BATON ROUGE - LSU’s second day of fall camp brought a better look at the quarterbacks, a freshman defender who keeps popping, and a few early hints about where the depth chart is leaning.
Media watched two periods of Thursday evening’s practice, the first time the Tigers wore shoulder pads this preseason. With first-year head coach Lane Kiffin and his staff continuing work ahead of the Sept. 5 season opener against Clemson at Tiger Stadium, a handful of details started to stand out after two days on the field.
The biggest step forward came from junior starting quarterback Sam Leavitt. His deep ball was cleaner Thursday than it had been a day earlier, when some of the longer throws missed by a little.
This time, he connected on a nice over-the-shoulder strike to Winston Watkins on a go route. Leavitt’s short and intermediate throws have already been close to spotless, and the improvement downfield matters even more as he works back from foot surgery.
At running back, sophomore tailback and Wisconsin transfer Dilin Jones remains the top name in the rotation. Jones has been steady since arriving before spring ball and has carried that into camp.
Behind him, sophomores Caden Durham and Harlem Berry are next in line. For now, the expectation is still that Jones will be LSU’s starting tailback in September.
On defense, freshman Lamar Brown is making noise early. The Baton Rouge native and defensive end logged a tackle for loss during one of the drills media were allowed to see Thursday, and he’s already working with the second team.
Kiffin said after Wednesday’s opening practice that the staff expects the speed of the game and the playbook to take time for Brown to fully absorb, but there’s clearly intrigue because of how many different things he can do. Thursday was another reminder that his instincts are already showing up.
Another freshman is also forcing attention in the secondary. Jhase Thomas lined up at one of the starting safety spots for a second straight day, while junior Tamarcus Cooley - who started all 13 games last season - was again with the second unit. Thomas is turning heads by holding that spot for now, but the real question is whether he can keep it and be in the lineup against Clemson.
Behind Leavitt, the backup quarterback battle still has some rough edges. Husan Longstreet and Landen Clark have both been uneven through two days, especially on intermediate and deep throws.
In Thursday’s red zone work, both missed some easier passes. Longstreet has been more reliable on the deeper looks, particularly when throwing over the middle, and he’s been the primary backup so far in camp.
In Other News...
LSUs Next Quarterback Battle May Already Be Taking Shape
Husan Longstreet has barely settled into LSUs program, but his arrival already gives the Tigers a clearer look at what comes next under Lane Kiffin. The redshirt freshman quarterback, once a five-star recruit at USC, is now part of Kiffins transfer class and has brought real pedigree to a room that always seems to be one turn away from a major reset.
For now, the path is straightforward enough: Sam Leavitt is the established starter, and LSU can afford to let Longstreet develop without forcing the issue. The bigger intrigue is the longer view, because if Leavitt heads to the NFL Draft after the season, Longstreet is the kind of arm LSU could be building toward as the program starts thinking about its next quarterback fight. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Could Face Another Staff Reset Sooner Than Fans Wanted
Lane Kiffin has at least gotten a seasons worth of continuity from his top two assistants, keeping offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and defensive coordinator Blake Baker in place as LSU settles into the year. For a program that has spent plenty of time dealing with change at the top and on the sidelines, having both coordinators back has mattered, especially with Baker already drawing interest before after being considered for the Tulane job and Weis building a reputation as one of the sports more promising young coaches.
Still, the longer LSUs staff performs at a high level, the more likely it is that other programs will come calling. Industry insider Pete Nakos recently listed both Weis and Baker as potential head coaching candidates in the near future, which puts the Tigers in a familiar spot of trying to enjoy the stability while it lasts. For now, LSU has its coordinators intact, but another round of staff turnover could arrive sooner than fans hoped. [Read more 🡒]
LSU's Dominick McKinley Suddenly Has More To Prove Than Expected
Dominick McKinley arrived at preseason camp with the kind of rsum that usually buys a little more certainty. The LSU junior defensive tackle was a former five-star recruit and had shown up on several preseason depth charts as either a starter or the No. 2 option, which made his place in the pecking order seem fairly clear entering August.
Instead, the early work of camp left him with more to prove than many expected. LSU opened with Malik Blocton and Deuce Geralds as the first-team tackles and Stephylan Green and Richard Anderson behind them, leaving McKinley to keep fighting for snaps after appearing in 23 games over his first two seasons with only limited starts. He is still expected to compete for playing time, but the opening of camp suggests nothing will be handed to him. [Read more 🡒]