LSU football: 1 offensive and 1 defensive player poised to break out in 2021

BJ Ojulari could be every bit as good as his older brother Azeez was at Georgia

It has to be hard having an older brother, especially when he is a former star pass rusher for the Georgia Bulldogs. That is exactly the case with LSU Tigers outside linebacker BJ Ojulari. Forever living in his older brother Azeez’s shadows, Ojulari took his talents to Baton Rouge as part of the 2020 recruiting class. The four-star recruit made a big impact in his first season in Tiger stripes.

The Marietta, Georgia native had 16 total tackles, five for a loss of yardage and four going for sacks in his true freshman season. While LSU was only a 5-5 team, you could see Ojulari begin to really turn it on in the latter part of the season. He seems to have every bit the instinctive nature of his older brother. If Ojulari can play up to his four-star potential, he will be drafted high as well.

So if we are looking at a full offseason and a 12-game slate, it would not be shocking if Ojulari approaches or even eclipses 7.5 sacks during his sophomore year. While his junior season may be the year that helps him get drafted possibly higher than his older brother, Ojulari has two more years to shine for the Bayou Bengals before he even remotely thinks about turning pro in 2023.

Ultimately, LSU recruits too well to have back-to-back disappointing seasons. While Alabama is the favorite to win the SEC West, LSU should fight for second place with Texas A&M this year, with all three teams likely playing in New Year’s Six bowls. If guys like Boutte and Ojulari play up to their potential, LSU can become a top-10 team with serious championship aspirations as early as 2022.

Expect the LSU football team to be at least three-five wins better than they were a season ago.

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