Tomorrow kicks off the first fall camp for LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin as they start preparations for the season opener against the Clemson Tigers on September 5th. Even though the Tigers are coming off a 7-6 season and a coaching change, there are already high expectations for LSU to contend for a College Football Playoff spot thanks to having a $40 million roster. The talent is there and the ceiling is there, but at the same time, it raises even more questions on how the 2026 LSU Tigers will look. A lot of these questions will still be unanswered heading into the season opener, but it will be interesting to follow just some of these storylines/questions throughout fall camp.
1. Can this entirely new built team come together and build chemistry?
When it comes to upside, there might not be a team as high of an upside than LSU’s after coming up with a $40 million roster including the number one transfer portal class of 40 and a total of about 60 newcomers, but at the same time, there is just so much uncertainty about how it is all going to come together in a month period. Fall camp will be a crucial time for this team to build a rapport, chemistry, and an identity. That will be the key to the season no matter how talented this team is, and it will have to be in a hurry as the Tigers will face off against Clemson, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M in three of its first four games of the season.
2. How effective is Sam Leavitt coming off right foot injury?
The prized gem of this #1 transfer portal haul for LSU is its quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is now full go after sitting out spring football with a right foot injury. The level of success this year from LSU can be measured by how healthy the right foot of the Arizona State transfer is. There is going to be a close magnifying glass on how the foot impacts Leavitt’s escapability and mobility, but also how does that time off from the injury impact the chemistry between him and his receivers after not having that time in the spring.
3. Who emerges at wide receiver?
Perhaps, LSU’s WR1 is actually a tight end in 6’7 Trey’Dez Green, who was one of the lone consistent bright spots on offense after having 33 catches for 433 yards and seven touchdowns last season. The way that Lane Kiffin can move Green around as a chest piece and be a mismatch nightmare, the Zachary product could be in for a huge season. He is a given, but this year, he is the lone returning target from last season. Kiffin brought in 12 new wide receivers including nine transfers. The room is still deep and talented as ever, but the question begs who is going to stand out among the rest. Transfers like Jayce Brown, Eugene Wilson III, Jackson Harris, Winston Watkins Jr., Malik Elzy, and Roman Mothershead are some names to watch, but this development will be followed closely on which receivers emerge from the crowd and can earn Sam Leavitt’s trust.
4. Can LSU’s offensive line gel with a mixture of new additions and returning players?
A lot of the problems offensively last season came from its offensive line as LSU could not run the football or protect Garrett Nussmeier. The LSU coaching staff brought in a heralded prize from the transfer portal in getting former five star in Colorado transfer Jordan Seaton, who has the potential of being a first round NFL Draft pick. Braelin Moore returns as the Tigers’ center and was by far the best offensive lineman on the team last season when healthy. The question comes on who the five other starters will be. Weston Davis struggled mightily at right tackle. Bo Bordelon is the favorite to start at one of the guard positions after a great spring and Aliouh Bah has over 24 career starts at Maryland. Then, there is Ole Miss transfer Devin Harper, who is expected to battle Davis for the starting tackle spot or at least be a swing guy in rotation. With a lot of unanswered questions on the offense, it may be up to how quickly this offensive line can gel that determines how good this offense can be.
5. Can LSU’s defense build championship depth?
In terms of LSU’s defensive starting defense under the influence of defensive coordinator Blake Baker, who returns after getting some major traction for head coaching jobs, there are not a lot of defensive units as talented as the Tigers. The linebacking corps and secondary have the chance to be among the best in the entire country. At linebacker, All-SEC caliber players Whit Weeks and Ole Miss transfer TJ Dottery lead the unit while two-year starter Davhon Keys gives Coach Baker a productive trio. The secondary is turning back into DBU with a very experienced unit. DJ Pickett is a long, rangy cornerback at 6’4 that can potentially be LSU’s next defensive superstar. PJ Woodland brings a veteran presence after ranking top ten in the SEC in PBUs last season. Dashawn Spears can play in the box or drop back in coverage while Tamarcus Cooley and Boise State transfer Ty Benefield may make up the best safety tandem in the conference. There is also a lot of talent off the edge in getting SEC transfers in Ole Miss transfer Princewill Umanmielen and Tennessee transfer Jordan Ross.
All that is good, but there are a couple of questions defensively. The first is who will fill out the interior on the defensive line. There are plenty of options including veterans Dominick McKinley, Auburn transfer Malik Blockton, and Clemson transfer Stephiylan Green. However, this may be LSU’s best ever freshman class of defensive tackles as well in getting nationally recruited guys like Lamar Brown, Richard Anderson, and Deuce Geralds. Who emerges to start and will those talented freshmen step up as depth pieces? The starting five defensive backs can all play, but who also steps up behind them in case of injury. Will it be Michael Turner, highly talented freshman Havon Finney Jr., Ja’Keem Jackson, Faheem Dalone, or any of the other incoming freshmen coming in? There are not a lot of questions regarding the defensive side of the football, but these are the ones that need to be answered during fall camp.