The Buzz: The Latest on Position Battles During LSU Football Fall Camp

There remains shakeup in the LSU secondary with position battles brewing in Baton Rouge. What's the latest?

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers wrapped up preseason practice No. 11 on Wednesday after the program completed their "Mindset Day" of Fall Camp.

Kelly and Co. placed an emphasis on stressful situations in the red zone and keeping emotions in check.

“[Wednesday] was about trying to put our guys in stressful situations, both on offense and defense, and being able to handle those with the right balance of emotional control, execution, and smart decisions,” Kelly said.

Now, LSU has reached the midway point of Fall Camp with intensity ramping up on defense.

There are position battles brewing at cornerback, safety and defensive line with youngsters emerging during the halfway mark of camp.

On offense, the unit is set in stone from a first-team perspective. With Garrett Nussmeier at the helm, he'll have an embarrassment of riches to work with on the outside with LSU's starting receivers consisting of Kyren Lacy, Chris Hilton and CJ Daniels.

At running back, it'll be a one-two punch of Josh Williams and Kaleb Jackson behind a loaded offensive line returning four starters from a season ago.

Midway through Fall Camp, the focus remains on the defense for the final stretch.

The Position Battles:

The Cornerback Battle

LSU sophomore cornerback Ashton Stamps can be pencilled in as a starter for the Tigers' Week 1 showdown against the USC Trojans, but who is on the opposite side of him remains up in the air.

We've seen Sage Ryan working with the first-team throughout Fall Camp with no changes through the first 11 practices, but the expectation is that there will be some sort of shake up heading into next week.

LSU is rolling with true freshman PJ Woodland and JK Johnson as the second-team cornerbacks currently. For both players, they've recorded several pass breakups while logging an interception as well during media viewings.

Johnson, a second-year Tiger who missed the 2023 season due to a leg injury, is becoming a player the program can rely on. He's been fairly consistent in his approach and has worked well against the first-team competition in 1v1 and 2v2 drills. He'll be a player to keep tabs on.

For Woodland, the true freshman will need to show more consistency to the coaching staff. There are growing pains when playing against SEC competition as a youngster, but Woodland has proven he's fearless. He's been a bright spot during camp.

The other names to mention are Zy Alexander, Jyaire Brown and Javien Toviano.

For Alexander, it's evident he's being limited while he continues recovering from a torn ACL suffered during the 2023 season. An eight-game starter a season ago, Alexander has the experience, but it'll be about working back to 100% before receiving significant reps heading into Week 1. The expectation is that he will not be at that point until SEC play.

Ohio State transfer Jyaire Brown has been an interesting player during Fall Camp. He hasn't been in the two-deep Depth Chart, but has received run as a first-team defensive back when LSU drops back into nickel and dime packages.

Toviano is working with the STARs during practice. Major Burns is with the first-team and true freshman Ju'Juan Johnson is with the second-team. Toviano is working in the mix and is still looking for his "bread and butter" spot in the secondary.

After speaking with sources, the belief is that Woodland will be a key contributor this season alongside Stamps. The two handled first-team duties during spring camp and looked the part.

For Ryan, his natural position is at safety. The expectation is that he gets back to that spot sooner rather than later with cornerback depth developing throughout the season.

The Takeaways from Practice No. 11:

- G. Nuss was exceptional in red zone work. Connected with K. Lacy for a score.
- H. Perkins is coming for it all in 2024. He’s everywhere in 11v11.
- A. Stamps is CB1. Developing consistency.
- LSU’s defense is playing with passion/intensity. pic.twitter.com/4EYaWYzcPD

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) August 14, 2024

Defensive Line Depth

If the season started today, Jacobian Guillory and Wisconsin transfer Gio Paez would be LSU's starting defensive tackles. Guillory is the heartbeat of the interior defensive line and has proven that throughout camp.

After suffering an injury scare on Tuesday, Guillory returned as a full participant on Wednesday with no current worries surrounding the left knee.

For Paez, he's still coming into his own as a starting caliber player in the SEC, but will be relied on heavily this season. He's impressed in flashes during 1v1 reps against the LSU offensive line and is trending in the right direction for the program.

After Guillory and Paez, it's Shone Washington and Jay'viar Suggs who have turned heads the most during camp. Both players filled in with the first-team on Tuesday when Guillory went down.

Washington has improved seemingly every day during camp with three 1v1 wins on Monday. He's improving well under Bo Davis and will be a name to keep tabs on. The same goes for Grand Valley State transfer Jay'viar Suggs.

Second-year Tiger Jalen Lee is back in the mix, but the belief is that both Washington and Suggs have passed him on the depth chart and will be in the two-deep come Week 1 against USC.

The name everyone wants to hear about: Dominick McKinley.

The five-star freshman will play in 2024. He's beginning to improve his technique under Davis and it's evident the program is ramping up his reps. The physical traits are clear. At 6-foot-6, 315 pounds, McKinley looks the part as an SEC defensive tackle and it's only a matter of time until he works into the two-deep depth chart.

The Safety Situation

LSU is working with Texas A&M transfer Jardin Gilbert and Jordan Allen as the safety tandem during Fall Camp. This keep Major Burns at the STAR role for the LSU defense in 2024, which many believe will be his bread and butter as a hybrid linebacker/safety.

The hope is that true freshman PJ Woodland can work into a starting role at cornerback, which would ultimately put Sage Ryan back at his natural position of safety, but for now the Tigers are working with Gilbert and Allen as the first-team safeties.

At second-team, it's redshirt freshman Kylin Jackson and true freshman DaShawn Spears. We've already seen Spears prove he can hang with the best after coming up with an interception on Wednesday, but consistency will be what this coaching staff is looking from him.

With Jackson, he's working with the safeties and can also enter the mix at STAR if need be. It's where he played during the spring and thrived as the backup.

If the season started today, Gilbert and Allen would be the starting safeties, but the belief is that Ryan can move back to his natural position alongside Gilbert as he continues being cross-trained as both a cornerback and safety this offseason.

LSU Tigers On SI will have the latest from LSU Fall Camp with the program inching closer to Week 1 against the USC Trojans.

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