By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
Less than a year after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee surgery last season following the Army game on Oct. 21, cornerback Zy Alexander appears to have nearly made it all the way back.
He played for the first time since Army on Saturday against Nicholls State after missing all of spring practice with the injury. He looked nearly as good as new, making three tackles with two pass breakups off the bench and impressing the Tigers’ coaching staff.
“I’m feeling great,” the senior from Loreauville said after the game. “It’s been a long process, but I kept my head down in rehab and just kept going. I’m 100 percent.”
After playing 30 to 35 snaps against Nicholls, look for his playing time to continue to increase Saturday when LSU opens Southeastern Conference play at South Carolina (11 a.m. central, ABC). Or, he could start for the No. 16 Tigers (1-1) against the Gamecocks (2-0) ahead of freshman PJ Woodland and opposite sophomore cornerback Ashton Stamps. Woodland started last week.
“Alexander coming back from knee surgery – an ACL – and playing the kind of aggressive, man-to-man coverage and almost picking up where he left off before the injury was really great to see,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said after the Nicholls game.
Alexander’s improvement leading up to the Nicholls game and in the Nicholls game not only added depth at cornerback, it enabled Kelly to move junior Sage Ryan from cornerback back to his more natural position at safety behind starters Jordan Allen and Jardin Gilbert. Ryan started at cornerback in the opener against USC with Stamps, but did not play well. Ryan started at safety against Nicholls with Gilbert suspended for the first half because of a targeting call against USC.
Alexander’s reemergence could also lead to a third positive – a backup cornerback moving to the outside linebacker/safety combination position known as the Star, where senior Major Burns has struggled at times. Burns could return to a true safety spot at South Carolina as Kelly plans to use a three-linebacker set with junior Harold Perkins and sophomore Whit Weeks on the outside likely and senior Greg Penn III in the middle.
Kelly said LSU may use four cornerbacks and four safeties in all Saturday.
“Nobody is at a point where they can play 65 to 70 snaps,” he said. “Zy’s going to have to be spelled. We have to get our players playing at the highest level, but not that many snaps.”
Alexander transferred to LSU from Southeastern Louisiana after the 2022 season and was making an immediate impact at cornerback in 2023 before suffering the ACL injury on an interception return against Army. Through eight games, he was the Tigers’ top cover corner with seven pass breakups and two interceptions.
“Last season, I don’t feel like I showed everybody what I can do,” he said. “But this season, I’m getting back into it, so I’m confident where I’m at right now,” he said during player interviews on Tuesday. “
Alexander particularly wants to show his talent in man-to-man coverage, which the Tigers are using more under new defensive coordinator Blake Baker.
“That’s what I like to do. I’m a corner that just likes to play man,” he said. “Just being able to play man, that’s a great thing. I bring length and I got speed, so it’s hard for a receiver to get around me. I’m a great corner. And no matter what I do, no matter where I go, I want to make an impact immediately.”
That said, Alexander does not believe in trash talking at wide receivers, unlike many elite cover corners.
“No, it’s straight business,” he said. “I’ve got nothing to say.”
And that’s the game face he keeps even if the receiver talks big to him.
“I ignore it,” he said. “I’m here to play ball. I’m going to show him what I can do.”
Alexander is trying to make up for lost time after his first serious injury last year.
“You’ve got to go in there with a great mindset and overcome it,” he said of the knee surgery rehabilitation. “That was my first time. Made me look at things different. Don’t take anything for granted. Cherish every moment. Have a good mindset for everything you do. I worked my tail off to get back into position, so I’m just ready to go back out and ball.”
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