Ranking Every LSU Defensive Position Group by Confidence Rating

The LSU Tigers will have a brand new look when they return to Tiger Stadium for the season opener of the 2026 season against the Clemson Tigers on Sept. 5. The Tigers will have new faces both on the sidelines, led by new head coach Lane Kiffin, and several new players on the roster.

Kiffin went to work over the offseason to build a roster that will have the Tigers competing to get back to the top of the SEC in his first season in charge. The Tigers bring in 40 new transfers to go along with their 2026 recruiting class and a few key returners from a year ago.

A lot of the focus for LSU heading into the season will be on the offensive side of the ball, considering that it is Kiffin's strong suit. The Tigers' defense retained defensive coordinator Blake Baker, who turned around the unit a season ago. LSU has plenty of talent at Baker's disposal, with some being more solidified than others. Here's a ranking by confidence level of each defensive position group.

Linebacker

While a lot of the offseason focus was on what the Tigers were adding in the transfer portal, one of Kiffin's biggest wins was bringing back star linebacker Whit Weeks. The veteran linebacker heads into his fourth season in Baton Rouge and has become the anchor of the Tigers' defense.

Weeks battled through injury during the 2025 season as he played in just eight games, tallying 31 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a sack. If Weeks can get back healthy and return to his All-SEC form from that he played back in 2024, and paired with incoming transfer TJ Dottery, the Tigers could have one of the top linebacker duos in the country.

Dottery follows Kiffin from Ole Miss to LSU as he heads into his fifth year of college football, giving the Tigers another veteran presence in the middle of the defense. The linebacker had a productive 2025 season, recording 98 tackles,1.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.

Safety

LSU's safety room is losing one of its top defensive players from a season ago as A.J. Haulcy heads off to the NFL; however, the Tigers have plenty of talent with proven production to replace him.

Leading the charge for the Tigers' safeties room is returning starter Tamarcus Cooley. In his first season in Baton Rouge a year ago, Cooley started all 13 ballgames, tallying 70 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and four pass deflections.

The likely starter alongside Cooley will be another returning face in Dashawn Spears. The safety enters his third season with the Tigers after two productive first seasons, during which he has totaled 53 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two interceptions. Spears has started just four games over his first two seasons and now should have one of the starting spots locked up.

Edge Rusher

Mississippi Rebels linebacker Princewill Umanmielen against the Miami Hurricanes during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The headliner in the Tigers' edge rusher room will be star transfer Princewill Umanmielen, who has quickly become one of the top pass rushers in the country. Another former Ole Miss player to join the Tigers, Umanmielen, had a breakout season in 2025, totaling 44 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, nine sacks, one interception, and two pass deflections.

The depth at this position could be in question, but redshirt sophomore Gabriel Reliford and incoming transfer Jordan Ross are both likely to receive extended snaps to be the pass rusher opposite of Umanmielen.

Cornerback

The Tigers' cornerback room has the potential to be one of the top positions on the roster, headlined by sophomore DJ Pickett and PJ Woodland. The duo has the chance at being one of the top tandems in the SEC as they combined for 73 tackles, five interceptions, and 11 pass deflections.

However, behind those two, the questions begin to arise. The biggest question revolves around who will be the third starting cornerback on the field with Pickett and Woodland, and that's something Baker and Kiffin will have to figure out before hitting the field.

Defensive Tackle

The interior of the Tigers' defensive line comes in last, not because of talent but because of experience. LSU has plenty of talent on the interior with former five-star Dom McKinley, who will be in for a bigger role after totaling 12 tackles, a sack, and a pass deflection as a true freshman.

LSU also has a pair of incoming five-star freshmen at the defensive tackle spot in Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson. Brown ranked as the No. 3 player in the country, while Anderson ranked at No. 17, both of whom come in with incredible talents that can make an impact right away.

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