Bulldogs have plenty of experience back on defense
RUSTON, La. – Heading into the 2020 season, Louisiana Tech had one returning defensive starter.
Flash forward to 2021 spring practice, and Louisiana Tech has 10 returning starters on the defensive side of the ball, including all three linebackers and three defensive linemen.
Louisiana Tech's three returning starting linebackers include senior Trey Baldwin, senior Ezekiel Barnett and freshman Tyler Grubbs.
“Our linebacker position is one of our stronger positions on our team right now,” Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz said. “They're doing a great job this spring of not only being productive on the field, but leading. They're leading a young football team that has some new faces on it and they've been doing a nice job.”
Barnett was an All-Conference USA Honorable Mention and a Burlsworth Trophy nominee. He appeared and started in nine games during the 2020 season where he finished fourth on the team with 49 total tackles, including 33 solo and 3.5 for loss. He had a career-high 10 tackles twice during the season at Southern Miss (Sept. 19) and against UTEP (Oct. 10). Barnett returned two interceptions for 66 yards during the season, including a 60-yard picksix at Texas-San Antonio (Oct. 24). He registered at least five tackles in five of his nine games played in 2020.
Baldwin was named to the All-Conference USA Second Team as well as the Phil Steele All-CUSA Third Team. He saw action in nine games in the 2020 season while making eight starts. He finished second on the team with 85 total tackles, including a team-best 53 solo stops. Baldwin had a career-high 18 tackles, including 14 solo, at Texas-San Antonio on Oct. 24. His 18 tackles tied for the 11th most nationally that season, while his 14 solo tackles ranked second in the nation. He ranked first in C-USA and 11th in the FBS in solo tackles with 5.9 per game.
Grubbs was named a FWAA, ESPN and 247Sports.com Freshman All-American. He earned a spot on the All-Conference USA Second Team, the Phil Steele All-C-USA Second Team and the Conference USA all-Freshman Team. Grubbs started in all 10 games for the Bulldogs in the 2020 season and made at least nine tackles in eight of those contests. He had double digit stops in five games of the 2020 campaign, including a career-high 12 solo tackles against Georgia Southern in the New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 23). Grubbs registered a team-best 99 total tackles and finished second on the team in both solo tackles (45) and tackles for loss (9.5). He finished the season ranked second in C-USA and 25th in the FBS in tackles per game at 9.9. Grubbs was sixth in Conference USA in tackles for loss with 9.5.
“We're building depth and becoming the leaders of the defense,” Baldwin said. “Not only in the linebacker room but also on special teams. We're becoming better leaders and trying to take that leadership role.”
The trio are joined this spring by three returning letterwinners from the 2020 squad in junior Joren Dickey, redshirt freshman Maki Carabin and redshirt freshman Allen Walker. Carabin earned a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshman team last season after registering 25 total tackles.
Also returning from the 2020 roster are redshirt junior Kody Fulp, redshirt freshman Caleb Knighten, redshirt freshman Khiry Morrison, freshman Eric Barnes and freshman Taz Marshall.
“The linebackers are a really talented group when you talk about experience and seniority,” Holtz said. “You have guys like Trey Baldwin and Ezekiel Barnett as upperclassmen. Kody Fulp has been making a real impact there. Obviously, you look at what Tyler Grubbs did a year ago with his production on the field. Maki Carabin with what he's been doing. Allen Walker's coming along. There are some guys there that are really playing well for us.”
Louisiana Tech also returns a trio of starters on the defensive line in senior Eric Kendzior, sophomore Deshon Hall and redshirt freshman Keivie Rose.
Kendzior was a Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year semifinalist last season and was an All-C-USA Honorable Mention. He appeared and started in all 10 games at defensive end during the 2020 season where he registered 30 total tackles, including 15 solo, 2.0 for loss and 1.0 sacks. Kendzior posted a tackle in every game of the 2020 campaign, including a career-high six tackles, all of which were solo, at UTSA (Oct. 24).
Hall appeared in all 10 games and made nine starts at defensive end in the 2020 season. He registered 21 total tackles, including 10 solo, 2.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks, during the campaign. Hall had a career-high six tackles against UAB (Oct. 31), had a 23-yard interception return in the season opener at Southern Miss (Sept. 19) and blocked a field goal at Texas-San Antonio (Oct. 24).
Rose also appeared in all 10 games of the 2020 campaign where he made eight starts at defensive tackle. He registered 23 total tackles, including eight solo, 1.5 for loss and 0.5 sacks, during the season. Rose had a career-high five tackles in back-to-back games at Texas-San Antonio (Oct. 24) and against UAB (Oct. 31).
“The defensive line has been very aggressive upfront,” Kendzior said. “We have a lot of younger guys who are stepping up and finding the ball. We are developing every single day.”
Louisiana Tech also welcomes back nine letterwinners on the defensive line this spring in graduate transfer Gerald Wilbon, redshirt junior Malik Wells, junior Tristan Allen, junior Levi Bell, sophomore DJ Jackson, sophomore Steven Shaw, redshirt freshman Mykol Clark, freshman Kershawn Fisher and freshman Joseph Mason.
“The defensive line has been very aggressive, is coming at the ball hard, attacking the line of scrimmage, resetting the line of scrimmage and looking more physical than ever,” Allen said.
Also returning this spring are senior Willie Baker, sophomore Calvin Rhines, freshman Ben Bell, freshman Dontrell Cobbs and freshman Keveion'ta Spears.
“The D-line is definitely a mix of old and young,” Holtz said. “You look at it and see guys like Willie Baker and it's nice to see him back out there and see what he's doing. You have Eric Kendzior running around and making the impact that he's making. So, you have some upperclassmen that are there, but then you look at it and there are guys who have played in Deshon Hall, a two-year player, and Keivie Rose, a two-year player.
“You have some young guys there that have played a little bit. Then you have the young guns in guys like Kershawn Fisher and Ben Bell and guys that are true freshman right now that are really making an impact and are going to be very talented. It's a very talented group. It's a very deep group. It's a team that we're going to have to play a lot of people. Some of these young guys may not be ready to play 60 or 70 plays a game, but with their athleticism, they're going to make their impact felt in playing a limited role of 10 to 20 plays a game.”