Projecting LSU's week 1 depth chart before camp begins

Lane Kiffin's first team at LSU is chalk-full of talent, and spring practices have shown the beginnings of what this team will look like when it first steps onto the field on Sept. 5 against Clemson.

The depth chart hasn't seemingly changed much, if at all, since the end of the spring, but will likely have some transactions during fall camp. The official start date for fall camp hasn't been announced, though early August is typically when it begins.

Before more moves get made, this is where the depth chart sits for LSU.

Quarterback

Starter: Sam Leavitt

Backup: Husan Longstreet

Depth: Landen Clark, Kaden Martin

Leavitt is now fully recovered from his foot surgery and is ready to be the Tigers' starting quarterback. If something goes against the plan, Longstreet looked promising in the spring and is a viable backup. There shouldn't be much discussion here.

Running Back

Starters: Dilin Jones, Harlem Berry

Backup: Caden Durham

Depth: Rod Gainey Jr., Raycine Guillory Jr., Stacy Gage, Joseph Ebun

Jones was the talk of the spring after emerging with first-team reps after transferring in from Wisconsin. Berry is still going to split starting time with him after a solid freshman campaign.

Kiffin likes to rotate his running backs a lot, so Durham will still get a decent amount of playing time, especially in receiving out of the backfield.

Everyone is going to get their hands on the ball in 2026.

Tight End

Starter: Trey'Dez Green

Backups: Malachi Thomas, Zach Grace

Depth: JD LaFleur, JC Anderson

LSU returns college football's best tight end in Green, who stands on the field like a mastiff among puppies at his height of 6'7. He is going to be intertwined with a successful passing game.

Thomas is going to step in when Green needs a breather, but can be a good pass catcher. Grace was used in short yardage situations, but will be more of a blocker. Anderson stands 6'6 and can also help with Green at the goal line.

Wide Receiver

Starters: Jayce Brown, Jackson Harris, Eugene Wilson III

Backups: Winston Watkins, Phillip Wright, Tre' Brown

Depth: Malik Elzy, Roman Mothershed, Corey Barber, Tyree Holloway

There is still plenty of movement to take place in the wide receiver room, but it looks like there are a handful of main targets emerging.

Harris is the clear choice for a deep threat, and Wilson and Watkins are going to contribute down low. Both Browns have a versatile skill set and can contribute from any part of the field.

Wright and Mothershed are interesting pieces, as they are volatile in their expected touches. They can either have big seasons or hardly be noticed at all. But, everyone is going to get their hands on the ball at some point in this fast-paced offense.

Left Tackle

Starter: Jordan Seaton

Backup: Sean Thompkins Jr.

Depth: JaKolby Jones

Seaton was one of LSU's most prized transfer portal additions ahead of the season. His skillset is going to have him on the field during every snap of the season, barring any injury. Thompkins also transferred in and will be serviceable if needed.

Left Guard

Starter: Bo Bordelon

Backup: Devin Harper

Depth: Brett Bordelon

Bordelon has been waiting a long time to become a starter at LSU. It's his fifth season in the program, and he has finally gotten to a point where he can start in the SEC. Harper has also shown a strong ability to compete in the SEC, though, as he came from Ole Miss.

Center

Starter: Braelin Moore

Backup: William Satterwhite

Depth: Braden Augustus

Moore was last year's starter at center and was one of the few positive pieces of the offensive line. He returns for an even stronger season. Both depth pieces have experience on the line, and Satterwhite had some experience at center at Tennessee.

Right Guard

Starter: Aliou Bah

Backup: Ja'Quan Sprinkle

Depth: Solomon Thomas

Bah is an intriguing transfer and has a good shot at being a breakout player on this offensive line. He spent his last two years at Maryland, and didn't allow a single sack and only had one penalty called on him in 681 snaps in 2025.

Right Tackle

Starter: Weston Davis

Backup: Darrin Strey

Davis struggled a lot as a starter in 2025, but took all of the first team reps in the spring. Strey has only played 18 snaps, which came at Kentucky. Davis should have this spot locked down, but not comfortably.

Defensive Tackle

Starters: Malik Blocton, Deuce Geralds

Backups: Dominick McKinley, Stephiylan Green, Shone Washington

Depth: Richard Anderson

This position group has the most freshman talent available. A lot of focus was on Anderson, but Geralds was a big surprise of the spring and has killer intensity and physicality. He should be paired with Auburn transfer Blocton as a starter.

Everyone in this group is good enough to compete and be on the field come game day. McKinley and Green have experience, and Washington and Anderson are talents yet to be fully tapped. This group could be a lot of fun.

Defensive End

Starters: Princewill Umanmielen, Jordan Ross

Backups: Lamar Brown, Dylan Carpenter, Damien Shanklin

Depth: Kolaj Cobbins, Jaylen Brown

Outside of Ole Miss transfer Umanmielen, there's a lot of change that can happen in this group during fall camp and into the first month of the season. Ross is a capable starter, but the freshman Brown can grow into that role as well.

Carpenter has shown flashes and is now in line for a breakout year if he gets the playing time. Shanklin is proven, but there might be a little bit too much talent ahead of him.

Linebacker

Starters: Whit Weeks, TJ Dottery

Backups: Tylen Singleton, Davhon Keys

Depth: Zach Weeks, Charles Ross II, Keylan Moses

These starters have been set for a while. The rotational players is what will make this group interesting to watch, as Singleton had a career day in December's Texas Bowl, and basically every other linebacker has SEC experience.

Star

Starter: Dashawn Spears

Backup: CJ Jimcoily

The star position is becoming more and more popular in defensive coordinator Blake Baker's game plan. Spears is a safety but started to be used all over the field in late 2025, and had multiple tackles for loss and a sack. He is going to excel in this role.

Cornerback

Starters: DJ Pickett, PJ Woodland

Backups: Michael Turner Jr., Ja'Keem Jackson

Depth: Havon Finney Jr., Dez Ellis

Like the linebacker room, the starters are pretty much set in stone. Pickett returns for his sophomore year and Woodland is entering his junior season. Both are going to lock down this defense and help get LSU's elite safeties into the tight double teams.

There is a sizable gap in experience between the starters and backups, so health is key with these starters while the others get comfortable.

Safety

Starters: Ty Benefield, Tamarcus Cooley

Backups: Faheem Delane, Jhase Thomas

Depth: Aiden Hall

Through all of the transfer portal hype for Leavitt, Seaton and Umanmielen, Benefield might come away from this season as LSU's best player. LSU's safety group is one of its strongest, so it will be hard for teams to have deep passes against the Tigers.

From the starters, to the backups, to the depth, this group is elite and each player will prove his worth this year.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/lsu as Projecting LSU's Week 1 Depth Chart Before Camp Begins.