BATON ROUGE, La. -- Along an LSU defensive front that faces its share of uncertainty, Christian LaCouture's return at least provides a steadying presence.
He served as an honorary assistant coach last season after tearing a knee ligament in preseason camp, which forced him to sit the season. Now he's back in an on-field role, following an 11th-hour decision to remain a Tiger made just ahead of the NFL's early-entry deadline.
"Last year was just me trying to be an assistant coach with those guys out there. They're my buddies, but they knew when I went out there, I was just like a coach and I had to help them out," LaCouture said.