LSU’s first preseason practice brought a few fresh wrinkles to the defense, even if the Tigers didn’t exactly turn the depth chart upside down.
The biggest change on Aug. 5 came in the secondary, where returning starting junior safety Tamarcus Cooley worked with the second unit while freshman Jhase Thomas got first-team snaps at the back end alongside Boise State transfer Ty Benefield. LSU first-year head coach Lane Kiffin said the rotation was part of the process early in camp.
"Jhase really has done a good job, can play multiple things," LSU first-year head coach Lane Kiffin told reporters following LSU's first practice Wednesday. "We rotate a lot of guys through early in camp for competition."
Even with Thomas drawing most of the media-seen reps with the starters, Cooley still looks like the more likely name to be in the opening lineup when the real games begin. He started all 13 games for LSU last season, and he entered the program with a starting resume from his time at North Carolina State. The 6-foot, 206-pound safety has 113 career tackles, along with four tackles for loss and five interceptions, and he posted his best college season in 2025.
Thomas, by contrast, was mostly a special teams piece as a freshman and appeared in only five games.
There was also movement up front, where freshman Deuce Geralds ran with the first unit at defensive tackle. Geralds, who checks in at 6-1, 279, spent plenty of spring work with the top group, and his early placement adds another layer to the question of how LSU will handle its young interior defensive linemen, including fellow blue-chip freshman Richard Anderson.
One of the other notable signs from day one was junior defensive tackle Dominick McKinley taking reps with the third-team defense. That opens the door for Geralds to potentially be in the starting lineup when LSU opens against Clemson next month.
Here’s how LSU lined up defensively in the first preseason practice:
FIRST UNIT
Defensive line: Princewill Umanmielen, Deuce Geralds, Malik Blocton, Jordan Ross
Linebacker: Whit Weeks, TJ Dottery
Cornerbacks: DJ Pickett, PJ Woodland
Safeties: Ty Benefield, Jhase Thomas
STAR: Dashawn Spears
SECOND UNIT
Defensive line: Dylan Carpenter, Stephiylan Green, Richard Anderson, Lamar Brown
Linebacker: Davhon Keys, Tylen Singleton
Cornerbacks: Ja'Keem Jackson, Michael Turner
Safeties: Tamarcus Cooley, Faheem Delane
STAR: CJ Jimcoily
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