Former Wisconsin DT Gio Paez is excited to play for LSU

One huge acquisition in the Spring transfer portal was defensive lineman Gio Paez from Wisconsin. Gio added immediate experience to a young defensive line that had just two returning tackles from 2023. In the Big Ten, Paez was a very solid run defender. At 6’3” and 310 pounds, he definitely has the size to compete against SEC offensive linemen and has drawn praise from teammates and coaches throughout training camp.

On how fall camp has been going

Gio: It’s definitely been different from my fall camp experiences in Wisconsin. But nevertheless, I think it’s been super enjoyable to be a part of this team and ultimately just grind and put in all of this hard work that’s going to pay off later in the season.

On why he chose LSU

Gio: I think Coach Bo [Pelini] played a humongous role in me coming out this way. When you just look at his resume of who he is as a coach, the people he has produced and things of that sort, it was kind of a no brainer. And it’s LSU and this is the SEC. It doesn’t really get better than that.

What has impressed you on the offensive side of the ball going against them in practice?

Gio: I think there’s much more of a faster tempo than I was accustomed to in the Big Ten. We don’t really have teams who are up on it. There’s a drill that we do in practice called the 88’s strictly just to break us off and get us conditioned and be able to adjust in the heat of the moment.