New LSU Coach Jamar Cain wants to bring back tradition to D-line

It’s early days still, but Jamar Cain seems to be enjoying life in Louisiana. Even without the triple digit heat index this summer or the rich culture the Boot has to offer, Cain will be loving life for one reason.

“There's a lot of good players here,” Cain said. “When I was at Oklahoma we couldn't come in this state if the kid had an LSU offer. It was just something that we just knew, it was a foreign conclusion he was going (to LSU).”

But now, after being hired as a part of Brian Kelly’s new staff, recruiting in Louisiana will no longer be a difficult task at all.

In fact, Kelly himself seems to be emphasizing keeping local talent around, an idea that Cain is all for.

“I think that town here is rich,” Cain said. “They love the state they want to be a tiger, so we just got to make sure we do a good job of keeping them here in state.”

But the recruitment is not where Cain’s job stops. His job now that training camps have begun is to make sure the talent he’s brining in meshes well with the veterans still on the team.

The defensive line room is one with both a significant amount of experience as well as youth and rawness that Cain can take full advantage of.

Cain was full of praise for someone of these raw talents coming in, speaking highly of linemen Tygee Hill and Quency Wiggins, who Cain described as a “gorgeous” lineman.

The goal for this season, however, is definitely not to look pretty. Cain hopes to bring back some of the grit and determination of LSU D-lines of the past, with legends like Marcus Spears and Chad Lavalais coming to mind.

“I wanted to make sure that we there was a sense of urgency about getting two to the ball, playing with a nastiness, playing the way that I used to watch LSU football play,” Cain said. “I have a vision of what LSU defensive line plays should be and I wanted to make sure I got that across to the boys.”