At LSU, the buzz around the defensive line starts with the freshmen.
Bo Bordelon didn’t hesitate when asked about the trio. “They’re awesome,” said the fifth-year senior expected to start at left guard this year. “I think LSU is going to be set for about probably the next three years on the defensive line.”
That’s the kind of reaction LSU’s three first-year linemen have earned in preseason camp. One of them, Brown, is a former U-High star and one of the most highly rated recruits LSU has ever signed.
He works on the edge. Anderson and Gerald are interior players, and both arrived with serious recruiting pedigrees of their own.
Anderson came out of Edna Karr as a top-20 national recruit, according to 247Sports composite rankings, while Geralds - the Sewanee, Georgia, native - checked in just outside the top 50.
Put together, they’ve made the Tigers’ defensive front one of the most interesting groups on the roster. LSU has older bodies there, too, but the freshmen are forcing the conversation because they look capable of helping right away.
“It’s really exciting,” Kiffin said. “All of them have a chance to play. Those three specifically are playing a lot, and it’s really exciting in an age that a lot of people play older portal players.”
LSU has also leaned on the portal to build that room. Kiffin and his staff brought in Clemson transfer Stephiylan Green, a redshirt junior, and Auburn transfer Malik Blocton, a true junior, last December. The Tigers also brought back junior Dominick McKinley, a Lafayette native who logged 370 snaps last season in the middle of the defense.
That mix is the big question now: how the snaps will actually be split between the freshmen and the veterans. LSU’s preseason practices are open to reporters only for individual drills, not the team periods where the depth chart really starts to reveal itself.
Still, the early reviews have been loud.
Said Baker: “We’ve thrown more install at this group than I ever have in my career.”
There’s also the flip side, and Kiffin hasn’t ignored it. On Aug. 10, he pointed out that freshmen tend to “make more mistakes” than older players.
In the middle of the defensive line, those mistakes can become the kind of run plays that change a game fast. LSU had issues at times limiting those explosive gains in the first two years of Baker’s tenure.
That’s why the veterans matter so much. Green has 636 career snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Blocton has 718. McKinley played a rotational role in 2025 on a defense that finished seventh among SEC teams in rushing defense, and Kiffin said Thursday that he’s had a “really good camp” after he “didn’t really have a good spring.”
LSU believes the formula here is pretty clear: veterans to steady the unit, freshmen to raise the ceiling.
“There’s been growing pains,” Baker said. “We’re gonna have to fight through the freshman wall at some point. I think all three of them are doing a good job fighting it right now, but I am proud of where they’re at now and where they’ve come from.
“They work at it. They all love football. They got really, really bright futures, but you’ll see all three of those guys on the field.”
That’s what has Kiffin thinking he and Ed Orgeron may be looking at something they haven’t seen before, even after years around elite defensive linemen at places like Southern Cal, Tennessee, Ole Miss and LSU.
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Practice has already started sorting out LSUs depth chart in ways recruiting services never could. Lane Kiffin said he is not paying much attention to rankings when he evaluates players, and that approach has put transfer running back Stacy Gage in focus after a strong run of recent practices. The message is pretty clear: what matters in camp is what happens on the field right now, not what a player was labeled coming out of high school.
That same day also brought a fresh wave of practice updates across the roster, with some players working through injuries and others getting back on the field. For LSU, those status changes matter because they can quickly reshape the competition at key spots, especially when a name like Gage is pushing his way into the conversation. The camp battle is still unfolding, but he has already become one of the more interesting players to watch. [Read more 🡒]
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Luis is seeking to play in the 2026-27 season after signing a two-way NBA contract and being waived before the season, and Sankeys argument cuts to the heart of the dispute. He says letting former professionals return would create unfairness for current student-athletes who never left college for a pro path, setting up a case that now feels less like a routine eligibility matter and more like a test of where the line gets drawn. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Has One Late Camp Concern Fans Cant Ignore Before Clemson
Late in fall camp, LSU is still getting a clear look at where the pieces fit, and the conversation out of Day 14 centered on a few players making noise in the right spots. Lane Kiffin said defensive tackle Dominick McKinley has put together a strong stretch, while running back Stacy Gage has started to emerge as another name worth watching. He also singled out quarterback Sam and defensive player Princewill for the work they have shown during practice as the Tigers keep sorting through the final weeks before the opener.
The bigger concern, though, is on the offensive line, where Kiffin pointed to the depth as an issue that still needs attention. For a team heading toward Clemson, that kind of uncertainty up front is hard to ignore, especially this late in camp when coaches usually want answers more than questions. LSU has made progress in several areas, but the line remains the spot fans will keep watching closely until the first real test arrives. [Read more 🡒]