Counting down the top 11 safeties in LSU history: Where do Delpit, Landry, and Adams rank?
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, LSU built elite defenses on the backend. In the 2000s, we saw Laron Landry and Craig Steltz play at an All-American level. Jamal Adams and Grant Delpit continued that tradition a decade later.
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But the tradition started before those players were even born with guys like Greg Jackson leading the way in the 1900s.
These lists are never easy. It's hard enough to decide on the 10 most deserving names. After it's narrowed down, it's even harder to find the right order, especially with the amount of talent that's come through Baton Rouge over the years. I tried to consider a variety of factors, from raw talent, production, all-conference accolades, All-American honors, and NFL Draft position.
Here are the 11 best safeties in LSU football history.
11. Chad Jones
Jones spent three years at LSU and played in all 40 games, making 19 starts. As a junior in 2019, Jones racked up 74 tackles, three picks, with six pass breakups.
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Jones was quick to make an impact after arriving at LSU. As a true freshman, he made 34 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, a pick, a forced fumble, and three pass breakups.
It wasn't just defense where Jones made his impact. Against Mississippi State in 2009, Jones returned a punt 93 yards for a touchdown to give LSU a 30-21 lead in the fourth quarter. That score proved to be key as LSU won 30-26. Jones was a two-sport standout and won a national title with the football team and the LSU baseball team.
10. Craig Burns
Burns wasn't all that different from Jones, except he wore the LSU uniform 35 years earlier. Burns was a playmaker in the secondary who also returned punts and was a star on the baseball team.
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Burns eight interceptions in 1970 is tied for first place in program history. He finished his career with 12 picks, one of the best marks in LSU history. Burns earned second-team All-SEC honors in 1970.
Burns had a career day with three picks vs. Ole Miss in 1970.
9. Liffort Hobley
Hobley picked off 10 passes in his LSU career, one of the best marks in program history. Six of those picks came in 1984, when Hobley was an All-SEC safety.
Hobley came up big in the Sugar Bowl vs. Nebraska, picking off two passes. He earned All-SEC honors twice in his career and was a third-round pick in the 1985 NFL Draft.
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8. Craig Steltz
Steltz is one of four LSU safeties to earn consensus All-American honors.
Steltz didn't become a full-time starter until his final year with LSU in 2007, but he made the most of it. Steltz was a team captain on a national championship-winning defense. He picked off six passes and forced three fumbles. Steltz's 11 career interceptions.
Steltz was a finalist for the Thorpe Award, annually given to the top defensive back in college football. He was a first-team All-SEC and a fourth-round pick in the NFL Draft.
7. Eric Reid
Reid was a member of LSU's dominant secondary in 2011. Reid's 2011 interception vs. Alabama is remembered as one of the best plays in LSU history. In the fourth quarter of a 6-6 game, Reid wrestled a jump ball away from Alabama's tight end to secure the turnover. LSU went on to win 9-6.
That moment was representative of the plays Reid made throughout his LSU career. Reid was a first-team All-American in 2012 and a second-team All-American in 2011. He earned all-conference honors in 2011 and 2012 before moving on to be a first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
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6. Greg Jackson
Jackson earned first-team All-American honors in 1988 from Gannett News Service. He was named first-team All-SEC by the Associated Press and SEC coaches.
Jackson came up with seven picks in 1988. Jackson was dangerous with the ball and his 219 interception return yards in 1988 remain an SEC record. He was a team captain as LSU went 6-1 in conference play thanks to a stellar defense.
Jackson was a versatile secondary player who went on to be a third-round pick in the 1989 NFL Draft.
5. Jamal Adams
Jamal Adams is one of the most talented defenders to wear the LSU uniform. He was a five-star recruit before the New York Jets selected Adams with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
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Adams made an impact as a true freshman in 2014, but saw his career take off in 2015. Adams earned second-team All-SEC recognition and finished the year with 67 tackles, five tackles for loss, six pass breakups, and four interceptions. In 2016, Adams took it up a notch, earning first-team All-American honors.
LSU's 2026 defense was one of the best in the nation with Adams holding it down in the secondary. Few LSU defenders were as fun to watch as Jamal Adams.
4. Grant Delpit
Grant Delpit won the Thorpe Award in 2019 as a leader on LSU's national championship-winning defense. He was a consensus All-American and first-team All-SEC.
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But for as good as Delpit was in 2019, he was even better in 2018, when he was a finalist for the Nagurski Award. In 2018, Delpit led the SEC with five picks and ranked No. 2 in the SEC in pass breakups. He finished the year with 74 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks. It's hard to find another player who made Delpit's impact in coverage, stopping the run, and rushing the passer.
Delpit did it all, and he did it at an elite level, leaving LSU with a national title ring.
3. Chris Williams
Coming in at No. 3, we have LSU's all-time interceptions leader Chris Williams.
Williams played corner and safety at LSU, but he played enough safety to be on this list. Williams picked off 20 passes at LSU, including an eight-interception campaign in 1980. Williams earned first-team All-SEC honors that year.
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Williams was a second-team All-SEC in the prior season, too.
Williams was a top contributor at LSU from 1977-1980 and was a second-round pick in 1981. It's tough to find a player who made a high impact like Williams in all four years.
2. LaRon Landry
Landry's talent speaks for itself. It's why he was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.
Landry's resume is strong, and he has a case to be the top-ranked player on this list. Landry was a second-team All-SEC in 2003 as a member of LSU's national championship-winning defense. In 2004, Landry earned all-conference recognition again.
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In 2005, Landry earned third-team All-American honors. And then in 2006, Landry was a Thorpe Award semifinalist, first-team All-SEC, and first-team All-American.
Landry's 315 career tackles rank top 10 in school history, and his 12 career interceptions rank third in LSU history.
1. Tommy Casanova
Tommy Casanova was a two-time consensus All-American in the secondary for LSU. Casanova made an impact in all three phases of the game, contributing on offense and special teams, too.
Casanova emerged in 1970 as one of the best players in the nation. He entered 1971 in the Heisman conversation, but an injury in 1971 cost Casanova five games. Casanova still managed to earn first-team All-American honors again.
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Casanova was selected in the second round of the 1972 NFL Draft. As a pro, he went on to be a three-time Pro Bowler. Casanova finished his LSU career with three first-team All-SEC selections.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Ranking the 11 best safeties in LSU football history
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