PALMER: McKinley’s emergence could spur revamped LSU defense

By Hunt Palmer

Championship teams are cultivated by stars.

This 2025 Tiger roster currently has two. Whit Weeks is the face of the defense. Garrett Nussmeier is the face of the team. Beyond that, LSU has plenty of veteran pieces and high-floor position groups.

The search for more headliners is officially on.

Harold Perkins has plateaued since a meteoric rise during his freshman season. Caden Durham and Aaron Anderson made the second team in the pre-season all-conference voting. Barion Brown and Patrick Payton did some great things at their first stops.

There are plenty of candidates.

My favorite is Dominick McKinley.

LSU’s best teams have had elite defensive line play. Chad Lavalais and Marcus Spears set the tone for the 2003 team. So did current defensive line coach Kyle Williams. Glen Dorsey dominated in 2006 and 2007. Michael Brockers became a star in 2011 alongside Bennie Logan. Those two played a combined 17 seasons in the NFL. Tyler Shelvin and Rashard Lawrence were a problem for offenses in 2019.

That’s been missing at LSU since 2019.

Makhi Wingo and Maason Smith formed a solid pair in 2023. They were draftable but far from dominant. Last season’s group was a mash unit, and this year’s squad adds a pair of transfers.

Ahmad Breaux and Bernard Gooden represent the leaner, quicker players that fit Williams’s style. Sydir Mitchell and Jacobian Guillory are the space eaters.

McKinley has the skillset and size to do it all.

“We ran out of weights for him to max squat,” Kelly said. “It’s a 650 pound max squat. I throw that out to you to show how powerful he is. He’s such a great kid. He’s grounded every single day, and he has elite strength and he’s going to play a major role in what we do. He’s still learning. Coach Williams is on his hip every single day, but he’s enjoyable to coach.”

Squatting 650 lbs. doesn’t guarantee success on the field, but it doesn’t hurt. Neither does being 6-foot-6 and 308 lbs. with agility and quickness.

McKinley’s freshman season was derailed early with a foot injury in camp. His best football came in the season finale when he notched two sacks against Oklahoma.

On Wednesday, he was working with the first team ahead of older players like Gooden and Guillory. That’s a start.

Williams will likely rotate his tackles liberally because of the depth LSU has amassed via the transfer portal. Still, McKinley possesses the greatest upside of any on the roster.

If he becomes a star, LSU could make major strides as a defense.