LSU Defensive Coordinator Bo Pelini Encouraged by Progress Defense Has Made Away From Practice Field
LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini answered questions with radio host Chris Blair Monday night on “LSU Sixty,” addressing his new role in Baton Rouge, the impact of COVID-19 on college football, and what he expects to see from his defensive unit in the upcoming season.
Despite the current shutdown, Pelini sounded confident with the progress his group was making. Getting a few practices in before all student-athletes were sent home, Pelini has picked up where he left off through zoom meetings with players, where he continues to establish his foundation.
“We were able to establish a foundation [during spring], and enforce that through zoom meetings,” Pelini said. “We’ve been able to go through the installs a number of times. I feel good about where we are right now. We were shorted some practices, but so was everybody else."
Many reports noted Pelini wasted no time to accept the job and return to Baton Rouge. Other than the three-year deal, paying him $2.3 million annually (making him the second-highest paid assistant behind Auburn DC Kevin Steele) the deciding factor was ultimately a total buy-in from his family, which made the decision even easier for him.
"This was a unique opportunity,” he said. “I think it's a good fit. [Coach Ed Orgeron and I] mesh well together and share a lot of the same beliefs."
Pelini mentioned that, in some ways, Baton Rouge hasn't changed since he left in 2007. But there was one major change he noticed: the campus. Pelini was impressed with how advanced and newly-renovated the facilities were around LSU’s campus, specifically the football operations facility, which received a $28 million renovation and expansion before the 2019 season.
"The campus [at LSU] is dramatically different,” Pelini said. “I feel like they haven't stopped building since the day I left. They understand you need to invest in your program, and they give you all the tools here."
One position group Pelini is particularly excited to see unfold is the LSU secondary. With the return of Derek Stingley Jr, JaCoby Stevens, Cordale Flott and others, Pelini thinks the position battles in the secondary heading into the season are going to be must-watch at practice.
“The coverages will be a little bit different,” Pelini said on the defensive backs. “That’s a talented group. That's where the competition to get on the field is going to be tremendous. We're going to have a lot of options to how we use that group."
And in the new age of spread offenses and high point totals, Pelini was asked about how his game plan has changed in an ever-evolving world of college football. The SEC of today isn’t the same SEC he coached in during his tenure with LSU in 2005-07, but he understands that.
“You're not going to hold an offense to single digits every week,” he said. “It's just different. It's more spread out, more one-on-one opportunities. The standard of playing a great defensive game has changed. But you can still be dominating."
