LSU and Brian Kelly have found their new defensive line coach.

Jimmy Lindsey will head to Baton Rouge after spending two years with South Carolina. Lindsey replaces Jamar Cain, who took a job with the Denver Broncos as a pass rush specialist.

In Cain’s absence, analyst Gerald Chatman worked with the LSU defensive line this spring. Lindsey will work with the interior defensive line while new addition John Jancek handles the outside linebackers.

After some minor shuffling, LSU’s staff should now be complete barring any unforeseen departures. Here are five things to know about the newest assistant.

As a recruiter

When LSU hired Cain, many raved about his recruiting prowess. LSU was going to need something close to that with his replacement.

Lindsey has been around a long time with stops all over the country. He’s coached in the South and the Midwest.

Given Kelly’s previous Midwest connections and his new southern home in Baton Rouge, Lindsey is a good fit for what Kelly wants to do in recruiting.

Lindsey’s last few stops were at South Carolina, Illinois, and Western Kentucky, three places not known for their ability to land five stars.

Based on that, it’s hard to compare Lindsey to some of the SEC’s top recruiters, but it doesn’t mean he won’t do it at LSU. Two of South Carolina’s top high school recruits last cycle were defensive linemen.

Lindsey has served as a recruiting coordinator at previous stops, so he knows what he’s doing in that regard. LSU needs a big class next year at interior defensive line so Lindsey will be put to the test right away.

Development

Last year with the Gamecocks, two of Lindsey’s defensive tackles, Tonka Hemingway and Zacch Pickers, were among the conferences best pass rushers.

According to PFF, the only DT with a better pass rush grade than Hemingway was Jalen Carter while Pickens ranked sixth.

Lindsey will now get to work with Mekhi Wingo, Maason Smith and Jacobian Guillory.

Wingo’s 25 pressures were fifth among SEC defensive tackles. Smith was out all year after tearing his ACL in the opener, but his pass-rush ability speaks for itself.

Against the run, there were some struggles at South Carolina. Lindsey will have more talent at LSU, so we’ll see how the Tigers’ run defense shakes out.

Lindsey has special teams experience

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Lindsey’s experience with special teams may have played a role in his hiring. He’s been a special teams coach at three different schools.

LSU is dividing special teams responsibilities among assistants this year with Jancek at the top. Expect Lindsey to also be involved with special teams in some regard.

How did he get here?

Lindsey got his coaching start at Chattanooga. He then coached at Gardner-Webb, Miami (Ohio), and UT-Martin. He returned to Chattanooga for a period before taking a job at Georgia Southern.

Following his time in Statesboro, he worked at Western Kentucky and Illinois, which led him to South Carolina and then LSU. I’ve mentioned Lindsey’s work with special teams and recruiting, but he’s also spent time as a linebackers coach.

His connection to Matt House

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LSU defensive coordinator Matt House and Lindsey were both at Gardner-Webb in 2005.

It’s not clear whether this played a role in Lindsey’s hiring, but given they both worked with the same unit at Gardner-Webb, there might already be some familiarity with how they each do things.

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Story originally appeared on LSU Tigers Wire