Just before LSU football was set to take the practice field Saturday, defensive line coach Jamar Cain informed the team of his departure for a job as pass rush specialist with the Denver Broncos.
“It was tough when he told us because it was tough for me. Because like I said, this is the guy that gave me the shot,” said junior defensive lineman Jacobian Guillory.
Guillory is entering his fourth season with LSU in 2023 and will now have a fourth different defensive line coach.
He has also been at LSU longer than anyone else, signing with the program in 2020. From his freshman year to now, much has changed within the LSU program.
Guillory was recruited by former head coach Ed Orgeron and spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons as a rotational piece of LSU’s defensive line. In 2022, his role drastically changed after the first game of the season.
The perceived star of LSU’s defensive line, Maason Smith, tore his ACL on the first drive of the game, which made LSU’s depth on the defensive line razor thin.
While Guillory didn’t start, he saw increased snaps with him being the only true defensive tackle behind Jaquelin Roy and Mekhi Wingo. Guillory finished the season with 15 total tackles, a career high for him.
That was the lone season that Guillory played with Cain as defensive line coach. It wasn’t always easy for the two of them working together, but their relationship flourished and was positive, according to Guillory.
“We were bumping heads so much every day, yelling at each other. I was like ‘man, I can’t stand this guy. Now I’m like ‘I don’t know if I want to be coached by anybody else,’” Guillory said.
Despite spending just one season at LSU, Cain’s impact was felt. Even with the lack of depth following Smith’s injury, LSU still managed productive play from the defensive line, finishing in the top half of the country in rush defense.
Cain’s impact was felt on the recruiting trail, too. He had a hand in LSU landing four-star defensive line prospects Dashawn Womack and Jaxon Howard.
Cain came to LSU from Oklahoma where he spent two seasons on Lincoln Riley’s staff as a defensive ends and outside linebackers coach. He carried the relationships built in recruiting at Oklahoma over to LSU, which paid dividends for the Tigers.
LSU now begins the search for a new defensive line coach, a process that the program has become used to over the last few seasons.
In the meantime, though, LSU continues to push forward in spring practice. Despite not having a coach at the moment, Guillory doesn’t believe it will affect how the defensive line practices.
“I think we’re all bought in and we’re ready to work no matter who the coach is,” Guillory said. “We all want to get better every day. Everybody wants to be in the starting group, everyone’s working.”
In an interim role, Gerald Chatman is a possible name mentioned to fill in for Cain. Chatman is currently a senior defensive analyst for LSU football and was someone Guillory mentioned when talking about possible coaches.
LSU’s defensive line outlook for the 2023 season is more promising than it was last season. Despite dealing with injuries this spring, the additions of Jordan Jefferson, Jalen Lee, Paris Shand and Bradyn Swinson out of the transfer portal gives LSU more depth than it had last season.
Guillory adds experience to that group, and he believes that with the depth, the group is more well-rounded than it has been. He said they now have every position covered and is excited about how it could look in the fall.
“We can be really dangerous,” Guillory said. “It’s gonna be crazy this year. It’s gonna be a whole bunch of stuff that just ain’t been seen yet.”
