Fall camp has given LSU its first real look at a reworked offense, and one of the clearest early signs is that tight end could matter a whole lot more this season.
That starts with Trey’Dez Green. The tight end was already the most reliable piece in the passing game last year, finishing with team highs in touchdowns and a strong overall line of 33 catches for 433 yards and seven scores. On the opening day of camp, he was leading the tight end group and getting work at the goal line, a clear hint that LSU plans to lean on him in scoring situations again.
Green’s outlook gets even better with Sam Leavitt now in the mix. Leavitt missed all of spring ball, so fall camp is his first real chance to show LSU fans what he can do. With better quarterback play and a wide receiver room that has been overhauled, Green should see more favorable matchups and more chances to win one-on-one.
That fits the way Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weiss Jr. want to operate. The offense should be a strength for this retooled roster, and Green appears to be one of the biggest beneficiaries. He was also named to the Mackey Award Preseason Watch List, which goes to college football’s top tight end, a sign of just how high his ceiling is.
LSU’s red-zone issues from last season make his role even more important. The Tigers struggled badly inside the 20-yard line, and finding Green near the goal line is one obvious way to fix that. Green said at SEC Media Days that Kiffin is already using him differently.
"[Kiffin] has been creating mismatches," Green said at SEC Media Days. "I have been moving around the whole field.
I don't think I have lined up in the same formation each drive. It is different."
There’s more to watch in that tight end room, too. Pitt transfer Malachi Thomas got work alongside Green in practice yesterday, and his background suggests a different kind of role. He wasn’t heavily involved as a receiver at Pitt, finishing with 13 catches and two touchdowns, so he seems likely to help more as a run blocker while Green is used more like a bigger wideout.
That versatility gives LSU a few different ways to shape the offense, and it’s another reason Kiffin should feel good about where this group can go in 2026.
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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 🡒]
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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 🡒]