Dashawn Spears (McBryde) has been a patient, but promising piece of a retooled LSU defense bolstered heavily with veteran transfers.
But Saturday the sophomore safety looked like was back at nearby Denham Springs where his record-setting knack for intercepting passes made him a star for his Yellow Jackets and one of the state’s top prospects.
The 6-foot-3, 208-pound athlete picked off Florida quarterback D.J. Lagway not once, but twice — his first two collegiate interceptions — including a 58-yard touchdown return in the third quarter that helped the Tigers start putting the clamps on a 20-10 win in a bit of a breakout performance for the secondary as a whole.
“It means everything to me,” Spears said. “Coming from being born in Utah to coming down here when I was 9 years and being right down the road in (high school), listening to the stadium and always wanting to play here, it’s just a full-circle moment for me.”
Coach Brian Kelly announced afterward that Spears had earned the game ball for the victory and praised his maturation in his work behind the scenes.
The young defensive back played 205 snaps as a true freshman in 2024, according to PFF — marking the 15th-most among all Tigers’ defenders, but having more than 70% of those come during an early stretch as Kelly and company tested different personnel combinations before the SEC gauntlet.
“I just kept my head down,” he said. “It’s real easy to give up when things don’t go your way. I had to realize during the offseason that my time will come. So I just took my work ethic to another level this offseason.”
Even with notable transfer additions to the secondary, Spears appears to be carving out a consistent role in the Tigers’ defensive backs-heavy “prowler package” on third-and-long plays.
LSU got after Lagway throughout Saturday’s contest and backed the Gators into 10 third downs of 7 yards or farther — at which time Spears was prepared not only to take the field, but to be a game-changer.
On the pick-six in particular, he broke down how quickly he was able to read the play and creep into position to jump the pass thanks to his recognition from film study.
“And you know why? Because he’s been grinding,” Kelly said. “He’s been grinding. Every single day he comes in and he’s looking for an opportunity to get on the field.”
Spears highlighted and headlined the performance of the secondary, but he credited the pressure his teammates up front were able to apply to Lagway and smiled the widest when asked about his fellow safeties also intercepting passes.
Transfers A.J. Haulcy (Houston) and Tamarcus Cooley (North Carolina State) also snatched their first interceptions of the season.
“Those are my dogs,” Spears said. “We break it out in the safety room, ‘Headhunters.’ We’ve all just been manifesting it, and it came today.”
And five-star freshman cornerback D.J. Pickett joined the pick party late, giving the Tigers their first five-interception game since Dec. 19, 2020, against Ole Miss.
LSU totaled six interceptions in 13 games in 2024 — a mark now already matched through three games to start the new season.
Spears is confident Saturday can be a sign of things to come for a secondary with a mix of key additions and talented returners in their second season under defensive coordinator Blake Baker, secondary coach Corey Raymond and safeties coach Jake Olsen.
“Five picks, I think — not think, but I know, we’re gonna become DBU,” he said. “We’ve been preaching it, so all the guys in the room, we’ve just been balling.”