1. Bama 2. LSU: Kevin Minter might be gone, but the Tigers still have some quality players roaming around the position. Lamin Barrow will anchor the group and is coming off a season in which he registered 104 tackles, including 52 solo stops. He's getting a ton of NFL love and will get help from very talented sophomore Kwon Alexander, who only played seven games, but would have seen plenty more action if hadn't suffered a broken ankle midseason. Alexander could be primed for a huge season and might be the team's best linebacker. Senior Tahj Jones only played in one game last year because of academic issues, but he'll have every chance to start outside. Sophomores Deion Jones, Lamar Louis and Ronnie Feist all saw good time last year and will be in the rotation along with incoming freshman Kendell Beckwith, who could immediately push for a starting spot. http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/66190/sec-position-rankings-linebacker
One name that wasn't on this write-up, coming in this year is Melvin Jones. His dad played at A&M, he's around 6'3" 245#'s. Lb'er looks to be the deepest position on that side of the ball. Melvin also played on the other side of the ball, yep, he played a little QB.
My personal belief is that Deion will be the cream of the crop by the time he fully develops. I see a rare kind of fire in that young man.
compare how ESPN's SEC bloggers (Chris Low and Edward Aschoff) ranked LSU's LB corps this preseason compared to how they ranked them in the previous four preseasons since we got Chavis: 7/17/2012 By Chris Low and Edward Aschoff 2. Alabama 8. LSU: Some of the best news for the Tigers this spring was the way junior Kevin Minter played in the middle. As a second-year starter in 2012, he’s primed to take a big step. Defensive coordinator John Chavis also liked what he saw out of junior Tahj Jones. There won’t be much experience and some younger guys will have to come through, but talent shouldn’t be a problem. 6/21/2011 By Edward Aschoff 1. Alabama 5. LSU: Like most of the Tigers’ positions, this one might not have a ton of in-game experience, but the athleticism is too good not to praise. LSU lost leading tackler and monster in the middle Kelvin Sheppard, but there should be enough able bodies to make this unit one of the tops in the league this fall. Ryan Baker is now the leader out there and can keep up with some of the best offensive weapons out there. He’ll play on the weak side, while converted safety Karnell Hatcher moved down from safety and took reps at middle linebacker, but could find his home outside. Sophomore Kevin Minter spent his spring trying to fill Sheppard’s void and has made vast improvements. Senior Stefoin Francois provides veteran depth for the Tigers on the outside, while there are a few young, able bodies ready to contribute as well. 7/27/2010 By Chris Low 1. Alabama 8. LSU: Senior Kelvin Sheppard returns as one of the top middle linebackers in the SEC. He’s a tackling machine who was fourth in the league in tackles a year ago with 110. He’s one of those defenders who’s a factor on every play. The key for the Tigers will be how quickly the players around him grow up now that veterans Jacob Cutrera, Harry Coleman and Perry Riley have all moved on. Sheppard thinks junior Ryan Baker is ready to shine at weakside linebacker after being a force on special teams the past two seasons. Junior Stefoin Francois is the top candidate to step in on the strong side after starting his career as a safety. 8/26/2009 By Chris Low 1. Alabama 8. LSU: The Tigers return both starting outside linebackers from a year ago, Perry Riley and Kelvin Sheppard. First-year coordinator John Chavis has also moved Harry Coleman from safety to outside linebacker. Stepping into the middle is senior Jacob Cutrera, who's been a spot starter for most of his career.
this is LSU's legacy of All-SEC linebackers... 1964 First Team -- Mike Vincent, LB (Jr.) AP 1966 First Team -- George Bevan, LB (So.) AP 1968 Second Team -- Mike Anderson, LB (So.) AP 1969 First Team -- George Bevan, LB (Sr.) AP, UPI ----------------------------------------------------- 1970 First Team -- Mike Anderson, LB (Sr.) AP, UPI 1972 First Team -- Warren Capone, LB (Jr.) AP 1973 First Team -- Warren Capone, LB (Sr.) AP, UPI Second Team -- Bo Harris, LB (Jr.) AP 1976 Second Team -- Jon Streete, LB (Sr.) AP ----------------------------------------------------- 1980 Second Team -- Al Richardson, LB (So.) AP 1981 Second Team -- Al Richardson, LB (Jr.) AP 1982 First Team -- Albert Richardson, ILB (Sr.) AP, UPI 1984 Second Team -- Michael Brooks, LB (So.) AP Second Team -- Shawn Burks, LB (Jr.) AP 1985 First Team -- Michael Brooks, LB (Jr.) AP, UPI, Coaches Second Team -- Shawn Burks, LB (Sr.) AP 1986 First Team -- Toby Caston, ILB (Sr.) Coaches (2nd Team by AP) 1987 Second Team -- Ron Sancho, OLB (Jr.) AP 1988 First Team -- Eric Hill, OLB (Sr.) Coaches First Team -- Ron Sancho, OLB (Sr.) AP ----------------------------------------------------- 2000 Second Team -- Bradie James, LB (So.) Coaches Second Team -- Trev Faulk, LB (So.) AP, Coaches 2001 First Team -- Bradie James, LB (Jr.) Coaches First Team -- Trev Faulk, LB (Jr.) AP, Coaches 2002 First Team -- Bradie James, LB (Sr.) AP, Coaches 2004 First Team -- Lionel Turner, LB (Sr.) Coaches 2006 Second Team -- Ali Highsmith, LB (Jr.) Coaches 2007 First Team -- Ali Highsmith, LB (Sr.) AP, Coaches Second Team -- Darry Beckwith, LB (Jr.) Coaches 2008 Second Team -- Darry Beckwith, LB (Sr.), AP 2010 First Team -- Kelvin Sheppard, LB (Sr.), AP, Coaches 2011 Second Team -- Ryan Baker, LB (Sr.) Coaches 2012 First Team -- Kevin Minter, LB (Jr.) AP, Coaches
LB may be one of my favorite positions, and it's been the biggest weakness (if you can find one at all) for LSU defenses for the past decade, at least. Even the 2011 defense was weak in the middle. It'll be nice to turn that around finally.
What's great about the prototypical Chavis LB is that they are versatile enough to provide run support or drop into coverage. bama gets these huge-ass LBs that are just glorified D-linemen.
