GLENN DORSEY: WHY HIS #72 MUST BE RETIRED NOW

Updated: May 7, 2022

DEDICATED TO #72

by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

@LonnPhillips

How elite was #72 in purple & gold?????

Just ask Tim Tebow what #72 felt like in 2007....

Simply quiz Todd Boeckman on how fast #72's arms were.....

Interrogate Darren McFadden for the name of the only DT who could ever tackle him in open space....

Just ask anyone who ever played against or alongside him.....everybody knows the answer:

Glenn Dorsey is likely among the top 20 greatest DL in college football's entire history, simultaneously pushing 21st century names such as Suh, Clowney or Donald for the top 5 since 2000.

Although LSU's former All-American has experienced his share of plaudits over the years, playing a major role on the Tigers' 2007 National Championship team, winning that year's Bronco Nagurski & SEC Defensive Player of the Year awards alongside 7 other national honors (before being selected among the 2008 NFL Draft's top 5 picks), our appreciation for Dorsey's greatness doesn't match what he gave us as Tiger fans.

LSU's greatest ever defensive lineman doesn't just deserve to be among the College Football Hall of Fame...the number 72 must be retired now....it should have been enshrined back in 2013-14 after the 6 year waiting period ended.

That's the least he deserves. More realistically, Dorsey's 3 years of achievements should've earned the Baton Rouge native a statue by now.

Or am I just getting carried away with my love for defensive linemen, especially those of the purple & gold variety???

Alongside such outrageous names like Warren Sapp, Ndamukong Suh, Chris Long, Chase Young or Jonathan Allen, Big Glenn is only one of a few DL to ever receive a first place Heisman vote (or finish inside the top 10 Heisman rankings), but even more iconic, Dorsey is the first (& thus far only) player in college football history to sweep the Nagurski, Outland, Lott and Lombardi Awards all during the same year.

If you're at that age where you're wondering "what's a VCR?", let me explain a few things about Glenn Dorsey:

#72 was our defensive equivalent to Joe Burrow, and it should go without saying, #72 remains, in my opinion, at least around the top two or three greatest defenders to ever wear purple & gold.

Glenn was a big game player, constantly showing up against our ultimate rivals, producing huge 3rd down sacks from the interior....the Ascension High Legend was always there for LSU when victory required his contributions, busting 7.5 sacks and 14 TFL against LSU's biggest SEC rivals (Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, Tennessee at that time, Miss St & Florida).

At the end of the day, Dorsey will be remembered most for 2007:

Yes, he posted strong numbers during his freshman and sophomore years (12.5 TFLs and 6 sacks combined), however, 2007 is the moment when Glenn's game & intimidating persona launched into the stratosphere throughout LSU's wildest season on record:

72 put on a spotlight-capturing display of athleticism, pre-snap instincts, gap demolition & football IQ, stunning scouts who hadn't seen such innovation from a DT in some time....taking the position to the next level, just as Tiger DTs Claude Wroten & Kyle Williams did before him.

Regardless of LSU's talent on defense, 2007 was a bumpy ride of the highest highs, lowest lows, all ending on a storybook note of incredible redemption.

Facing 8 ranked teams, no opponent ranked lower than 18th nationally and a trio of top 10 squads, LSU needed everyone as they won 6 games by a margin of 7 points or less: from Craig Steltz to Curtis Taylor, Ali Highsmith, Ricky Jean-Francois, or Perry Riley, all hands were on deck.

In every crucial game of LSU's fiery gauntlet schedule, Dorsey was an unsurpassed handful, tyrannically wearing down guards, centers or tackles with equal aplomb as entire OL units tried in vain to do anything just to slow down his motor.

Instead, opponents met Dorsey's face mask, his violently quick hands, brilliant feet, and, for the time, unmatched interior athleticism.

Dorsey's sack on Tebow still makes me delirious with wonder, the All-American's last man stand against Alabama or Arkansas still supplies chills....his tireless pursuit & drive showcased a penchant for solo tackles on the edge against All-American SEC speed...it all takes me back to a time and place...when LSU lost 2 games in triple overtime and still won the SEC & National Championship.

Glenn was a thoroughbred in every sense of the word.

Paving the way for a strong season from DL partner Kirston Pittman's 2007-leading 7.5 sacks, while creating enough havoc to free up 7 different Tigers for 2+ sacks a piece, Dorsey still added 7 sacks and 12.5 TFLs across 2007's intense yet historic season.

Of course, the LSU Legend's timing was always impeccable:

The only turnover he ever officially forced arrived inside the Superdome during the 2008 BCS National Championship Game vs #1 Ohio State.

In his final LSU appearance, his second straight bowl game at the hometown Superdome, Glenn racked up 4 solo tackles, 5 total stops, 1 TFL, and a tone-setting sack, but he would save his best for last:

In what would become the culmination of LSU's 2007 destiny, Glenn slapped the ball out of Todd Boeckman's clutches to keep the score at 31-17, leading to an eventual 38-24 title win.

Without Dorsey, LSU does not win a National Championship in 2007....that is clear...his 14 performances stand alone: five games with 4+ solo tackles, sacks against Mississippi State, Florida, Alabama, and Ohio State, recording 69 overall stops as an interior lineman...

The Baton Rouge-native was the complete defender, affecting pass protections, blowing up screens, clogging gaps or passing lanes with his robust body and tree-trunk arms. He deciphered complex schemes from the opposition, pulling off some side to side shutdown stops, as well as constantly devastating the backfield.

Without Dorsey, LSU's 21st century reputation as a modern defensive institution would definitely look a lot lighter, specifically regarding national college football optics as well as the trophy cabinet.

Without Dorsey, there may not have been a Suh or an Aaron Donald, at least not in the way these DTs have become canonized. 72's evolution as a player also advanced the DT position toward heights unseen, as both a shockingly devastating pass rusher and a constantly moving, human gravesite for the aspirations of every offensive lineman with a death wish.

Both an anchor & play-maker.

With Dorsey, LSU were able to create a lifetime of memories from just 3 years, proving what is capable when hard work, love for the craft, determination for success, and God-given talent align.......much like Joe Burrow, before we had a chance to fully appreciate who and what we were witnessing, Glenn was gone to the NFL....

...for many young millennials, Dorsey didn't exist, shoved back to the forgotten denizens of our hyper attention deficit world.

On Saturday night, LSU fans have one more chance to say "thank you" in the best way possible: a full, emotional, earthquake-loud Death Valley roaring for 72.

GLENN DORSEY

(LSU CAREER)

154 TOTAL TACKLES

71 SOLO TACKLES

25 TACKLES FOR LOSS

13 SACKS

3 PDs

1 FF