LSU Football Players Most Likely to Breakout in 2020: No. 10 Siaki Ika, Defensive Tackle
The 2019 season was one of soaking in information for freshman defensive tackle Siaki "Apu" Ika. Coming in as a four-star defensive tackle, it was expected that Ika would take a year to learn the college ropes behind some veteran players.
As a 6-foot-4, 354-pound freshman, spending the season as a backup to sophomore Tyler Shelvin and senior Breiden Fehoko was an experience that should help carry Ika to new heights in 2020. In a reserve role for the Tigers' national championship run, Ika recorded 17 tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss.
With Fehoko now graduated and Shelvin establishing himself as one of the better defensive players on the roster, Ika will be in prime position to step up and start in the Tigers 4-3 defense under coordinator Bo Pelini.
What Shelvin does so well is what coach Ed Orgeron is hoping Ika can mirror. Shelvin showed a real knack for taking on multiple offensive linemen in his first season as a starter. While it didn't always show in the stats, it was an invaluable asset that allowed his teammates around him to make plays in the backfield and stuff the run.
When previewing the spring practice session, Orgeron said he envisions defensive schemes that will include both Shelvin and Ika on the front lines to take up as much space and pick up as many offensive linemen as possible.
"Yeah we could do that. There is a defense that both of them could fit in phenomenally well," Orgeron said. "There’s a lot of adjustment, the guy is very smart. He has a great plan on quarterback runs. There is going to come a time where we can put both of those guys on the field. Knock both of those guys back."
Orgeron said that because Pelini likes to play a lot of two high safety looks in his defensive schemes, there needs to be consistent pressure from the defensive line.
"When you play two high safeties you have to control the front. You have to control the run with the defensive line," Orgeron said. "Those are two guys who can do that for us.”
There will be competition up front as Glen Logan and Nelson Jenkins as well as freshmen Jaquelin Roy, Eric Taylor and Jacobian Guillory will all be pushing for playing time whenever practice can resume.
“On defense, I do believe this is one of the most talented defenses we’ve had since we’ve been here. There’s a lot of speed out there, there’s a lot of new faces. But I do believe that this 4-3 attacking defense fits our personnel better than it’s ever been," Orgeron said.
