The loss of All-American cornerback Patrick Peterson to the NFL draft would leave a gaping hole in any college secondary in most seasons.
All-American cornerbacks don’t come around often, and LSU hasn’t had many in its long history. Peterson, James Britt and Corey Webster are the only Tigers to have been named first-team All-Americans at the position.
The Bednarik and Thorpe award winner is also projected to be the highest selected LSU cornerback ever taken in the NFL draft. LSU’s last cornerback to be taken in the first round was Mike Williams in 1975, who went No. 22 overall.
But Peterson said he didn’t feel worried passing the torch to the group of young and talented defensive backs returning next season. The secondary will be even better without him next season, he added.
“I definitely left this team in great hands,” Peterson said. “It’s definitely tough for me to leave this young, ferocious team behind. The team is definitely going to have a lot of great things planned for them in the future.”
Peterson said expectations are high with senior safeties Brandon Taylor and Karnell Hatcher returning, along with cornerback Ron Brooks. Taylor played nine games before going out for the season with a foot injury against Alabama, and Hatcher started 11 games.
The future of the defense undoubtedly lies with this season’s underclassmen, in particular sophomore cornerback Morris Claiborne and true freshman Tyrann Mathieu. They’ll be joined by sophomore defensive backs Eric Reid, Craig Loston and Tharold Simon, all of whom finished the season with strong performances in the AT&T Cotton Bowl.
Loston started the Cotton Bowl at strong safety, while Simon and Reid rotated in throughout the game. Reid and Simon both had an interception, but it was Mathieu who took a starring role.
He became the second true freshman to ever be named Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP with two forced fumbles, an interception and a sack.
“Tyrann Mathieu is a special athlete,” LSU coach Les Miles said after the Cotton Bowl. “He’s learning how to make those plays in the confines of a defense, but he always made those plays.”
The performance was almost routine for Mathieu, who has made a habit of creating turnovers this season. The 5-foot-9-inch, 180-pound freshman earned playing time after a strong performance in fall camp and immediately made an impact with a forced fumble against North Carolina.
He never stopped after that. The St. Augustine graduate played in all 13 games and started one, finishing with 57 tackles, 4.5 sacks, two interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
Mathieu also had five forced fumbles this season to tie Mark Roman for the single-season LSU record. He sits at No. 3 for most in an LSU career behind Clarence LeBlanc and Ali Highsmith.
“When you play as hard as he does, you’re going to have opportunities to make plays. He makes them,” said LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis. “He’s got the ability. It’s hard as a coach to describe it, but he’s got the ‘it’ factor when it comes to making football plays.”
Mathieu earned Freshman All-America honors at the end of the season, but Peterson said he has long stopped considering Mathieu a freshman.
Peterson said he thinks of Mathieu and Claiborne as his little brothers and expects them to lead the secondary after he’s gone.
“[Peterson] took me under his wing,” Mathieu said following the Cotton Bowl. “He showed me all the tricks of the game. I think that paid off in the end.”
 
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Contact Katherine Terrell at [email protected]