People notice when LSU junior linebacker Kwon Alexander takes the field.
It’s hard to miss the 6-foot-2-inch, 227-pound ballhawk when he’s making plays on virtually every part of the field.
Despite sitting out a game this season, Alexander leads the Tigers in both unassisted tackles with 23 and assisted tackles with 26. Alexander has led LSU in total tackles in four of the seven games he’s played in this season, and is currently the No. 11 tackler in the Southeastern Conference with 7.0 tackles per game.
“[Alexander’s] been playing really fast and really physical,” said LSU junior linebacker Deion Jones. “He’s been getting after it.”
He also has forced a team-high two fumbles and assisted in sophomore safety Rickey Jefferson’s interception that led to the game-winning field goal against Florida.
Alexander had one of his best performances against Florida, an emotional outing in which he felt he had something to prove to fans in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
“It felt great,” Alexander said after his 10-tackle performance in The Swamp. “They booed me my freshman year when I broke my ankle, so I had a lot of emotions coming into the game.”
Emotion is nothing uncommon for Alexander. His fellow linebackers said he often uses it as a motivational tool.
Alexander doesn’t just lead the Tigers on the stat sheet — he leads them in every practice and every game with his contagious play.
“He makes you want to do well,” said sophomore linebacker Kendell Beckwith. “He makes you want to be as competitive as possible and want to go out and hit somebody or do what you have to do and do your job correctly. That’s all the things he’s about. He just tries to be the best to do it. He plays with unbelievable effort.”
Alexander tends to lead more with his actions than with his words, but Beckwith made it clear he has the ability and leadership qualities to make himself heard when necessary.
“He gets on me,” Beckwith said. “If he sees me slacking or if he sees me not doing something, he gets on me pretty hard.”
Jones credited Alexander with boosting the play of LSU’s entire linebacker unit, saying the bar he sets physically and the standards he creates in practice act as a primary motivator for the Tigers.
Alexander and Jones are the two most experienced leaders at the position as juniors, and they’ve taken it upon themselves to make sure they both play and act like it.
“Me and him, we’re always on each other,” Jones said. “During practice we give each other tips. We always look to improve each other’s technique and how we can make things easier for ourselves.”
There is no question people are drawn to Alexander’s play on the field. Jefferson said his mark on this team will remain even when he’s gone.
“He’s one of those guys that took me under his wing,” Jefferson said. “To see him take that step and see him have the tremendous season that he’s having, it’s an awesome feeling. I want to be in the position he’s in one day.”
You can reach Tyler Nunez on Twitter @Nunez_TDR.