Lonn Phillips Sullivan
Sep 9, 20205 min
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
#62
6'4
340
2019 STATS:
17 Tackles (11 Solo)
1.5 TFL
Played in 11 Games
Carrying on the Polynesian torch passed down to him by LA Chargers and 2019 LSU's Breiden Fehoko, this true gap-clogger / run-stuffer found frequent snaps throughout the championship campaign, although any credit for his contributions has been minimal at best....such is the life of a nose tackling girth of decisive harm.
Ika took to the field more than would've been expected of a freshman nose tackle out of Salt Lake City, Utah, but due to Aranda's 3 man D-line front needing a punishing anchor to back Tyler Shelvin, "Apu" featured in 11 games because he fit the 0 nose bill & performed admirably.
Only being flagged once on the season, during the critical 2nd quarter of the National Championship Game, Ika has proven himself to be a reliable force on the interior.
Will Ika have trouble moving from a 0-nose to life as a 3-technique?
Well...I recall seeing some footage of Ika at DT during the 2019 Spring game, torching right guard Anthony Bradford from the interior of a four man front, putting the O-Line's Michigan-born Paul Bunyan to sleep. His backfield entrance also hilariously freaked Myles Brennan out so bad, #15 chucked the ball away and ran to his left in fear (even whilst wearing the yellow "two hand touch" jersey).
Short answer?
As a former youth player, I can tell you there isn't too much difference between playing 0 technique or 3 technique, it's merely a shade away, it's not a big deal... unless you don't have the energy to get off the line quick enough, are over 370 pounds and absolutely need that split second head start from the center...neither of which are problems for the quick, confrontational Ika.
From the same piece of Spring game footage:
Much like fellow Polynesian Breiden Fehoko, Apu Ika holds a treasured calculus and precision in his jump off the snap, bursting forth while fellow linemen Thomas and Farrell were still daydreaming about ice tubs and bags of Fritos, Ika was ripping through future NFL Draft picks along LSU's line as if there were an untamed, vengeful Tiger in a room with Carol Baskin and Joe Exotic.
In 2020, many fanalysts have been excited about the East High Salt Lake City native (my hometown boy from my hood, SLC = LSU baby):
A rash of hosts, writers and YouTube jesters are already penciling Ika as a starter now that Tyler Shelvin's 2020 campaign is over; Shelvin and Ika would've anchored LSU's 2020 D-line together, a partnership which easily could've become legendary in its venomous glory.
However it was not to be: due to Shelvin's reported 370 lb size, I doubt these two interior DTs would've started alongside each other very much anyway.
Since Glen Logan will be moving inside, due to his growing asset as a DT (given his penchant for deflecting passes or run-stuffing within the C or B gaps) I can now forecast a starting pair of Logan and Ika as the solid bet, although Joseph Evans has made yet another celebrated line switch back to DT, more than enough to give Orgeron ample evidence to name him a pre-season starter along his 4-man front.
Ever hungry, Apu has ignored suggestions of 2020 being his breakout campaign:
He already had a breakout season, over-achieving like crazy within 2019's nexus of enthralling wonder....2020 is time for domination.
Upon his initial arrival as a freshman from Utah, things didn't look so well for the East High product (directly mined from the Dave Aranda, Bill Busch, Corey Raymond-Utah pipeline which also brought Soni Fonua to Baton Rouge).
But when the opportunities arose (as injuries occurred to Glen "The Joker" Logan, Rashard Lawrence, Michael Divinity Jr, and more) Apu Ika slid into his 0-nose spot and plowed ahead, desecrating opponents: as if the second an offense snapped the ball, they were now entering a meat grinder of hellish doom, splattering bodies, thrusting / flailing limbs crashing into one another like a torrid burlesque dance at a midnight barn party...this was where centralized destruction was born.
I believe Tyler Shelvin and Apu Ika would've made a devastating tandem...although as Apu tightens his body from 354 down to 340 over the last two months, we feel Ika would've taken the majority of reps over Shelvin anyway had #72 stayed at his currently staggering 375 lbs.
We hate talking about weight and height..neither measurable can claim responsibility for creating great football players, however I have true concern for Shelvin's health if he's really at 370+ pounds...just as much as I am absolutely intrigued by Ika's slimmer, more attack-minded physique and title-winning experience.
Yes, Shelvin's loss will be a difficult absence to fix, but when you spot Apu dropping 14 pounds in a month and a half, Glen Logan appearing more motivated by the day, Joseph Evans' robust application of trench warfare brutality, Ali Gaye's planetary size, Jarrell Cherry's insidious D-Line moves, all while local 2020 Bash Bros Jacobian Guillory and Jaquelin Roy boast the highest ceilings and most talent at DT, yet the least experience....7 top of the line, grade A options....
Whichever combination of starting interior linemen will play, we're not sure just yet...but we'll GEAUX out on a limb and say "Apu is going to start on 9/26 alongside Logan's experience"....remember, Apu is still a guy Saban missed on the recruiting trail and the Bama coach loses sleep over that fact...to be honest about my own choices, I truly would see no problem in rotating one of the freshmen (Guillory or Roy) next to Ika.
With under 20 days to geaux until college football returns to the SEC, this becomes the time where iron sharpens iron most...and at LSU, great players turn one another into elite creators of O-line / QB psychosis...
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