LSU’s defense has no shortage of talent heading into 2026. The bigger question is whether all that upside finally turns into a unit that can carry its weight under Blake Baker.
There’s star power sprinkled everywhere, but the Tigers still have real uncertainty tied to production, health, depth and how quickly new faces settle in. Those are the issues that will decide how high this defense can climb.
The front is the first place to start, because that’s where the most obvious ceiling - and the biggest unknowns - live. Senior Ole Miss transfer Princewill Umanmielen arrives after posting nine sacks last year, and his length and motor should fit Baker’s scheme cleanly.
The problem is what comes next. Jordan Ross, a former five-star, has just 1.5 sacks in two seasons at Tennessee.
Freshman Lamar Brown brings elite pedigree too, having been ESPN’s top prospect in the 2026 class, but he’s making the jump from high school to the SEC on a quick timetable after enrolling this summer.
Even if the edge opposite Umanmielen hasn’t proven itself yet, the interior may be the more pressing concern. Junior Dominick McKinley played in all 13 games and started twice last season, but he finished with only 12 tackles and one sack.
He’ll get every chance to change that. Around him, LSU has a mix of experienced transfers and talented freshmen: Malik Blocton had 34 tackles and two sacks in two years at Auburn, Stephiylan Green put up 34 tackles and 3.5 sacks in three years at Clemson, and Achilles Woods totaled 12 tackles and a sack in two years at South Alabama.
Then there’s Richard Anderson, a 6-foot-3, 339-pound five-star freshman, and Deuce Geralds, a four-star freshman who worked with the first team in spring. Too many of these names carry big-time recruiting labels for the front to settle for ordinary production.
At linebacker, the spotlight falls on Whit Weeks and TJ Dottery. Weeks was one of the best linebackers in the country in 2024, earning first-team All-SEC honors after piling up 125 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception.
His 2025 season was wrecked by injuries, though, first after an ankle issue in the Texas Bowl and then another lower-leg injury that cost him five games. He was back in activity during spring camp and is expected to be fully healthy this season.
LSU needs that version of Weeks, because he’s the emotional and physical tone-setter for Baker’s defense.
Dottery gives the Tigers another proven piece. The fifth-year senior transfer from Ole Miss led the SEC with 98 tackles last season and added 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
He’ll have to adjust from Pete Golding’s system to Baker’s, but the hope is that he and Weeks form a disruptive tandem. Both have said they enjoy playing together and work well with each other.
The secondary has a different kind of issue: top-end talent up front, but a scary lack of certainty behind the starters. PJ Woodland and DJ Pickett give LSU a legitimate starting corner duo, but if either goes down, the room gets thin in a hurry.
Sophomore Aidan Anding was supposed to be the next option, but he tore his Achilles in the spring. That pushes Ja’Keem Jackson closer to the spotlight.
Jackson, a former four-star who spent two seasons at Florida, started for the Gators in 2024 before a season-ending ankle injury.
After him, the depth chart gets even younger and less tested, with Michael Turner Jr., Craig Walton Jr., Southern University transfer Treylan James, and freshmen Havon Finney Jr., Emari Peterson and Dez Ellis in the mix. Ideally, none of them have to play a major role. Realistically, somebody needs to separate himself in preseason camp and become a dependable backup.
Special teams has its own major transition. Sophomore Scott Starzyk was named All-SEC at Arkansas last season after making 14 of 18 field goals and all 47 extra points.
He was perfect from inside 40 yards, went 3-for-6 from 40 to 49 yards, and hit 2 of 3 from 50 yards or longer. LSU will ask him to follow Damian Ramos, who left as one of the most accomplished kickers in program history.
Ramos finished with LSU records in points (409), field goals (69) and consecutive successful PATs (129).
Starzyk isn’t being asked to duplicate Ramos’ career resume overnight. That’s not realistic. But if he brings the same accuracy and leg he showed as a freshman, LSU should be in good shape.
In Other News...
Why The Delane Name Suddenly Matters Again At LSU
A familiar name is back in the LSU defensive backfield, and this time it belongs to a safety with a little college experience already under his belt. Faheem Delane arrived from Ohio State after appearing in 13 games as a backup last season, giving LSU another option in a room that already has established pieces and clear roles entering the year.
The family tie only adds to the intrigue, since Faheem is the younger brother of LSU All-American cornerback Mansoor Delane. For now, the expectation is that he opens the upcoming season behind Ty Benefield, but LSU has a way of turning depth-chart footnotes into meaningful contributors, especially in the secondary. [Read more 🡒]
LSU May Have Just Caught A Huge Break With RJ Luis
A federal ruling out of Colorado could end up giving LSU a notable boost for next season, with Judge Charlotte Sweeney approving an injunction that allows college athletes from the Class of 2022 affected by the NCAAs 5-for-5 eligibility ruling to keep playing while the broader lawsuit moves forward. The decision is especially relevant for forward RJ Luis, who had been in line to lose eligibility under the challenge before this latest court action changed the picture.
For LSU, the timing matters. Luis is now expected to regain eligibility for the Tigers next season, though the NCAA still has to implement the ruling before it fully takes effect. For a program always watching roster flexibility closely, it is the kind of development that can quietly reshape offseason plans while the larger legal fight over eligibility continues. [Read more 🡒]
Lamar Brown Is Giving LSU Fans A New Reason To Watch Camp
LSUs summer roster overhaul has been built around the transfer portal, with Lane Kiffin landing what has been billed as the nations highest-ranked portal class in an effort to push the Tigers from a seven-win team into the SEC title race. Princewill Umammielen, Jordan Ross and Malik Blocton headline that group, but as fall camp opens, there is another name drawing attention from people around the program: 2026 defensive tackle Lamar Brown.
Brown arrives with the kind of athleticism and upside that can make a camp worth following even before the pads come fully on, and the expectation is that he will compete for playing time sooner rather than later. Whether he becomes an immediate factor is still to be determined, but his presence adds another layer to a defense that is already trying to absorb a wave of new talent while sorting out how quickly all of it can translate on the field. [Read more 🡒]