Ahead of Saturday's matchup with Florida, LSU head coach Brian Kelly discussed the recent change in helmet communication on the defensive side of the ball.
Linebacker Greg Penn III started with the green dot but Kelly said LSU made a switch a couple of weeks ago. That timeline aligns with LSU's struggles vs. Texas A&M.
According to Kelly, the intention behind the switch was to get the secondary more information during every snap but the defense as a whole reaped the benefits.
In order to give the safeties a better chance to make open-field tackles, Kelly said the front seven and secondary must shrink the space between their units.
"Their play will be better because the entire unit recognizes how important it is to give them a better opportunity in those tackling situations," Kelly said. "I thought they were really good and focused this week."
Ryan ranks 55th among SEC safeties in PFF run defense grade. Fellow safeties Major Burns and Jardin Gilbert check in at 56th and 60th, respectively.
At his radio show, Kelly suggested there are some cons to the new helmet comms, saying it can cause overthinking.