LSU

Leavitt is the presumptive centerpiece of that plan. LSU’s roster lists him as a redshirt junior, with redshirt freshman Husan Longstreet and redshirt sophomore Landen Clark also in the quarterback room. Leavitt is returning from foot surgery, but Lane Kiffin said in mid-June that the quarterback was practicing at close to full strength. That progress matters behind a changing offensive line. Longstreet is the most prominent developmental alternative if availability or performance forces LSU to adjust.

The backfield gives Kiffin options. Palmer identified returners Caden Durham and Harlem Berry alongside transfers Dilin Jones, Rod Gainey, Raycine Guillory and Stacy Gage, with Jones receiving first-team work during spring. Durham and Jones have prior foot-injury context, so the group’s depth has practical value beyond creating specialized roles. At receiver, Jackson Harris arrives after producing 963 yards and 12 touchdowns at Hawai’i, while Tre’ Brown averaged 20.1 yards per catch at Old Dominion. Jayce Brown and Eugene Wilson III add more experience, and tight ends Trey’Dez Green and Malachi Thomas offer size inside. The task now is establishing a target hierarchy around Leavitt.

The offensive line may determine whether those options become a coherent attack. Palmer reported that center Braelin Moore was expected to anchor a remade interior, with Bo Bordelon and Maryland transfer Aliou Bah taking most first-unit guard work in spring. Ole Miss transfer Devin Harper can play tackle or guard, giving the staff useful flexibility. LSU still must assemble its opening five, and the interior carries particular responsibility: create a more dependable rushing lane structure while keeping Leavitt protected against a schedule that tests the unit immediately.

Baker’s greatest concern is defensive tackle, where LSU must replace Bernard Gooden, Jacobian Guillory, Ahmad Breaux and Walter Mathis. Veteran edge Princewill Umanmielen and junior tackle Dominick McKinley provide starting points, while Malik Blocton, Stephiylan Green, Jaylen Brown and Jordan Ross join the front. Behind them, linebacker is the defense’s most continuity-rich room. Whit Weeks, Davhon Keys and Tylen Singleton return, and transfer TJ Dottery adds experience. That group should carry much of the communication and run-fit burden while Baker builds a workable rotation in front of it.

The secondary offers Baker several flexible pieces but fewer settled answers. Palmer projected Ty Benefield and Tamarcus Cooley as the primary safeties, with Dashawn Spears moving to the STAR role and Faheem Delane and Joel Thomas among the next options. Benefield’s size and Spears’ versatility can help Baker vary personnel, though the cornerback order still needs definition. Special teams is undergoing an even broader reset after LSU added punter Hayden Craig, long snapper Mack Mulhern and kicker Scott Starzyk. Timing and coverage cohesion will have to be built rather than inherited.

LSU’s schedule magnifies every transition point. Clemson comes to Tiger Stadium for the opener, followed by Louisiana Tech and the earliest LSU-Ole Miss meeting in that series. Kiffin’s return to Oxford adds emotional weight to a game already carrying SEC consequences, and Texas A&M visits Baton Rouge the following week. Later home games against Alabama and Texas give LSU major opportunities, but they also reinforce the same message as the opening month: the Tigers cannot expect an extended adjustment period.

That is the defining tension of Kiffin’s first LSU team. The offense has a quarterback around whom a system can be built, enough backfield depth to emphasize the run and proven transfer production on the perimeter. Baker has veteran leadership at linebacker and useful pieces in the secondary. But the most consequential work remains concentrated along both lines, where protection, rushing efficiency and defensive interior play will decide whether LSU’s collection of talent functions quickly enough for the schedule it faces.

Win probability

28%

Defensive havoc rate

17.0%

Front-seven havoc

8.9%