When a player lines up as a defensive tackle for the LSU football team, they have some tough acts to follow.
Ego Ferguson, Anthony Johnson, Bennie Logan, Michael Brockers and Glenn Dorsey are just a few who have played the position for LSU in recent years. All of these players now have jobs in the NFL.
These names represent giant shoes to fill, but slightly undersized true freshman Davon Godchaux has had little trouble filling them in the first three games this season.
“He does the right things on and off the field,” said junior offensive tackle Vadal Alexander. “He’s a very powerful young man. I knew that from the first day I practiced against him. He plays with great effort.”
Godchaux has impressed more people than just Alexander.
The 6-foot-4-inch and 298-pound Plaquemine, Louisiana, native has made a lot of noise behind the scenes since his arrival at LSU this summer.
As a result, Godchaux has seen significant playing time in all three games this season and even earned a starting spot against the University of Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 13.
“All summer and all camp, [Godchaux] has been putting in the work,” said senior defensive end Jermauria Rasco. “Everything fell in his lap, and he got his first start this weekend.”
He showed quite a bit of excitement in anticipation of his first career start, according to sophomore defensive tackle Christian LaCouture. Godchaux’s slightly more experienced teammate said he tried to put himself in Godchaux’s shoes to remember how exciting his first appearances were.
The two roomed together the night before the game, so LaCouture took the opportunity to stay up and ensure Godchaux was fully prepared for his big night.
“I was trying to calm him down,” LaCouture said. “He’s a freshman. You’re going to see that, but he definitely got ready for it, and when game time came around, he was definitely ready to go.”
The chemistry between Godchaux and LaCouture appeared on the LSU defense’s second play from scrimmage when they busted through ULM’s offensive line to split a tackle for loss on quarterback Pete Thomas.
According to LaCouture, that’s all it took for Godchaux to get comfortable in the starting role.
“I looked around and he was trying to do some type of dance,” LaCouture said. “I’m don’t know what he did, but it was funny. He’s a good kid.”
Godchaux has tallied one solo tackle and assisted on six tackles, giving him more tackles than any other freshman on the team except safety Jamal Adams.
While he’s played beyond his years on the field, it’s his maturity off the field that has his teammates talking.
“From when he first got here in camp until this past weekend, of course he’s grown a lot. He’s maturing a lot off the field,” Rasco said. “That’s the main thing of being a young guy and getting the reps that he’s getting. He has to mature off the field, and that’s going to help him become a better player, also.”
The story of Godchaux’s career as a Tiger remains in its opening chapters. He’s still almost a year away from being allowed to talk to the media. But if he continues to improve at his current rate, his
teammates have made it clear they can’t wait to see how his story ends.
“He’s definitely maturing,” LaCouture said. “He’s a great friend of mine. You can definitely see week in and week out he’s getting better.”