5 BURNING QUESTIONS FOR FALL CAMP 2026

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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

With LSU's first Fall Camp of the Kiffin era starting right around the corner on August 5th, there won't just be plenty of excitement, curiosity, and straight up intrigue, there are also some critical burning questions about this squad, 5 churning, juggling questions that currently weave their way around the carousel of our mind.

In no order of importance, LSUOdyssey will geaux through each one, and we need your own 5 burning questions posted in the comment section below (What's up LOUIS CORONA!!!) :

5 . SAM LEAVITT

What will Sam Leavitt's first full LSU practices on the Ponderosa look like???

Will we witness the birth of a champion, a vocal leader, the continued development of a true dual threat talent, or a timid, injury-delayed beginning as Leavitt remains more cozy operating from the background???

Coming back from his LisFranc injury won't be easy, specifically given his rushing abilities alongside Lane Kiffin's obsession with running his quarterbacks....no doubt Kiffin and Weis will want to test the ankle, but how early will they dial it up in Fall Camp???

Starting with the first practice???

For how many snaps???

How will LSU's training staff manage Leavitt so he doesn't reinjure the ankle and start this whole process over again?

Meanwhile, will we see Leavitt's hard work studying the new playbook pay off, even following a long injury sabbatical???

Will he be able to build on the player-led practices and quickly establish relationships with weapons like Trey'Dez Green, Jayce Brown, Tre Wilson, Jackson Harris, Tre Brown, etc upon etc within the Kiffin/Weis offense???

Or, will Leavitt need to find his passing game footing week to week during the regular season???

What's his comfort level behind that 2026 offensive line???

Is Leavitt commanding in presence, volume, cadence, and during at the line adjustments???

How quick and sharp is Leavitt's decision making with the football & is there any delay in his reading of the field???

LSU, like any team, will only be as successful as their quarterback, and while holding the #1 rated transfer signal caller among their ranks, Fall Camp is the proving ground every teammate, coach, fan, and media member has been waiting for concerning Sam Leavitt.....and despite all his athletic tools, CFP experience at Arizona State, and status as an elite college quarterback, Leavitt still has much to prove as a Tiger.

CHECK OUT OUR SAM LEAVITT DEEP DIVE

4 . WR BATTLES

The WR positions will feature the most exciting Fall Camp battles this next month:

Thanks to renewed depth and upgrades all along the roster, replacing the entire 2025 LSU receiving corps (except Phillip Wright III), LSU boast a bountiful array of weapons to call upon, but I wonder, which Tigers will take over starting jobs by the end of August???

Wide receiver could see as many as 7 or 8 different candidates for the three starting spots, everyone from Jackson Harris, Jayce Brown, Winnie Watkins, Tre Wilson, Tre Brown, Malik Elzy, Phillip Wright III, Jabari Mack, and Roman Mothershed are all in contention, while aerial deathstar / hybrid TE Trey'Dez Green is also set to occupy a pass catching spot on most plays (moved anywhere from in line, slot, or even out wide).

The battle to be the guy is on like Ghenghis Khan...who will be the Tiger that drops the least balls, makes the most plays, runs the best routes, creates the most separation, finds the right chemistry with Leavitt, and best fits the dynamic offense set before us???

For my money, I'm looking at Tre Wilson as your gadget guy, Winnie Watkins as your slot, Trey'dez lining up in-line pre-snap but God knows where he'll be by the time the ball is live; I like Jackson Harris as your critical downs possession receiver (time and time again Harris made key 3rd or 4th down grabs & turned them into touchdowns for Hawaii), while burner Jayce Brown is a player ready to dissect the middle of any opposing defense.

And, if you want premium size or length matchups, you can throw on the physically robust Roman "Mothership" Mothershed or the towering elegance of Malik Elzy, both Tiger WRs looking really solid throughout Spring practices.

The position is so stacked, WRs Coach George McDonald has almost too many options.

Because of the litany of talent, wide receiver & the passing game as a whole are areas where LSU should have zero excuses.....success must be the only outcome.

CHECK OUT OUR WRU FILM STUDY ON EACH WR

3. WILL DAVHON KEYS OR TJ DOTTERY START AT LB ALONGSIDE WHIT WEEKS???

Starting alongside one another throughout Spring, as Whit Weeks recovered from last fall's injury, and looking pretty damn good together, it will now be surreal for both TJ Dottery and Davhon Keys as they battle each other during Fall Camp for a starting slot next to Weeks.

Davhon Keys, a considerably important young Tiger entering Year III, starting 5 (basically 6) games last season when Whit Weeks was either injured (or ejected after 3 plays vs Florida), and racked up the tackles, producing 15 vs Florida.

Keys also started 4 games as a freshman, replacing the injured West Weeks for the final chunk of 2024, which included an interception returned for a score vs Baylor and an elite performance vs Oklahoma.

      TJ Dottery boasts more experience, 27 career starts to Davhon Keys' 9, although Dottery doesn't even have a sizable lead regarding tackles: Dottery leads with 177 to Keys' 123 tackles;

Meanwhile, regarding their contributions in the playmaking department, Dottery piled up 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 3 PBUs, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery as Ole Miss went 22-5 when he started games for the Rebels;

On the other side of the coin, Keys produced 5 TFLs, 2 sacks, 6 PBUs, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pick six, as LSU registered a 6-3 record through Keys' 9 starts.

Both were impressive alongside one another through Spring, as the recovering Whit Weeks looked on like a proud father, when both upped their respective games...

       As for Dottery, he holds the superior experience & years-long trust with the Head Coach and his brother Chris who leads Dottery's position group....however, he will be contending against a reliable, always available player in Keys who may just be preferred by the Defensive Coordinator instead.

At the end of the day, I expect both to feature frequently this season, regardless of whichever Tiger linebacker starts next to Whit Weeks.

2. WHO WILL STEP UP AND BE THE 3RD CORNERBACK LSU WILL RELY ON BEHIND PICKETT & WOODLAND???

During a Spring press conference, Head Coach Lane Kiffin bemoaned the lack of depth and competition at cornerback, even saying he wished there was still a Spring transfer portal so Corey Raymond could address the problem.

It came as a shock, with many analysts high on starters DJ Pickett and PJ Woodland, nobody really wondered about DBU's 2026 depth...looking at former Florida CB Jakheem Jackson, Aidan Anding, and Havon Finney as adequate enough depth.

I still wasn't convinced, and neither was Lane Kiffin or Corey Raymond.

In particular, Aidan Anding was stellar through Spring Camp, then the promise of a bright campaign ended in a horror moment this Spring:

In a scrimmage where he intercepted 2 passes, Aidan Anding tore his achilles while returning the 2nd interception, ending his season prematurely. Immediately after finding a good 3rd corner in the rotation with Anding, he was now out for the year.

Across the duration of Spring Camp, Jakheem Jackson continued his poor form, getting beaten up and down the field like he was still a Gator, the undersized Michael Turner Jr (who still possesses solid ball skills and PBU per snap ratio) received elevated reps, however, it was freshman Havon Finney Jr who competed the best and appears to be, to my eyes, the #3 cornerback on LSU's depth chart heading into Fall Camp.

After Spring Camp, CBs Coach Corey Raymond did go out and sign a Div. II player, Georgia Military Academy's Lavonte Williams, and I'm curious to know what we'll see from him....but right now, LSU should be concerned about depth at cornerback.

CHECK OUT OUR PIECE, "THE RETURN OF DBU" ALL ABOUT LSU'S DBs IN 2026

1. IS WESTON DAVIS FOR REAL??? /

   O-LINE OVERALL

Allowing 30 QB pressures & 5 sacks last season alone, right tackle Weston Davis suffered one of the single worst offensive line displays in modern recent LSU memory....giving up one brutal shot after another against already-injured QB Garrett Nussmeier, plus, LSU couldn't run the ball whatsoever, only totaling 104 yards per game.

To say it was a surprise seeing Weston Davis return for another season in Baton Rouge is putting it mildly to say the least, but here we are, only 1 of 2 starting O-linemen to return, and one of just a few overall who remained on roster....and sure, okay, you kept him for depth, right???

No, Kiffin, Weis and OL Coach Eric Wolford started Davis for the entirety of Spring Camp, a shocking move that made many a fan and media member scratch their heads. On one hand though, it is impossible to ignore the fact Davis is the team's most experienced option at right tackle.

Regardless, LSU's coaching staff are bullish when defending their decisions about Weston Davis, backing his experience as a starter last season (although many would argue it was a bad experience), with Kiffin claiming the woes of his 2025 campaign have helped him grow as a player.

Right now, as it stands, LSU's projected starting O-line would be Weston Davis at right tackle, the steady Maryland vet Aliou Bah at right guard, returning center Braelin Moore, the longtime Tiger at left guard Bo Bordelon, and $5 million dollar man at left tackle Jordan Seaton....

I hate to say it, Weston Davis is still the weak point along the offensive front, at least on paper.

Still, I would love to be proven wrong and for Davis to take the raw athleticism that made him a 5 star recruit and turn into a physically imposing wrecking ball on the right flank.

WATCH OUR 2026 DEEP DIVE FROM YESTERDAY THAT HITS EVERYTHING + MORE👇

by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

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