LSU football has plenty of new faces on its defense — but that doesn’t mean the Tigers lack experience. LSU signed the top-ranked transfer portal class in the country. It included a handful of veteran defenders with Power Four experience.
Florida transfer Jack Pyburn fits that bill. Pyburn spent the first three years of his career with the Gators, earning a starting job in 2024. Pyburn entered the portal and elected to call Baton Rouge home. The experience of the defense has stood out to Pyburn throughout fall camp.
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“You can definitely tell a lot of guys on our team have played a lot of ball. Just situational awareness is a big thing. Understanding when you can do things and can’t do things, when you can be aggressive, when you need to be a little more passive, and just having that experience and having guys that have played a lot of ball,” Pyburn said.
LSU’s defense was young last year. It was Blake Baker’s first year as defensive coordinator and LSU was forced to play several true freshmen. LSU’s defense improved under Baker, but the numbers weren’t back up to LSU’s standard on defense. With the portal additions and returning talent, there’s hope this unit can be one of the best in the country.
Despite the transfers, Pyburn said the chemistry within this defense is strong.
“The best thing is, even though we brought a lot of guys in, the way we’ve meshed together, it feels like we’ve been playing together for a few years, not a few months; it’s pretty special,” Pyburn said.
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With Florida in 2024, Pyburn registered eight pressures and two sacks. He made 29 tackles and 23 stops while posting a 78.9 run defense grade, per PFF.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU defender Jack Pyburn impressed with how transfers have gelled
