LSU Tigers Final 2026 Depth Chart Projection After Fall Camp

LSU football is so close to being back. The season opens at home versus Clemson in just over a week, and that brings a lot of excitement, but also questions about depth.

For LSU fans, the last two weeks have been a blur. Between former players taking legal action on the school, to controversial roster additions, the focus for fans in Baton Rouge hasn’t been on what’s happening on the field.

Lane Kiffin hasn’t shifted his focus, keeping his team locked in on the task ahead: playing winning football.

Offense

Quarterback

Starter: Sam Leavitt
Backup: Husan Longstreet
Third Team: Landen Clark

LSU has its QB1 back after missing all of spring, and Leavitt looks like he hasn't skipped a beat.

The depth pieces were an interesting battle to watch unfold in the fall, as both looked really similar in the spring as they fought for the then-first team reps.

Longstreet took a massive step up this offseason, working from behind Clark and into the second spot as the season opens. He looks clean and fit for this Kiffin and Weis offense.

Running Back

Starter: Dillin Jones
Backup: Harlem Berry
Third Team: Caden Durham
Depth Pieces: Stacey Gage, Raycine Guillory, Rod Gainey

The running back room is genuinely a free-for-all. Nearly every player in this list has received first-team reps this fall.

It's been clear that Jones, Berry and Durham are 1A options, but Gage has worked himself into a position to receive first team reps as well.

Despite Kiffin's traditionally one-back scheme, this is easily the most talented and even room he's had, so expect a lot of creative rotation at running back throughout the season.

X Receiver

Starter: Jayce Brown
Backup: Eugene Wilson
Third Team: Malik Elzy

Jayce Brown is clearly WR1 at LSU, but Wilson is making his claim for meaningful time with how he's performed this offseason.

With so much depth at the position as a whole, the set spots are likely to change, but it's clear that Harris, Wilson and Watkins are the clear first-team players.

Z Receiver

Starter: Jackson Harris
Backup: Tre' Brown
Third Team: Corey Barber

Barber sneaks into the third team since Roman Mothershed made a semi move to tight end this offseason. Mothershed's big frame is clearly built for the new position, and while the staff evaluates that switch, he needs the individual reps with that unit.

With that said, Mothershed could very easily be used in both positions this season, as he's had a strong spring and fall camp at receiver.

Slot Receiver

Starter: Winston Watkins
Backup: Phillip Wright
Third Team: Brayden Allen

Wright is going to be hard to keep off the field in 2026. He's simply got the speed, hands and swagger that an LSU receiver needs.

Behind him, Allen, a true freshman, has done enough to earn himself a spot on the edge of playing time. Expect him to be a late-game rotation piece in some of LSU's blowouts this season.

Tight End

Starter: Trey'Dez Green
Backup: Zach Grace
Third Team: Malachi Thomas

Green will be one of the country's best tight ends this season, so it's all about depth in this room.

Grace, the Oregon transfer, has recently surged into the No. 2 spot on the depth chart after a very strong fall. Thomas, a Pitt transfer, has looked solid as well, so some shifting may happen throughout the season depending upon personnel needs.

Left Tackle

Starter: Jordan Seaton
Backup: Brysten Martinez
Third Team: Hayes Fuqua

This is Seaton's spot. It was when he decided to transfer here in January.

But with his talent likely taking him to play NFL ball next year, his replacement has claimed his spot.

Martinez, an in-state product, has taken reps with the second team consistently over the offseason. He's shown he's ready to be LSU's next left tackle.

Left Guard

Starter: Bo Bordelon
Backup: Ja'Quan Sprinkle
Third Team: Brett Bordelon

Expect a season-long climb in depth from redshirt freshman Solomon Thomas at either guard spot or at right tackle. He spent his first few days back this fall at left guard. While he is not exactly built to play tackle in the offense, at 6-foot-3, 320 pounds, he was a five-star tackle out of high school for a reason.

Expect him to be a versatile depth piece if he can make a strong comeback this season.

Center

Starter: Braelin Moore
Backup: William Satterwhite
Third Team: Braden Augustus

There should be no surprise if Satterwhite ends up moving to either guard spot as a second- or third-depth piece; that is just the staff using his skills along the interior and making him a more versatile prospect. But if anything happens to Moore this season, Satterwhite will be the replacement.

Right Guard

Starter: Aliou Bah
Backup: Devin Harper
Third Team:Ja'Quan Sprinkle

Bah and Harper are both new to the LSU program, but Harper has an edge having followed Kiffin and his staff from Ole Miss to LSU.

Dispute that familiarity, Bah will take the job right guard this season.

Right Tackle

Starter: Weston Davis
Backup: Darrin Strey
Third Team: Sean Thompkins

Strey made a push for starting spot, but for Davis, his decision to stay at LSU and embrace competition paid off with a starting spot.

Defense

Left Edge Rusher

Starter: Princewill Umanmielen
Backup: Dylan Carpenter
Third Team: Jaiden Braker

Braker’s offseason saw a position change from linebacker to the edge, but he’s done a good job of adjusting and making plays at the position.

For Braker, the insane edge depth moves him further down the depth chart. Despite that, he’s built himself a chance to move into a bigger role next season.

Defensive Tackles

Starters: Deuce Geralds, Malik Blocton
Backups: Richard Anderson, Stephiylan Green
Third Team: Dominick McKinley, Shone Washington

The defensive tackles have been taken over by freshmen, with Geralds and Anderson proving ready for playing time through fall camp.

The transfers have also added a lot to the position group, moving returners like McKinkey and Washington down to deep rotational roles.

Right Edge Rusher

Starter: Jordan Ross
Backup: Lamar Brown
Third Team: Junior Tuihalamaka

The defensive line is going to be chaos this season. There will be so many different packages and looks, given how deep this area of the field is and how much Blake Baker loves to rotate pieces.

The edge rushers are still working to finalize the depth chart, and it will be worked on every day during prep for Clemson. It's clear that Umanmielen and Ross are the first-team players, but after that, Brown and Carpenter have both proven they deserve to see meaningful time on either side of the line.

Tuihalamaka is a wild card. He hasn't been seen by the media on the field, so he's kind of an unkown quality. But he's a fifth-year player from Notre Dame who appeared in every game for the Irish last season.

Will Linebacker

Starter: Whit Weeks
Backup: Tylen Singleton
Third Team: Charles Ross

Weeks will be the leader of this linebacker group. Behind him are two young players with elite tools.

Singleton has been just on the outside of playing regular football for the last two seasons, and that will likely hold true again this season with the amount of depth this room has.

For Ross, he’s a quick and physical linebacker that has a very high ceiling.

Mike Linebacker

Starter: TJ Dottery
Backup: Davhon Keys
Third Team: Zach Weeks

Dottery and Weeks will be a scary combination for opposing offenses.

And if one of them take a play off, on comes Keys, the SEC’s No. 2 leading tackler a season ago, behind Dottery.

Star

Starter: Dashawn Spears
Backup: CJ Jimcoily
Third Team: Aidan Hall

Spears is the prototype for this role in Baker’s defense. And he’s used his fall and spring camps to prove that and show he’s ready for the next step and a new position in 2026.

Jimcoily has taken the reps with the second team, but he’s looked the part, having definitely grown over the offseason.

Hall, a freshman, is simply the future of the position, learning from Baker and Spears this season.

Corner Backs

Starter: DJ Pickett
Backup: Ja'Keem Jackson
Third Team: Havon Finney

LSU is pretty thin at corner after Aidan Anding went down with a torn Achilles in the spring, leaving some room for freshman to step up and be depth.

For the starters, Pickett and Woodland can definitely become the SEC’s best corner duo if they continue working like they have so far this season.

Corner Backs

Starter: PJ Woodland
Backup: Michael Turner Jr.
Third Team: Emari Peterson

Turner has been thrust into a bigger role as well with Anding’s injury.

Strong Safety

Starter: Ty Benefield
Backup: Faheem Delane
Third Team: Treylan James

Benefield may be the next great LSU safety, he has the size, speed and skill to dominate in the SEC, and he’s shown flashes of that this fall.

Delane has impressed too, even earning himself some first team reps this offseason.

Free Safety

Starter: Tamarcus Cooley
Backup: Jhase Thomas
Third Team: Mason Dossett

Thomas has been seen taking multiple first-team reps, along with Delane, over Cooley.

It's not every down, as Cooley takes the majority of the reps with the first team, but it's more rotation than most other positions are seeing at this point in time.

Special Teams

Kicker

Starter: Scott Starzyk
Backup: Gavin Higgins

Punter

Starter: Grant Chadwick
Backup: Hayden Craig

Kick Off Specialist

Starter: Scott Starzyk
Backup: Grant Chadwick

Kick Returner

Starter: Harlem Berry
Backup: Caden Durham

Punt Returner

Starter: Eugene Wilson
Backup: Winnie Watkin

Long Snapper

Starter: Silas Hall
Backup: Mack Mulhern

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