PRINCEWILL UMANMIELEN: SETTING THE STANDARD & AIMING TO BREAK RECORDS

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by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

Leading the country in sacks and TFLs for over half of the 2026 season wearing purple & gold (currently 2nd), LSU defensive end kingpin Princewill Umanmielen has already matched his stellar production from last fall at his past school (9 sacks & 13 TFLs in 15 games), reaching the most single season sacks by a LSU Tiger in a decade, and is now just 4 sacks away from snapping the program's all time single season sacks record.

Still held by Arden Key for a decade (holding the record of 12 sacks during the 2016 season), Bradyn Swinson was the Tiger who came closest to matching Key, hitting 8.5 sacks through 2024, while Greg Gilmore & Harold Perkins posted 7.5 respectively during the time since Key's 12.....but no front seven player hit the ground running quite like Princewill Umanmielen has since joining LSU.

In just 8 outings as a Tiger, Princewill has been dominant from the outset, collecting a sack nearly every single game (excluding his appearances vs Miss St, where he still contributed 0.5 TFL & 2 tackles in just 7 snaps & Kentucky); Producing 8.5 total sacks (including 3 games with multiple QB obliterations), 12 TFLs, 33 tackles (4th on the team), 29 QB pressures (1st in the SEC and 5th in the NCAA), while delivering game-altering, drive-killing plays....he is easily the best pass rushing presence LSU have seen in 10 years.

On 3rd & 4th downs, Umanmielen has already delivered 7 hurries, 6 sacks, and 7 TFLs, plus an additional 3 tackling stops that prevented 1st down gains, showcasing his stunning all around defensive abilities...not just his obvious pass rushing panache.

Playing in his 3rd year under the Kiffin Brothers, Princewill has jettisoned LSU's pass rushing statistics into the stratosphere, improving everyone around him:

Last year (in 13 games), LSU's entire defense only cobbled together 27.5 sacks....

Thia fall, Blake Baker's LSU defense already sacked QBs 34 times over 8 games with Princewill Umanmielen on roster, the 2nd most in college football, as well as boasting the #1 rated defense in the SEC, a top 5 nationally ranked defense all year.

Alongside Princewill, LSU's 2026 defensive line also features two other Tigers who have thus far experienced breakout campaigns, thanks to the attention Princewill commands: freshman defensive tackle Deuce Geralds & bookend edge rusher Jordan Ross, both combining for 10 sacks & 14.5 TFLs.

Meanwhile, the entire D-line unit is receiving consistently strong performances from a variety of aforementioned sources, but must also include Dominick McKinley, Stephiylan Green and now freshman Lamar Brown....all benefitting from each other's raised levels & intensity fueled competition.

To illustrate their domination, LSU's defensive front faced 5 dual threat quarterbacks in their 8 contests this season, allowing -5 rushing yards on 57 carries from those 5 different running QBs. Once an Achilles heel for Blake Baker's defenses at LSU is now, thus far, clamped down thanks to edge dominators possessing tyrannical wingspans & brutal containment athleticism, such as Princewill.

Flirting with history now....4 regular season games left to surpass Arden Key's all time single season sack record, Princewill Umanmielen already delivered a mighty return on LSU's NIL investment....now, all that's left for the elite DE to do???

Make history.

By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

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