BEAUMONT, Texas – Over the course of the next couple weeks LamarCardinals.com will be breaking down the 2022 LU football team, position-by-position, heading into the season opener at Abilene Christian, Sept. 1^st.
 
Today LamarCardinals.com will be breaking down the LU defensive line.
 
Quick Facts:
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/5
 
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/1
 
Newcomers: 8
 
Stats: LU's defensive line was responsible for 18.5 tackles for losses, including 11 sacks, last season, with two quarterback hurries and three passes deflected at the line of scrimmage.
 
The Storyline
It is true that the Cardinals' defense will be young – in terms of player classification and returning starters – but like LU head coach Blane Morgan has said throughout preseason camp, Big Red returns a lot of players who played significant snaps on the defensive side of the ball last season.
 
The one area where LU returns a majority of its starters is on the defensive side of the ball. The Cardinals bring back two of their three starters from last year – Jack McCarthy (6-4, 265, So.) and Jaymond Jackson (6-3, 241, So.). The thing of note there is both players have three years of eligibility remaining with the Red and White.
 
Between the two, they give LU's defensive front 22 games of starting experience. Jackson started eight games last season, while McCarthy started three games of the COVID 2020 season, and all 11 contests last year. This duo will be counted to provide the experience for the Cardinals on the defensive side of the ball, and they should be able to carry that responsibility for the next three seasons.
 
The Cardinals returning duo registered 33 tackles, including 11 solo stops, with 1.5 tackles for losses and three pass deflections and three quarterback hurries in 2021.
 
Another returning letterwinner with three years of eligibility remaining with the Cardinals is local standout Ayden Bell. A former Willie Ray Smith Award winner from Silsbee, Bell played in six games during his rookie season, with six tackles, one sack and a QB hurry. Despite not being listed as a returning "starter," Bell only got stronger as the year went on last season and is putting together a strong preseason camp.
 
The one spot on the line where LU does not return a starter is nose tackle, but Caleb Williams (5-11, 300, So.) is putting together a solid preseason after an injury shortened '21 campaign. Before the injury, Williams recorded two starts with a tackle against Nicholls.
 
The Cardinals have a strong nucleus to start upfront and enter the home stretch of camp looking to tighten up their depth at the position. Coach Morgan and his defensive staff will have plenty of options to choose from with eight returning letterwinners, to go along with eight newcomers to the position.
 
Other returners looking to fight their way into starting roles will be returners Breylon Charles (6-5, 240, So.) and Chidera Umeh (6-4, 281, So.) who bring size and experience. Charles was a three-star athlete coming out of high school and got his first taste of Division I football last season, while Umeh is entering his third season with the program despite just a sophomore in terms of eligibility. In addition to the returning veterans, the Cardinals also tapped into the transfer portal to bring in Pius Njenge (6-4, 250, So.) from Southern Nazarene. He will provide and added element of strength to the defensive front that will only add to the competition for starter all season.