THE RETURN OF DBU: BEHIND THE COREY RAYMOND & JAKE OLSEN REVOLUTION AT LSU

Lonn Phillips Sullivan
Jun 8
5 min read

Updated: Jun 8

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by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

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DBU IS BACK...AND IT FEELS SO GOOD...

For the 2nd straight season under DBU mastermind Corey Raymond, LSU currently fields a potent secondary full of playmakers, hard hitters, and ball hawks, based around a highly promising mix of proven youth & established experience.

Led by standout transfer safety Ty Benefield, returning established Tigers Dashawn Spears, Tamarcus Cooley, flanked by cornerback tandem DJ Pickett and PJ Woodland, the core of 2026 DBU is looking stout, however this group are thin on key depth, a factor that became all the more obvious during Spring (Jakheem Jackson and safety Faheem Delane stand as the most experienced depth options right now, and their combined career snap total is still a meager 364).

Regardless of their lack of strong depth, if those 5 lead men stay healthy, LSU's 2026 secondary may just be the crowning achievement of both Raymond and Olsen's 2nd LSU stints (since 2024).

Everywhere you look there is length, size, grade A ball skills, solid to elite coverage, short memories, and battle-hardened contested catch sultans.

Defensive coordinator Blake Baker, DBs Coach Corey Raymond and Safeties Coach Jake Olsen already know their Week 1 starters (Benefield, Cooley, Pickett, Woodland, with Spears at star).

I expect the core 5 to be tested and playing time earned, of course, but for now, DBU's Summer & Fall Camp goals will likely focus on solidifying & gelling their starters, as well as developing their depth to back them up throughout the campaign.

The core 5 starters are powerhouse: LSU's linebackers & defensive front helped showcase what they can do during Spring & these Tiger DBs obliged.

Raymond and Olsen's starting 5 contains a few guys who could be up for individual honors at the end of the season, headlined by newcomer Ty Benefield showcasing every DB strength and art form amid his first Spring as a Tiger, reading the field with expert vision & closing speed, while also supplying much-needed veteran leadership alongside 2nd year Tiger starter Tamarcus Cooley (solid Year 1 with 2 INTs and 777 snaps, blighted by his allowance of 32 catches, 4 TDs, just under 400 receiving yards, and 16 missed tackles).

Raymond and Olsen are also happy to see continuity at cornerback, with PJ Woodland entering year 3 carrying plenty of snaps (781) & hard knocks lessons learned over his resume (20 catches surrendered from 42 targets, giving up 495 yards and 0 scores), lining up across from 2025 freshman All-American DJ Pickett, a Raymond loyalist & prodigy who will take the spot of departed top 10 pick Mansoor Delane....setting the stage as the Tigers' #1 DBU Ambassador on the flanks.

Even with their promise and high caliber, only allowing 2 combined touchdowns between them last season, Woodland and Pickett started only one game together in their careers...and it didn't go well (vs Houston, 2025 Texas Bowl, Pickett allowed 2 of the 4 passing TDs LSU's secondary allowed in the game, Zach Weeks allowing another as well).

Without mincing words, in order for Blake Baker's defense to hit their highest apex, LSU need Woodland and Pickett to gel quickly, stay healthy, reaching their maximum levels and locking down the outside.

When discussing the star position, that's where things get even more interesting:

Played as a safety in limited, but impressive action over his first two years, Dashawn Spears will now feature at the star position within Blake Baker's defense, allowing the Tigers to play hybrid schemes utilizing Spears' athleticism as its focal point.

Spears also possesses elite stopping power vs ball carriers in space or between the tackles, sports incredible length alongside abundant playmaking capabilities in coverage (see his 2 interceptions vs Florida last season, including a pick six).

As we witnessed throughout Spring camp, he not only continued right where he left off in 2025, the Louisiana native son definitely progressed;

Spears is the right player for the role, a hybrid bullet train of a specimen who is somehow simultaneously reliable and willing to step up, read the game, and take risks in order to make plays.

As i wrote earlier, the depth is where the questions lie for DBU's 2026 room:

After the core 5, the quality dips massively, from untested but talented (Faheem Delane, Jhase Thomas, Aiden Hall, Michael Turner Jr) to disappointing (Jakheem Jackson), or perhaps too green for primetime (Havon Finney Jr, Emari Peterson, Craig Walton Jr).

Feeling the cornerback room specifically needed something extra, Head Coach Lane Kiffin publicly bemoaned not having the post Spring transfer portal during an April press conference, admitting the Tigers would've pursued more quality pieces to their cornerback room.

So, ever the fixer, the man who always arrives packing his next move, Corey Raymond did the only thing he could....dipping into the lower division schools for a pulse of competitive fires, finding Georgia Military Academy cornerback Lavonte Williams, and adding his name to the roster for a spark.

Backing Spears at the star spot, versatile linebacker Zach Weeks might receive rotational snaps there, while also reprising his 2025 role as a 3rd down mercenary blitzer; young Tigers CJ Jimcoily and Keylan Moses also practiced at star during Spring.

In conclusion, as we write to you dear readers amidst the wondrous embryonic apocalypse of June 2026, this season's edition of DBU could be special....Raymond & Olsen's core 5 are among the most highly coveted players in their positions, especially judging by how many programs pursued each Tiger.

Regardless of their juggernaut promise & star power, it is an absolute imperative Raymond's starting cornerback tandem remains healthy....

Even at safety, Olsen could pull some levers, shuffling the deck if one of the two starters went down...but at cornerback, beyond Pickett and Woodland, there isn't a single player who, right now, appears capable of winning a game or scaring an opposing quarterback.

Simultaneously, Corey Raymond and Jake Olsen's 2026 LSU / DBU brigade is both the potential best secondary inside the SEC (with their powerhouse starting 5) & also one of the thinnest, most top heavy rooms regarding overall depth....led by future Sunday players at each starting position, backed by major question marks, the unproven, the untested, the vastly inexperienced, the disappointing, and the intriguing....however, with Raymond and Olsen at the helm, strong coaching, rampant intensity, and high expectations will always be on hand...for everyone wearing purple and gold.