LSU Football Defensive Back Jay Ward Adjusting Quickly to Position Change to Safety
When Daronte Jones first arrived to Baton Rouge, one of the first players he spoke with was Jay Ward. Coming off an up and down sophomore season where injuries hindered his play early on, Ward was one of the bright spots for this defense down the stretch, establishing himself as a potential playmaker for the Tigers.
Knowing that the depth at safety wouldn't be all that deep going into the spring, Jones told Ward, who'd played cornerback for his first two years at LSU, that a move to safety might be in the cards.
"It didn't really matter to me because I just want to help the team and put the best 11 people on defense and fight," Ward told reporters on Thursday. "The transition hasn't been hard for me at all, just have to study more and study with the coaches."
Ward made it official last week as coach Ed Orgeron said he was one of a few players, including receiver Alex Adams, who have made the jump to safety, a position that's also being coached by Jones this season. Jones has played a big role in making the transition for Ward super smooth for the rising junior.
Whether it was the interception on his knees against Florida or the blocked field goal that saved the Arkansas game, Ward had his moments last year where he proved he could be a turnover machine.
"I'm a playmaker for one. So they put me on the field, depth has been kind of low and I was the best fit," Ward said. "Coach Jones preaches a lot about turnovers and that's what I'm all about."
Being at safety, Ward has noticed how much more physical he gets to be at the position as opposed to when he was strictly an outside corner. Every day he becomes more and more comfortable with the position and is currently learning free safety, though he does want to learn strong safety as well so he can really be utilized all over the field.
With Todd Harris, Jordan Toles and Derrick Davis Jr. both competing for reps at safety as well, the addition of Ward makes for another intriguing mix of talent, particularly when Sage Ryan and Matthew Langlois arrive in the summer.
The confidence Ward has attacked this offseason with has been different as he knows there's opportunity for him to be an every snap kind of player, when that hasn't always been the case in years past. Ward knows how important his role will be to getting a defense back on track that failed to meet the standards set a year ago.
"As a defense last year, it was embarrasing. We gave up too many yards and that wasn't the LSU standard of performance," Ward said. "This year we want to change that and get back to the standard."
