Key Defensive Observations from Day 1 of LSU Football Fall Camp

LSU football is back as fall camp opens up in Baton Rouge.

Louisiana State Tigers linebacker Whit Weeks warms up before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

LSU football is back.

It opened its 2026 preseason with fall camp on Wednesday, opening its doors to media for two periods of practice. Over the two periods, LSU rolled out offensive and defensive unit work on separate outside fields, allowing each unit to work independently in the early-morning Louisiana heat.

For the defense, Day 1's first period saw them work on team pursuit drills, following a back from the backfield across to either side of the field and closing down the space between the runner and the sideline. Then in the second period, each position group broke out into individual drills.

There wasn't much to observe in the roughly 15 minutes of defensive work on the fields, so the teams LSU rolled out and the speed on the field were the biggest takeaways.

Building Slower This Fall

Jul 23, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“We’re following kind of a ramp up program to prevent injuries," Lane Kiffin said. "One that we kind of started last year, just looking at you know fresh at the end season and injuries in the first five days.”

LSU's fall camp this season may move slower, with less contact, speed and reps in the earlier part of the preseason work.

“So this is a shorter practice than our traditional ones used to be,” Kiffin said.

It’s not some radical new idea either, it’s proven to work for him and his staff.

"I think that we were as healthy as any team going into the playoffs, if not healthier than anybody," Kiffin said about his Ole Miss team last season. "And I think a big part was that was because our change of practicing less."

For Kiffin and his staff, they hope this model can help establish similar success in a new place this season.

"There's been so much OTA work also that I feel like we're going to be getting take some reps off right now," Kiffin said. "Not because we're going easy on, just for the wear and tear and for the less injury part of it, knowing that they've had so much."

Some Surprising First-Team Members

Nov 29, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Louisiana State Tigers linebacker Whit Weeks (40) warms up before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The first-team defense saw PJ Woodland and DJ Pickett, wearing No. 5, playing corner, Dashawn Spears in the star position with Whit Weeks and TJ Dottery roaming the middle of the field. This comes as no surprise.

But on the first-team defensive line were transfers Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Ross, two top-30 transfers on the edges, with freshman Deuce Geralds and Auburn transfer Malik Blockton locking down the middle.

Geralds' inclusion in the first team is also not a massive surprise, as he turned heads early and often across the spring practice window.

Blockton beat out returners Dominick McKinley and Shone Washington, as well as Clemson transfer Stephiylan Green and South Alabama transfer Achilles Woods and five-star freshman Richard Anderson for one of the two top spots.

The surprise came when the team rolled out onto the field, and the safeties took their spots in the secondary.

Ty Benefield, with no surprise, was out there, but LSU had rotated Jhase Thomas for Tamarcus Cooley for a rep to roam the skies with Benefield on Day 1.

“(Thomas) really has done a good job to play multiple things, and we rotate a lot of guys through early camp for competition," Kiffin said.

Individual Drills

Courtesy of Blake Baker's Instragram.

When LSU broke into individual drills, it was pretty easy to guess what each group would work on.

The defensive edges worked out getting off the line fast and past the dummy standing as the tackle, with the defensive line doing a similar drill, but working on getting off the line as soon as possible from the snap.

The corners worked on backtracking, turning and catching. The safeties worked on tracking a hanging ball in the air and jumping to make the play.

The linebackers worked on tracking routes behind them, turning their hips and following crossing routes over the middle. And the stars worked on catching on hooks and short routes near the line of scrimmage.

All of this is typical early-season individual work. Building reps on top of technique, eye discipline and timing.

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