JHASE THOMAS AND TAMARCUS COOLEY IN A REAL BATTLE FOR FREE SAFETY??

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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

A big shocker over these first 2 days of Fall Camp has been the rise of Jhase Thomas, not just as a solid rotational piece to Jake Olsen's safety room, but as a major surprise starter alongside Ty Benefield at the outset of Fall Camp....beating out 2025 starter & solid performer Tamarcus Cooley.

While his selection as a regular season first team free safety is far from cemented, it is very intriguing to wonder WHY is the red shirt freshman Jhase Thomas in there over Cooley, a veteran with 113 career tackles (70 last season as a Tiger), 30 game appearances (28 as a starter)????

Is Thomas actually better than Cooley???

Does he have better chemistry alongside fellow safety Ty Benefield, the defensive star who immediately (upon his Baton Rouge arrival) took Thomas under his wing???

Or is this a message being sent from the coaching staff to Cooley???

We've asked the questions, but like you'd expect from a Lane Kiffin staff, those answers aren't completely evident right now...regardless of what may be said officially.

Jhase Thomas famously blocked a punt that turned into a safety during last season's horrendous defeat vs Texas A&M, however his punt block came at a time when LSU desperately hung on to the game, trailing 14-7, and now stealing 2 points and a possession thanks to the anticipation, raging speed, and attacking hands of Thomas blocking the A&M punt.

The former Destrehan star hasn't played much football, posting 0 career tackles, 0 PBUs, 0 INTs from minimal red shirt freshman snaps, so I wonder what the situation is exactly revolving around that free safety spot....a job everyone thought was completely locked down by Cooley.

Just like Big Rich Anderson and Deuce Geralds getting the starting nods at defensive tackle over veterans Dominick McKinley, Malik Blocton and Stephiylan Green, Head Coach Lane Kiffin and defensive coordinator Blake Baker are sending a message to every single player on roster: we aren't playing around....this isn't Brian Kelly's teams where seniority gets you a pass, this is a program where the best players will play, regardless of their age or NIL investment.

By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

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