Ed Orgeron announces 5-star LSU safety signee JaCoby Stevens will play WR as freshman

A player who was expected to contribute to LSU’s “DBU” legacy will be catching passes instead of breaking them up.

LSU coach Ed Orgeron told reporters Monday that JaCoby Stevens, a 5-star safety out of Murfreesboro, Tenn., will be playing offense as a freshman, not defense. Stevens was rated the No. 1 safety in the class of 2017 on the 247Sports Composite.

Orgeron pointed to the team’s depth in the secondary and need for an offensive playmaker as reasons for Stevens’ position change.

Orgeron says #LSU felt deep at safety and "needed some help at WR," when talking about moving Jacoby Stevens.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 1, 2017

Orgeron says Stevens could play Z or X and could play the new F position. He's starting at slot. #LSU

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 1, 2017

As the No. 19 overall recruit and in the 2017 class, Stevens was one of the most sought-after prospect, and had 31 scholarship offers. Earlier this year, he cited the opportunity to play for secondary coach Corey Raymond as one of his main reasons for signing with LSU over Alabama.

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.