What LSU's Defense Needs to Accomplish The Rest of Fall Camp

Not long after Lane Kiffin arrived in Baton Rouge, Blake Baker walked away from head-coaching interest from his alma mater at Tulane this offseason to be Kiffin’s defensive coordinator and the early returns on that decision are showing up on the practice fields during fall camp.

LSU's defense enters the second week of fall camp with real depth at every level, plenty of NFL talent and a coaching staff determined to let offseason competition, not classifications and experience, determine the depth chart.

LSU's defense has come a long way since the unit Baker inherited in January 2024, and 2026 is shaping up as the year where a step up is as far as it can be: the best unit in college football. Fall camp is where that jump gets made.

Blake Baker's Turnaround, By the Numbers

LSU Tigers Football: Defensive coordinator Blake Baker helping Brian Kelly's defense in SEC play. — Courtesy of LSU Football.

In 2023, the year before Baker arrived, LSU was simply one of the worst defensive units in program history, and in the country that season. The team was ranked No. 78 nationally in scoring defense, but in Baker’s first season, that number improved to No. 59.

It wasn’t just scoring that improved, the unit’s efficiency increased, having shaved more than 50 total yards per game off its previous average.

Midway through that 2024 season, LSU ranked No. 7 nationally in sacks and No. 18 in red-zone defense, a sign that Baker’s aggressive, press-man scheme was working. By the season's end, Baker's group had trimmed nearly 10 points and 86 total yards per game off its averages compared to the defense he took over.

Year two brought the leap Baker promised when he arrived.

LSU's scoring defense ranked No. 13 nationally at 8.5 points per game and its run defense ranked No. 7 nationally at 44 yards per game through the first two weeks of the 2025 season, and the Tigers kept that form for most of the year.

LSU finished 2025 fifth in the SEC in scoring defense, sixth in the SEC in total defense and ranked in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense for the first time since 2017 and the top 30 in total defense for the first time since 2019.

Safety Depth Will Be Key

Boise State transfer Ty Benefield has been the buzz of camp, drawing praise from linebacker Whit Weeks as a potential first-round selection in April.

Behind him though, the competition for the other starting spot has been an unexpected story, with redshirt freshman Jhase Thomas taking some first-team reps through early fall from returning starter Tamarcus Cooley.

Ohio State transfer Faheem Delane, brother of LSU’s most recent first round pick Mansoor Delane, has also pushed his way into the mix, earning himself some first-team snaps early in camp.

That gives Baker four safeties who are capable of playing meaningful snaps, and LSU will need all four to keep pushing each other through the rest of camp so the rotation can see minimal fall off during the season.

The Young Defensive Line Needs to Keep Growing Up Fast

Lamar Brown poses for LSU media day | @lamar1brown_ - Instagram

LSU signed one of the most impressive defensive line classes in program history in 2026, and that talent is already forcing its way onto the first unit.

Deuce Geralds has taken more first-team reps than any other defensive tackle, while fellow true freshmen Richard Anderson and Lamar Brown shine in the defensive trenches as well.

The rest of camp needs to be about translating their raw talent into consistent technique if they want to have success on the field in SEC play.

Linebackers Have to Lead

Oct 11, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers linebacker Whit Weeks (40) against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Weeks returns as the anchor of the linebacker corps, now paired with Ole Miss transfer TJ Dottery. Behind that veteran duo, LSU has stacked bodies with junior Davhon Keys, redshirt sophomore Tylen Singleton and several younger names, giving Baker a rotation deep enough to stay fresh in October and November.

That depth is a luxury few SEC defenses have, especially when LSU’s top three are the league’s leading tacklers the last two seasons.

If LSU's linebackers close camp playing with the same intensity they showed in the spring, this defense has a real chance to finish among the best in the country.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google