PREDICTING LSU's 2026 STARTING LINEUPS

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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

With LSU's Spring Camp now complete, I felt compelled to suddenly map out LSU's prospective starting XIs on both offense and defense....

An exercise....an examination....or if I'm wrong, even a hideous, comical time capsule, but I'm highly intrigued by the personnel on Lane Kiffin and Co's Year 1 roster.

Chock full of new faces, returning Tigers, #1 ranked players at key positions across each lineup, and upgraded depth, taking into account performance levels and the lineups from Spring Camp into consideration, these are Kiffin's best 22 in our humble opinion:

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Remember, these are just starters, I expect Kiffin's offense and Baker's defense to obviously include rotations, so I included a few "next men up" as well):

OFFENSIVE STARTERS

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LT JORDAN SEATON

LG BO BORDELON

C BRAELIN MOORE

RG ALIOU BAH

RT WESTON DAVIS

QB SAM LEAVITT

RB DILIN JONES

TE TREY'DEZ GREEN

WR JACKSON HARRIS

WR WINNIE WATKINS

WR PHILLIP WRIGHT III

NEXT MEN UP

RB HARLEM BERRY

WR MALIK ELZY

WR JAYCE BROWN

TE MALACHI THOMAS

OL BRYSTEN MARTINEZ

Offensively, LSU could be either disjointed with a failure to gel, or a complete juggernaut, such is the power, physicality, and dual threat speed within their backfield and skill position weapons (including at quarterback), while Eric Wolford and James Cregg's O-line may have a few key anchors, we have questions about the 2026 offensive front.

No doubt, the growth of LSU's offensive line, combined with Sam Leavitt's recovery status, will dictate the pace and precision of Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr's offensive axis, which is why I had the most trouble selecting right tackle and left guard.

Weston Davis has held down the starting right flank job all through Spring, however, he often required help from guards or tight ends, and was even bullied on a few occasions. He's improved, but if he were to start Week 1 vs Clemson tomorrow, I fear Davis would be a weak link in the chain targeted at will by pass rushing defenders.

He keeps the spot for now, only due to the unknown status of other competitors for the role....still, LSU need options, not only to push Davis, but if need be, replace him.

Left guard was occupied by former Ole Miss red shirt freshman Devin Harper for opening stretches of Spring, then backup center / guard William Satterwhite and brilliant young Brysten Martinez featured at that key spot.

We'll surely witness plenty of competition for that job throughout Fall Camp, and yet, I have a weird sense veteran Bo Bordelon will continue to seize this long awaited opportunity and fortify left guard as his own.

Dilin Jones is the running back right now, supplying the more consistent Spring outings, making defenders miss on the edges, as well as packing a devastating punch in between the tackles.

The only receiver I struggled with was the final spot, which I believe will see plenty of rotation during the season, however, I selected Phillip Wright III due to his overwhelming consistency in each practice across Spring Camp, displaying strong hands, underrated contested catch elevation many didn't expect, and heightened yards after catch possibilities.

The rest of my offensive lineup picks itself, in my opinion.

DEFENSIVE STARTERS

DE PRINCEWILL UMANMIELEN

DT DOMINICK MCKINLEY

DT RICH ANDERSON

DE JORDAN ROSS

LB WHIT WEEKS

LB DAVHON KEYS

🌟 DASHAWN SPEARS

SS / NB TY BENEFIELD

FS TAMARCUS COOLEY

CB DJ PICKETT

CB PJ WOODLAND

NEXT MEN UP

LB TJ DOTTERY

DT DEUCE GERALDS

DT STEPHIYLAN GREEN

DE JAYLEN BROWN

FS FAHEEM DELANE

As I wrote extensively just a few weeks ago in a feature profile piece you can check out here, Blake Baker's Bayou Bandits 3.0 defense could be his best yet over a trio of seasons at the helm:

In this lineup, Baker can count on a number of established veterans like Whit Weeks, Ty Benefield, Tamarcus Cooley, Davhon Keys, and Princewill Umanmielen (4th in SEC sacks with 9.0), while TJ Dottery led the SEC in tackles last season and may not even make the Week 1 starting lineup, such is the depth & competition at certain areas, like linebacker and safety.

Dashawn Spears' effectiveness, health, and growth at the star position will be critical to the unit's overall success, as well, making him one of the Tigers' top 5 most important players entering the season.

Up front, I went with youthful badassery alongside junior Dominick McKinley, playing Rich Anderson over the stately veteran contributorship of Stephiylan Green (who i think will be great for LSU).

At the back, Ty Benefield could very well win a Thorpe Award if all goes his way this fall, and would start for every school in America....then, Tamarcus Cooley returns for Year 2 following a highly impressive first season in Baton Rouge.

By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

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