LSU Football Fall Camp Standouts: Five Eye-Catchers for Brian Kelly and the Tigers

Kelly and Co. wrapped up Fall Camp on Saturday night in Death Valley, all focus shifts towards Clemson.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers put a bow on Fall Camp on Saturday night in Death Valley after the program navigated the final practice of the offseason.

After a four-week Fall Camp stretch, Kelly and Co. wrapped up preseason practice with the Bayou Bengals set to enter Clemson "game week" on Monday.

LSU has seen rotations emerge, newcomers climb up the depth chart, and potential starting lineups take shape over 21 days of camp.

But which players turned heads in preseason practice? Which Tigers won the offseason?

The Eye-Catchers: Five Standouts From Fall Camp

No. 1: DT Bernard Gooden

South Florida defensive lineman Bernard Gooden is the overall winner from Fall Camp after entering preseason practice as a rotation piece and leaving as a starter.

The 6-foot-1, 268-pounder plays low to the ground and utilizes leverage well against opponents on the inside where he's wreaked havoc across the first three and a half weeks of camp.

The All-AAC Honorable Mention selection a season ago logged 35 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks during the 2024 season with South Florida.

Now, he's in line to start for the Tigers come Week 1 at Clemson.

Courtesy of Bernard Gooden's Instagram.

No. 2: CB Mansoor Delane

The LSU Tigers have their new CB1 with Delane taking control as the program's lead cornerback heading into the 2025 season after a strong offseason.

The Virginia Tech transfer tallied 146 tackles, 16 pass breakups, six interceptions and four forced fumbles across three seasons with the Hokies.

In 2024, Delane had his "coming out party" after reeling in four interceptions on the season while leading the Hokies in the category.

"Mansoor Delane has been very impactful at the cornerback position," Kelly said in February.

"We've got some younger guys, some guys with experience, but we don't have a veteran player back there. His leadership and the way he's handled himself has been amazing."

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

No. 3: WR Zavion Thomas

Thomas will be a gadget wideout for the Tigers in 2025 where he'll thrive with the ball in his hands in multiple ways.

We've seen Thomas shine as a return specialist across his college career, but it's his effectiveness as an offensive threat throughout Fall Camp that has turned heads.

As a return specialist, Thomas led the Southeastern Conference in kickoff return yardage with 633 yards while ranking second in the league in return average at 26.4 yards per attempt last season.

Fast forward to the 2025 season and it's clear that Thomas will have an expanded role on offense with the Tigers lining him up in multiple slots during Fall Camp.

Sep 21, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers wide receiver Zavion Thomas (0) catches a pass against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

No. 4: TE Trey'Dez Green

The 6-foot-7, 245-pounder will work alongside Oklahoma Sooners transfer Bauer Sharp in the tight end room this upcoming season with Green dominating in Fall Camp.

Green enters his second season in Baton Rouge where he's set to take on an expanded role as a pass catcher for Garrett Nussmeier.

He'll be an elite weapon in the red zone in 2025 with Green and Nussmeier developing significant rapport across the month of August.

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers Football program Day 6 of Spring Camp.

No. 5: S AJ Haulcy

Houston transfer AJ Haulcy has locked down starting duties in the defensive backfield where he will serve as a starting safety in 2025.

The 6-foot, 215-pounder totaled 74 tackles, five interceptions and 13 pass breakups during the 2024 season with the Cougars on his way to First Team All-Big 12 honors.

Haulcy has taken first-team run alongside Tamarcus Cooley with the pair of newcomers upgrading the safety room significantly from the 2024 season.

Haulcy and Cooley can virtually be penciled in as the starters heading into Week 1 at Clemson with second-year Tiger Dashawn Spears also expected to receive significant run in 2025.

"Game experience and football knowledge. Those are the two things. And we didn't move off of those. Everybody that we evaluated, it was if they don't have those two criteria, we can't even begin this process. So they have to have snaps, real-life snaps," Kelly said of Haulcy and Cooley.

Honorable Mentions:

- CB DJ Pickett
- CB PJ Woodland
- WR Kyle Parker
- EDGE Gabriel Reliford
- EDGE Jack Pyburn

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