LSU Defensive Coordinator Bo Pelini Says Defense Will Be Multiple in 2020, Excited by the Depth Up Front
LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini hopped on 104.5 ESPN’s Off The Bench on Wednesday morning to discuss his return to Baton Rouge, the LSU defense heading into 2020 and much more with the fate of college football still up in the air.
For Pelini, he admitted LSU is one of just a handful of programs he would consider being a part of. When the opportunity to leave Youngstown State and join the Tigers first presented itself, it was too good to pass up.
“I’ve had a lot of opportunities to go to different places, but this is different,” said Pelini. “This is a special place to me. I have a lot of respect for Coach O, and the team that’s been placed here. We have a chance to win championships and that’s what it’s all about.”
As a former head coach himself, Pelini knows his role in the staff and isn’t here to reach for anything more. His relationship with coach Ed Orgeron has been consistent and coherent since the jump.
“It’s been pretty seamless,” Pelini said on his relationship with Orgeron. “He knows what I’m about. I’m not here to be the head coach. If he ever asks my opinion for something, I’m definitely going to give my opinion. But, I fully understood what I was getting into. We had a good talk before I took the job.”
Pelini raved about LSU’s depth up front and mapped out some of the changes that are going to come under his new 4-3 scheme. He wants to see the defensive linemen have the opportunity to make more plays, and envisions a defense that’s a little bit more multiple than a year ago.
One positive to come from this whirlwind of an offseason was the addition of All-American graduate transfer linebacker Jabril Cox from North Dakota State. Cox finished the 2019 season with 92 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss.
“He’s a talented, high character kid,” Pelini said of Cox. “He comes from a winning program and was a big part of that. He’s very focused and that’s why he came here. He’s a talented young man who I think can get better. He’s a good fit, and I really like our linebacking group.”
It's luring those game changing recruits, whether they're well know five-stars or unheard of transfers that has made LSU a special team in the last two seasons. Most recently the Tigers picked up a commitment from 2021 inside linebacker Greg Penn III, who said Pelini was a major part in him ultimately committing to LSU.
"Coach O does an unbelievable job, he's passionate about it and he outworks other people," Pelini said. "A big key is also evaluating and he and our staff identify, don't worry about star ratings and all of the other things that are out there. We find and look for the people that are right for LSU. Talent wise, character wise and culture wise, and we go after them and I think we've done a good job of that, we've had good success this year so far."
Pelini finished the interview by dropping an eye-opening soundbite regarding sophomore cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who is coming off one of the best seasons for a freshman in LSU program history. The first-year defensive coordinator fully realizes that he’s got the best DB in America, but he also sees more room for Stingley to get better.
“He hasn’t even scratched the surface of what he’s going to be,” Pelini said. “He’s going to keep getting better and there’s just a lot of room for improvement.”
Along with his six interceptions, Stingley recorded 38 tackles, 14 pass breakups and a fumble recovery in 2019.
