Of course, all eyes will be on Lane Kiffin this weekend when LSU hosts Clemson. One area where we expect the Tigers to make a big jump is getting after the quarterback. LSU ranked No. 10 in the SEC in sacks with just 27, their lowest in a long time. Watch out for Ole Miss transfer Princewill Umanmielen, who had nine sacks in 2025 for the Rebels. Umanmielen has bulked up 10 pounds from last year to 6-4, 255 and still has a lightning-quick burst. His 1.51-second 10+1-yard dash is one of the quickest of any edge rusher his size. The Tigers also have a trio of former top-100 D-line recruits who are expected to make their debut.
The least hyped of the three, Deuce Geralds (ranked No. 67 overall by 247 Sports), is the player we suspect will make the biggest impact early. Geralds, the son of former Ole Miss center Daverin Geralds, is very twitchy and relentless. He’s a shade over 6-0 and 281 pounds but already super strong, bench pressing 410 pounds and squatting 635. He also hit 18.9 mph on the GPS and vertical jumped 30 inches.
The other two D-linemen are both former five-stars who were ranked in the top 10 of the 2026 class. Lamar Brown, at 6-4, 292, is even faster, clocking a 19.2 mph on the GPS. Expect him to become a force for the Tigers soon. Richard Anderson is the biggest of the three at 6-3, 334. He figures to be a problem for teams around the A-gap. It is a talented group for defensive coordinator Blake Baker to work with, in addition to getting standout safety Ty Benefield from Boise State to upgrade the secondary.
