Wednesday will kick off fall practice for the LSU Tigers. There are roughly a million new faces that will debut on the Ponderosa, whether it be players or staff.
There’s plenty of reason for optimism surrounding LSU this season, but several questions about the roster and fall camp remain unanswered as the Tigers prepare for their first preseason practice.
1. How far along are the backup quarterbacks and are they ready for meaningful snaps this season?
This has nothing to do with Sam Leavitt or his foot injury. A lot has been made over whether or not Leavitt will actually be 100 percent at the start of the season as he recovers from a foot injury he suffered last season. That’s not the reason for the question, though.
Lane Kiffin and his staff did a tremendous job of being relentless about bringing in quarterback depth and talent from the transfer portal. They could have stopped after adding one or two big names at the position, and most people still would have felt confident with Kiffin running the offense. But even if Leavitt enters camp 100% healthy, making it through an entire SEC season without needing the backup quarterback at some point is a lot to ask.
Over the last two seasons, only three of the 16 teams (Tennessee, Arkansas, and Alabama) in the league have seen their starter play in every game of the season without missing any time due to injury. Having a capable backup that can step in at a moment’s notice isn’t just added value anymore, it’s become nearly imperative.
2. What will the makeup of the defensive line look like and how young will they be?
There are some that are very concerned about the depth of the defensive line for LSU this year. That’s understandable since outside of Princewill Umanmielen there aren’t any players with a great deal of production on this until.
LSU did address some of the concerns at the position in the offseason with guys like Jordan Ross from Tennessee. But, they also brought in one of the most talented freshman defensive line recruiting classes in college football in the last 20 years.
Deuce Geralds turned heads in the spring. Richard Anderson has been called the best defensive lineman to come out of Louisiana high school ranks in the last 20-25 years as a recruit. Lamar Brown was one ranked the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 class, according to ESPN.
How much of the defensive line and pass rush will be made of true freshmen will be fascinating to watch.
3. Who will be the bell cow at running back or will there be one?
Everywhere Lane Kiffin has been has featured some certainties on offense. He identifies his best players and gets those players the ball regardless of position. That’s been the case at the running back position several times throughout his career.
The best example is Derrick Henry in his Heisman season when Henry had a ridiculous 395 carries in the season. If you’re looking for something more recent, look at Kewan Lacy last year at Ole Miss, who led the SEC in carries with 305. That was 50 more than the next closest back in the league.
LSU has some really good talent at the running back position. Dilin Jones, Caden Durham and Harlem Berry are all very talented. But, who will be the bell cow? Or will there be one at all?
That will be one to watch throughout the next 33 days before the season starts on Sept. 5.
