LSU Country

The Takeaways: LSU Tigers Secondary Turning Heads After Fall Camp Day 1

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers kicked off Fall Camp on Thursday, defense looks to come together in August.

Zack Nagy

In this story:

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers wrapped up Day 1 of Fall Camp with several key takeaways from the first preseason practice.

With a myriad of newcomers taking strides in the right direction to a wide receiver rotation emerging, the Bayou Bengals are back on the field getting ready for the 2024 season.

Kelly enters his third season in Baton Rouge with high expectations as the Tigers gear up Year 3 of the "Kelly Era":

The Takeaways from Preseason Practice No. 1:

Secondary Turns Heads: Ashton Stamps Shines

After an offseason of chatter surrounding the LSU secondary and what's expected from this group in 2024, the defensive backs looked solid on Thursday.

First-Team Group: Ashton Stamps (CB), Sage Ryan (CB), Major Burns (STAR), Jordan Allen (S) and Jardin Gilbert (S).

Backups: PJ Woodland (CB), JK Johnson (CB), Ju'Juan Johnson (STAR), Kylin Jackson (S) and DaShawn Spears (S).

Stamps has emerged as a critical piece to the LSU secondary and has all the makings of putting together a huge season in 2024. He's bulked up to 190 pounds and looks full in his practice uniform. If there's a corner to pencil in as a starter, it's Stamps.

The rotation in the cornerback room consisteted of Sage Ryan with the first-team on the opposite side of Stamps and both PJ Woodland and JK Johnson rolling with the second team.

There will be a competitive battle during Fall Camp with a handful of players competing for significant snaps, including Zy Alexander and Javien Toviano.

Alexander is back in the mix after rehabbing a torn ACL and Toviano is a full-go after being reinstated by the University following a legal matter.

In the safety rotation, it was a bit of a surprise to see Jordan Allen in the starting slot alongside Jardin Gilbert, but he certainly held his own. It's a competitive duo with those within the program speaking highly of Allen.

Look for Kylin Jackson and DaShawn Spears to make a move up the depth chart sooner rather than later. It will be challenging to keep Spears off the field in 2024.

It was a big day for the LSU secondary with a myriad of players asserting themselves as key pieces moving forward. A small sample size, certainly, but it set the tone for what will be a competitive Fall Camp.

The Newcomers: PJ Woodland and Trey'Dez Green Look The Part

Woodland burst on the scene during spring camp as an early-enrollee after skyrocketing up the depth chart. He took first-team reps alongside Ashton Stamps to close out spring camp.

Now, with Fall Camp beginning, he's on the second-team, but certainly will be given a chance to earn starting reps come Week 1 against the USC Trojans.

On Thursday, Woodland looked fearless in the cornerback slot. He came up with a critical interception and showcased his impressive football IQ. A player LSU is high on, it's evident he will be a key contributor in Year 1 with the Tigers, but consistency will be of the utmost importance.

“I think we are at a point where on Day 1, it’s truly about the consistency of performance,” Kelly said. “We like PJ. We love his competitiveness. But he made a great play (today), and the next play we threw the ball over his head. With young players, we are looking for consistency. And he has got a huge upside, and he is going to be a really good player in the SEC. But in the SEC, you make one play, they are coming right back at you, and they are going to test you.

“So, we have to test the mettle of our young players and we have to see a consistency of performance. It will be about his consistency, or ‘ consistency, or Sage (Ryan), or whoever we roll out there. That’s what we are looking for with a lot of our younger players.”

When it comes to five-star freshman Trey'Dez Green, he lived up to the hype on Day 1. Again, it's a small sample size, but the first-year Tiger is a force to be reckoned with.

He came up with an impressive reception on a crossing route on a throw from second-year LSU quarterback Rickie Collins that drew a few "oohs" and "ahhs" during 11-on-11 work.

The 6-foot-7, 245-pounder out of Louisiana has an opportunity to become a lethal weapon for this program. He has soft hands and knows where to be at the right time.

If preseason practice No. 1 tells anything, it's that the upside of Green will be one that has no ceiling for the Tigers.

Rotations Emerge: The Wide Receiver Room and Defensive Tackle Group

LSU rolled out Kyren Lacy, CJ Daniels and Chris Hilton as the first-team wide receivers on Thursday to kick off Fall Camp. It doesn't come as a surprise with the trio separating themselves from the pack this offseason.

Lacy made a few impressive catches while Hilton's speed was on full display. It's clear that if he can stay healthy that Hilton will be a focal point for the Tigers in 2024.

The backup/second-team group consisted of Shelton Sampson, Aaron Anderson, Kyle Parker and Zavion Thomas, among others.

Sampson started off the day with a pair of heavily contested catches, but missed the rest of the day after hitting his head coming down. The training staff is playing it safe here with the program expected him to be good to go soon.

A name that will be important to keep tabs on is Jelani Watkins, a freshman wide receiver out of Texas.

He's a speedster that will be hard to keep off the field in 2024 due to his twitchiness and acceleration. LSU will utilize him as a punt returner to start things off, but don't be surprised to see him used on a bubble screen this season. He'll be a fun player for LSU.

With the defensive tackle position group, it was Wisconsin transfer Gio Paez lined up next to Jacobian Guillory inside. Bo Davis is looking at his veterans to take key reps in the fall and it's clear with the pair he went with to start off Fall Camp.

The duo looked the part, but expect the second-team group of Shone Washington and Kimo Makane'ole to start chipping away, including five-star freshman Dominick McKinley.

Guillory can be pencilled in as a starter, but who's alongside him will be a battle throughout Fall Camp with several options to choose from.

It was a big day for the Tigers with the program looking the part during preseason practice No. 1. LSU will return to the fields on Friday for Day 2 of camp.

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Zack Nagy

ZACK NAGY

Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of LSU Country, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Tiger Football, Basketball, Baseball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving LSU athletics. 

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