Film Study: How Can LSU Football Commit Keanu Koht Become Dominant Edge Rusher for Tigers?
One of the most highly recruited defensive ends for the class of 2021 would be Keanu Koht. LSU will be getting a pure edge rusher from the Sunshine State.
Koht at 6-foot-5, 220-pounds, possesses the dimensions college defensive coordinators like for an edge rusher. Playing along the Treasure Coast of Florida for Vero Beach High School, Koht was recruited nationally. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Penn State, and Clemson were amongst the programs involved with his recruitment.
I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know Koht pretty well over the course of the past 10 months. He’s a really nice guy that has a competitive edge. He wants to get better by studying his craft. Koht likes to compete.
While a dynamic athlete, he’s also a student of the game. That’s good news because his development will be complex as he’s not yet done growing and already a difficult match up for offensive tackles.
Where to begin? Koht provides about as high a ceiling as any pure rush end in the country. Very long arms and legs, a quick first step, excellent closing speed, a good change of direction, quick hands, plays hard and lots of room to fill out his lanky frame.
He fits the bill for a rush end. How soon he makes a dent in the LSU depth chart will largely be up to Koht. He needs to get stronger. A lot stronger. He knows that. Keep in mind Koht ran track through his junior year but those days are over.
Look for Koht to add weight more easily moving forward. As for what I’ve seen of Koht to date, it’s quite interesting.
I saw him against Deerfield Beach when he was asked to take on the massive offensive tackle head-on. That was not a good fit for Koht’s style of play.
I saw Koht at the Orlando Under Armour event. He used his pure speed to gain the edge against some of the offensive tackles, but I did not get to see all of his reps. I do know that once he has a consistent second move, that’s when he will start to become a pass rushing nightmare for offensive tackles.
Sometimes he cuts back inside if an offensive tackle sets too hard to the outside, and that’s good. It’s a great counter move for an offensive tackle over setting. When it comes to power, Koht is not strong enough to bull rush many 280-plus-pound offensive tackles at this point. Quickness and using his hands to simply knock down an offensive tackle’s hands will be his most impactful maneuvers to reach the signal caller.
Here are a few clips of Koht from his junior season. His length and speed will be difficult to ignore.
The first play shows Koht’s burst off the edge, using his hands to slap the offensive tackle as he bends around the corner. It’s not a textbook maneuver yet one that he will soon master with LSU’s coaching. When combined with his sheer quickness and acceleration, just the little extra momentum created by his right hand reaching the outside edge of the offensive tackle allowed Koht to make the sack.
Teams often try to confuse a defensive lineman by pulling offensive guards and tackles. One false step can lead to a missed opportunity. Koht quickly penetrated, but instead of just going all-out towards the running back, he broke down into a tackling position.
This allowed him to read where the running back was headed and not get juked. The result is a tackle for loss. Perhaps more importantly, this play displayed how Koht understands to evaluate the play before over penetrating into the backfield.
This third play continues the trend of quick reaction. It’s an option right with a running back uncovered. If the quarterback gets the football to the running back, it could be a huge play. Koht’s quickness stunned the quarterback as he froze just for a moment and decided not to pitch.
Koht moved towards the running back and then back towards the quarterback when he took an inside step. Koht’s instincts and quickness were too much and he gained another tackle for loss. Just a great play.
Here’s a look at Koht’s entire junior highlights:
This is the type of prospect that might need a year in the weight room to become an every-down player but he’s explosive and instinctive. He can come off the edge and change a game with one play.
Koht will fit in very well with LSU’s 4-3 defensive scheme. Look for him to be a 240-pound defensive end by this time next summer. If that does indeed happen, Koht could be an impact freshman, even if he’s just a pass rushing specialist. He has the potential to be a special defensive end.
