The Freshman LSU Fans Need to Know Before the Season Starts

Out of all the freshmen that LSU signed and added to the 2026 class, it seems like only one will hear his name announced in Tiger Stadium as a starter when the Lane Kiffin era begins on Sept. 5.

That freshman is Deuce Geralds, a defensive tackle from Collins Hill High School inside of Georgia's elite Gwinnett County. That same school also produced Heisman trophy winner Travis Hunter.

Geralds' dominance during spring practices was one of the more surprising storylines that came from the first camp with the new class. He has seemingly earned his starting spot by blowing up offensive lines and is shaping up to be a wreck for offensive coordinators.

“For him to come in and [not just] play at the level he plays at, but practice the way that he does, it says a lot about his coaching in high school, it says a lot about his upbringing with his parents," Kiffin said in an April press conference. "He’s gonna be a great player here.”

What makes Geralds such a polarizing athlete?

Deuce Geralds stands during a visit to Ohio State | Lori Schmidt / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Geralds is on the shorter side of trench players, standing at 6'1, but his quickness makes up for it. He is the all-time sack leader in the state of Georgia, easily a top 10 state for football prospect production. He's brought his tenacity to another elite state.

“Deuce has done a phenomenal job, [he’s had a] major impact,” Kiffin said. "He's caused havoc. He's going to be a great player."

Geralds was only a four-star talent coming out of high school, but was rated as the fourth best defensive tackle in his class by 247Sports and the second best by ESPN.

In his senior year, Geralds recorded 16 sacks in 11 games. In total, he had 91 tackles and 37 tackles for loss. In short, he was a game wrecker.

His quickness gives way to explosiveness off the line of scrimmage once the ball gets snapped. He often beats offensive linemen, which allows him to penetrate and get into the backfield before the quarterback or running back knows what's going on.

Much of LSU's attack on the defensive line is going to come from edges Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Ross. But the focus on those elite talents, especially Umanmielen, is going to open up room for the defensive tackles to strike.

LSU's defensive tackle group brings a lot of experience in the age department, but not many names that jump off the page. It looks like the starter who lines up next to Geralds will be junior Auburn transfer Malik Blocton.

That pairing is going to fall together nicely as Blocton demonstrated quality SEC experience as he started eight games in 2025 as a sophomore, totalling 18 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a half sack.

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