Matt Moscona
By Hunt Palmer
Blake Baker sincerely deliberated three options in December.
Ultimately, he spurned Memphis and Tulane, his alma mater, to stay at LSU. The decision created a sense of stability on the defensive side of the football as the offense was torn down and rebuilt by Lane Kiffin.
There are plenty of new faces at every level of the defense, but the DNA of the unit still contains 2025 starters and the system they played in.
Last year’s group finished fifth in the SEC in scoring defense and sixth in total defense. That’s not elite, but it’s a far cry from the disaster Baker inherited in 2024. more progress is expected in 2026, and that started this spring.
Baker’s defense controlled the first two weeks of spring action and faced an up-tempo offense finding its stride later on. That will only help this group develop in fall camp.
A pair of injuries have hurt LSU’s depth on defense, but here’s a look at how I saw things as spring closed
DEFENSIVE LINE
Gabirel Reliford’s injury makes this a pretty easy call. SEC transfers Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Ross are the edge defenders up front. Umanmielen is the move proven sack producer on the team. He had nine last year which was third in the SEC. Ross has great talent, but he never matched the talent with production over two seasons at Tennessee.
The interior defensive line is the biggest question mark of the defense. LSU rotated liberally between the first and second teams. Evaluation was tough at this spot because there was no tackling in the spring. Running plays were often just a mass of humanity standing and colliding and then a whistle.
My best educated guess is that Deuce Geralds in going to play a ton, and it may be as a starter. I’d put Dominick McKinley and Malik Blocton as favorites next to him. Stephiylan Green missed some time early but certainly factored into the mix later. If my feet are held to the fire, I’d go Geralds and McKinley as the first two. Scale of 1-10, my confidence there is about a 4.
LINEBACKERS
Whit Weeks, Davhon Keys and TJ Dottery are the guys. This is as high a floor as exists on the LSU roster. Dottery and Keys finished no. 1 and No. 2 in the SEC in tackles last season, and Weeks was No. 2 in 2024 when he last played a full season.
This group is fast, old and productive. There may not be a first round pick in the bunch, but it’s a trio that will make a ton of tackles.
DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD
The linebackers have a high floor. The ceiling here is….way up there. I think DJ Pickett (CB) and Ty Benefield (S) have All-American potential. PJ Woodland is a very good second corner. Tamarcus Cooley is a proven and versatile commodity at safety and in the slot, and Dashawn Spears will get his chance to play some more. He shined in coverage last year from the DIME role, but will be more involved in 2026.
These five are going to share the field a lot which means a linebacker will come off the field in a lot of LSU’s alignments. We also saw some three-down defensive line looks that will allow three linebackers and five DBs on the field.
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