Aranda Aims to Maximize Diverse Defensive Talent

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Deploying Delpit
“The question always with Grant is he does everything well, and so I think it really comes down to when we are in run-defense mode, we want edges, stuff blown up in the interior and gaps filled where Grant can play alley-to-alley,” Aranda said. “And then when we're expecting pass and it's passing situations, there's a lot of merit to Grant rushing. But if he isn't rushing, there's a lot of merit to having him in the middle of the field.”

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Mike Linebacker (Divinity)
“We've got him at inside linebacker now, and when we get to third down, he'll play some on the line of scrimmage,” Aranda said. “Mike's a smart kid, man. He gets football. He's a great communicator. He's confident. He is able to take charge and when things are going tough, he's able to be tough. And so I appreciate that about him, and I think the guys have really responded to him well.”

Aranda noted that the change in LSU’s defense this spring was immediately noticeable when Divinity moved from the edge to the Mack linebacker spot.

“From one scrimmage when he wasn't at the Mack until we moved him, and the very next couple of scrimmages, it was just a night and day difference from just the energy and how we responded to adversity,” Aranda said.

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Expanding Quarters
The Quarter, Aranda said, “is a glorified linebacker,” a safety playing closer to the line of scrimmage. Delpit broke it in to great effect, but later in the season, it was JaCoby Stevens who proved himself a perfect fit at the Quarter.

In the final three games of the season, Stevens finished with 27 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, and two PBUs, thriving in Aranda’s new position and allowing Delpit to move around in the secondary.
“It gives him the ability to play man-to-man on tight ends, to rush off the edge, and all of those things he does very well,” Aranda said. “JaCoby is very smart, very intelligent, understands football. He knows all of our adjustments. He knows the ins and outs of the defense. His ability to call out plays, pre-snap awareness, is very high. So having JaCoby on the field is an absolute plus for us.

“I think we'll continue to build and highlight him and put him in spots where he can really excel.”

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Freeing the Line
One aspect that particularly excites Aranda is the freedom he’ll be giving the defensive line this season.

In years past, the front has been responsible for a lot of the dirty work: eating blocks, filling gaps, and opening alleys for the linebackers and safeties to make plays in.

All of that is still on the table in 2019, but the return of veterans like Rashard Lawrence and Breiden Fehoko, plus some meat in the middle in tackles Apu Ika and Tyler Shelvin, will give Aranda some wiggle room to shake things up.

“Front-wise, we're letting the front go more than what it's done,” he said. “They're on edges more. They're attacking the line of scrimmage more. And so I've talked to Breiden Fehoko and Rashard Lawrence about that. They've asked for that for a while. And I know Coach O's excited about that.”

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Chaisson’s Back
The plan, Aranda said, is to use Chaisson as much as possible as a rusher, while limiting how much he has to drop into coverage. That said, Aranda would like to utilize Chaisson, too, in “pass to run” rushes. It’s a read of sorts, on Chaisson’s part, which allows him to be more aggressive in pursuing sack opportunities while staying mindful of the threat of the run.

“He has that ability, to be able to decipher that and make plays,” Aranda said. “K'Lavon's very smart. He loves football. He's obviously very talented. There's a fair amount of quick twitch in him and explosiveness with him. He's hooked up right. There's things he just gets.”

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