LSU reports to preseason camp today, and the first practices begin tomorrow morning. The practice schedule has not been released yet, but the Tigers were told the sessions will alternate between morning and evening during camp, which is a change. More details are expected soon.
With camp getting underway, it’s a natural time to look ahead with a couple of bold calls.
One of them centers on Dashawn Spears, and the buzz around him is already building. In May, NFL Draft Files, which has 40,000 followers on Twitter, posted a highlight reel of Spears and labeled him: “Dashawn Spears is my No. 1 breakout candidate for the 2027 NFL Draft.”
Spears already gave LSU a big moment in the Florida game, when he earned 2025 Defensive Player of the Week honors after picking off two passes, including a 58-yard pick-six. He enters this season in a crowded and talented safety room, with returning starter Tamarcus Cooley back and Ty Benefield arriving from Boise State as one of the top portal additions. Benefield is expected to become a familiar name for Tiger fans quickly.
That depth is part of why Spears could be the one who surprises people. His move to the STAR position gives him a different lane in Blake Baker’s defense, one that could let him stand out rather than simply battle for safety snaps. The prediction here is simple: over the next couple of months, Spears will make enough splash plays that Tiger fans start putting him in the same conversation as LSU’s elite defensive backs.
The other bold prediction is even more aggressive: three true freshmen could end up starting together on LSU’s defensive line.
That would be unusual anywhere, and especially in the SEC, and even more so in the first year of a new coaching staff. But each of the three has a real case.
Richard Anderson made a statement at Edna Karr and won the 2025 Warrick Dunn Award. Lamar Brown arrived as the No. 1 player in the country out of high school.
Those credentials do not guarantee immediate readiness in the SEC, but they certainly put both in the mix.
Then there’s Deuce Geralds, who turned heads all spring. He was so disruptive that people around the program were doing double takes and wondering if he, not Brown, had been the No. 1 player in the country. Geralds looked like the standout on LSU’s entire defensive line this spring, and he seems close to locked into a starting job.
Anderson and Geralds have already shown the kind of intensity and physicality needed to handle the jump to SEC football. Brown brings a different profile, with the athleticism to play inside or outside even though he is not as big as the other two interior linemen. If he matches the level those two have already shown, LSU could open the season with all three freshmen starting up front.
With 32 days left until LSU opens against Clemson, it’s also worth looking at the Tigers’ kicking picture.
That number naturally brings up LSU’s 32-31 overtime win over Alabama in 2022, one of the biggest games ever played in Tiger Stadium. But the focus here is on the kicker who helped decide that game, Damian Ramos.
As a freshman, he drilled a 32-yard field goal with 6:52 left in the fourth quarter to put LSU ahead 17-15. He would go on to become the most accomplished kicker in program history, finishing with records for field goals made (69), field goals attempted (87), points scored (409), points by kicking (409), PATs (202) and consecutive PATs made (129).
Before Ramos, LSU relied on Cade York, who handled kicking duties from 2019 through 2021. York was part of the 2019 title team and led the nation in extra points made that season with 89.
He also delivered one of the most memorable kicks in program history in 2020, drilling a school-record 57-yard game-winner through thick fog in Gainesville to beat Florida. York earned First-Team All-American honors in 2020 and left LSU near the top of the school’s scoring lists, just like Ramos.
Now the job belongs to Scott Starzyk, who transferred in from Arkansas after earning 2025 Freshman All-SEC honors. As a true freshman last season, he started all 12 games, made 14 of 18 field goals and all 47 extra points, and led Arkansas with 89 points.
He opened his college career by hitting a 53-yard field goal against Arkansas State, the longest by a freshman in program history. After missing kicks of 51 and 49 yards against Ole Miss in Week 3, he made nine straight field goals and didn’t miss again until Week 10 against LSU, when he missed from 48 yards.
He then bounced back the next week against Texas by going 3-for-3 from 51, 33 and 33 yards.
Starzyk has a big standard to follow, but LSU is banking on the idea that his debut was just the beginning. If he builds on what he showed at Arkansas, the Tigers should be in good shape again at kicker.
In Other News...
Will Wade Just Got A Rare Portal Opportunity At LSU
Recent court rulings have opened a narrow but intriguing lane in the transfer market, and LSU is one of the programs best positioned to take advantage of it. With roster building still very much in motion, the Tigers have the kind of flexibility that can matter when experienced college players suddenly become available again, especially the kind who can step into a rotation without much adjustment time.
That creates a rare chance for Will Wade and his staff to shop in a part of the portal that normally would not exist this late in the process. LSU already has enough room to be aggressive, and the Tigers are lining up to pursue several proven returners who could change the look of the roster quickly, even as the full shape of the incoming class is still being sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Reported Money Plan Could Change Everything For Tigers Athletics
LSUs latest financial maneuver could end up looking far different from the kind of athletics deal many schools have been chasing. Recent reporting says the Tigers are exploring a school-controlled limited liability company built to invest in businesses that produce recurring revenue, a structure that would keep LSU at the center of the operation instead of handing over control in a traditional private equity sale. The idea, if it moves ahead, could also involve a nonprofit arm as part of the broader framework.
For now, the plan is still in the early stages. LSU is waiting on a third-party valuation and IRS guidance before deciding whether to proceed, and the specifics of what the LLC would actually buy or how it would function have not been made public. Even so, the concept alone suggests the Tigers are looking for a more flexible path to generate money around athletics without giving up the leverage that comes with running the show themselves. [Read more 🡒]