Lane Kiffin’s first fall camp in Baton Rouge comes with almost no familiar footing. LSU has spent the offseason remaking nearly every position group, and the competition around the roster is wide open. Even so, a few returning starters are still walking into camp with something to answer for.
For Caden Durham, Harlem Berry, Davhon Keys and Weston Davis, 2026 is not just about holding onto a job. It is about proving the work they put in this offseason actually translates once the pads come on.
The most obvious battle is in the backfield, where Berry and Durham are both trying to win the starting spot next to quarterback Sam Leavitt. Berry has the edge in recent momentum after finishing 2025 as LSU’s primary starter over the final six games. Durham still has the benefit of what he showed as a freshman, and he enters camp hoping to take back a role he once controlled.
That fight is not limited to two players. Wisconsin transfer Dilin Jones also enters the mix after taking significant first-team reps this spring, and he could push hard for touches as LSU sorts out its rotation.
The bigger issue for the group is what the numbers said last season. LSU finished last in the SEC in rushing yards per game, and that happened with both Berry and Durham already on the roster. That kind of production leaves both backs with work to do, because Kiffin’s offense needs someone who can handle a heavy load.
Keys is in a different kind of squeeze. He remains one of the more established names in LSU’s linebacker room, but the competition around him is no joke. Whit Weeks and TJ Dottery sit in the same top tier, and that makes the depth chart both a blessing and a problem for Keys.
On one hand, being mentioned alongside two of college football’s most established and respected linebackers says plenty about the standard LSU is setting. On the other, that same depth can limit the chances Keys gets to separate himself. Every snap will matter for him, because he has to show he belongs right there with the best of the group.
No returning starter is carrying more scrutiny than Weston Davis. LSU’s offensive line was the SEC’s worst rushing unit a season ago, and Davis, along with center Braelin Moore, is part of the group expected to help fix it.
Davis started ten games in 2025, but his year at right tackle was rocky. He is still viewed as the favorite to keep the job, though Brysten Martinez spent his early-enrollee spring window trying to carve out playing time as a freshman.
The staff has stood behind Davis in public, and Kiffin has said last season’s struggles helped him grow. Even with that backing, Davis still has to show he is not the weak spot on a rebuilt line.
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LSUs Reported Money Plan Could Change Everything For Tigers Athletics
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Before anything becomes real, LSU is waiting on a third-party valuation and guidance from the IRS. That means the concept is still in the review stage, and plenty of the most important details remain unclear, including what specific investments the LLC might target or how the day-to-day mechanics would work. But even in outline form, the idea signals a program looking for a different kind of long-term revenue engine, one that could reshape how Tigers athletics is funded if the legal and financial pieces fall into place. [Read more 🡒]