Michael Bacigalupi
By Hunt Palmer
LSU’s 2025 offense broke down.
The inconsistent offensive line, injuries to the quarterback, avoidance of the running game and the lack of a downfield passing game created an inept unit that ranked at or near the bottom of the SEC in just about every metric.
The moment Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. arrived in Baton Rouge, those days were left in the rearview. Kiffin and Weis aren’t magicians. They’re not going to wave a wand and produce the best offense in college football. However, steady improvement took place during the spring.
LSU’s offense is headed the right direction.
With an understanding that the summer and fall camp are to come, we’ll take a swing at the starters for LSU as spring closes on The Ponderosa.
QUARTERBACK
Sam Leavitt is the quarterback, but he was severely limited in the spring. He did some light throwing and handoff work the first week. Then he had the pins removed from his surgically repaired foot the following week. After that, he was in attendance at practice but didn’t participate.
Huson Longstreet emerged late in the spring as the likely No. 2 option with Landen Clark having his moments, especially with his legs, late in the practice window,
RUNNING BACK
I truly believe Dilin Jones would start if LSU played a game on May 1. He was clearly a favorite of Kevin Smith in individual drills and garnered a ton of first team reps as spring went on. Harlem Berry saw plenty of first team action, and Caden Durham is the elder statesman, but Jones is carving out a role.
TIGHT END
Trey’Dez Green looked to be on something of a pitch count this spring. He wore a no contact jersey every day. Still, he participated in plenty of 11-on-11 and 7-on-7. He never looked limited in any way when he was out there.
Behind Green, Malachi Thomas adds some size in two-tight formations and jumbo packages. But this is Green’s position, and he’ll garner preseason All-America honors.
WIDE RECEIVER
This is the toughest spot on the roster to nail down. Phillip Wright returns, and LSU added nine transfers and three freshmen. It’s a massive overhaul with a blend of skillsets. I’ll give my current top five targets. My assumption would be that if you asked another media member for his or her top five it would look different.
I think Jayce Brown, Winnie Watkins and Jackson Harris are the top three. Brown has been used a ton in the jet sweep game and is silky smooth in his routes. Watkins was identified by the staff as a high schooler. He played meaningful reps on a prolific offense as a freshman last year and made some big plays in Tiger Stadium during scrimmages. Harris provides the size you’re looking for, and he was a big play machine at Hawaii.
After those three, I think there are real options. I’ll give you Florida transfer Tre Wilson as a slot option and Illinois transfer Malik Elzy as a bigger-bodied option. Wilson is the quickest and most sudden wide receiver in the group. Elzy just keeps making plays at practice.
If you told me Wright or Tre Brown, who missed a ton of time with injury, emerged as a passing game threat, I’d believe it. But I’ll stick with the first five for now.
OFFENSIVE LINE
We know who Kiffin and offensive line coaches Eric Wolford and James Cregg trust right now. The first five didn’t change the last three weeks of practice.
Jordan Seaton is a staple at left tackle. Bo Bordelon has won the spot next to him at guard. Braelin Moore returns at center where he looks healthy. Maryland transfer Aliou Bah is the right guard, and Weston Davis held off some challengers at right tackle where he was LSU’s starter a year ago.
That’s an extremely old and experienced group. Seaton will be in year three as a starter. Moore has already started for three seasons. Bah has 24 career starts, and Bordelon is a fifth-year senior. Davis is the youngster, but he’s got a season of SEC starts under his belt.
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