really lived up to the expectations that come with it. These two have been arguably two of the three best defenders on the team this season, after Bradyn Swinson of course.

With Perkins out, LSU played a lot of dime against South Alabama, but there will come a time when they need to be in their Buffalo package against a run-heavy opponent. They'll need West Weeks to step up when that time comes. Before the season, Blake Baker said he felt they had four starting linebackers on their roster, so it's time to see if he truly believes that or not.

Ashton Stamps, though he's been picked on at times, has been pretty good as the Tigers CB1. He's given up a lot of yards, but he's broken up four passes and hasn't surrendered a touchdown as the primary man in coverage. There's still room for growth, but I think he's had a solid start to the year.

The Tigers desperately need to get Zy Alexander back, and good news is he should be ready for Ole Miss. He was in concussion protocol and missed the South Alabama game, but with two more weeks to prepare, he should be good to go. He's been targeted seven times this season and has only allowed two catches for five yards. He's the Tigers best cornerback at the moment, and they need him to remain healthy very bad.

After Alexander and Stamps, it's a bit of a mess, but JK Johnson has really stepped up as that third option. He's allowing just a 20% completion percentage on five targets and has looked pretty good in place of Alexander.

The Tigers safety room is a bit interesting once you dive into the stats. Their two leaders in snaps (Burns and Ryan) have been objectively their worst coverage safeties, combining to allow 24 of their 25 targets to be caught for 318 yards and two touchdowns. Thankfully we've seen Dashawn Spears, who's been their best coverage safety, take over as a started the last couple weeks and he should be passing Ryan in total snaps sometime soon. Spears has been targeted four times, allowing just one catch for one yard.

Jardin Gilbert has also been surprisingly good in coverage. From the naked eye it feels like he hasn't been playing well, but most of his struggles have come in the run game. In coverage, he's allowed one of his four targets to be caught, but it was for a pretty big gain.

Overall, I think they're starting to get the safety position sorted out, but I don't understand why Burns is such a major player on this defense. I get that they like his size and athleticism at the STAR position, but he's been a pretty big liability in coverage this year.

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