Day 2 of LSU fall camp revealed a bombshell that’s a program first: two true freshman defensive tackles, Richard Anderson and Deuce Geralds, are lining up with the first-team defense. This isn’t just a minor rotation; it’s a statement, and LSU has *never* featured two true freshman interior defensive linemen with the first unit. Get ready, because this kind of early shake-up usually means big things are coming.
The Youth Movement Is Real: Anderson and Thomas Shock the Depth Chart
Seriously, this isn’t a knock on any of the older guys in the room; it just screams how special these young players really are. Richard Anderson, man, his progress since the end of spring practice has been nothing short of amazing. He’s totally transformed his body, gotten himself into incredible shape, and it’s already paying dividends big time here in fall camp. But wait, there’s more. Redshirt freshman safety Jhase Thomas is also starting over Temarcus Cooley, and that’s a genuine surprise. Coming out of spring, Thomas wasn’t generating much buzz. Everyone was talking about Faheem Delane, and nobody, *nobody* thought Cooley’s role was truly in jeopardy. Cooley played the most snaps on defense last season, so it felt like an absolute given he’d be the starter. Yet, through the first two practices, it’s been Thomas leading the charge. This whole situation just reinforces what Lane Kiffin has been preaching: the best players will play, period. There’s real competition at every single position, and clearly, this coaching staff sees something in Thomas that has him separated from the pack right now.
Coaching Staff Bringing the Fire and the Defense Is Responding
This defense, man, it just *looks* and *feels* like an LSU defense. The defensive front is straight up intimidating and athletic, which is exactly what you want. The linebackers? They’re aggressive, instinctive, and incredibly fast. And the defensive backs can cover, constantly rallying to the football to absolutely shut down explosive plays. But what really puts this unit over the top is the coaching staff. The intensity is radiating from every coach, at every level of the defense. It’s not just Coach O; Kevin Peoples, Blake Baker, Chris Kiffin, Jake Olsen, and Corey Raymond are all demanding attention to detail while coaching with absolutely tremendous energy, intensity, and focus.
Lamar Brown, another true freshman, was rotating in with the first-team defense at edge during parts of practice. At one point, get this, LSU had *three* true freshmen on the defensive line with the first unit! That’s just remarkable. Keep an eye on Dom McKinley, too; he’s still working with the third team, and his development hasn’t quite shown up on the practice field yet. Hopefully, he can put it together soon and fight his way into that rotation. TJ Dottery and Whit Weeks continue to be absolutely outstanding at linebacker, playing with that tremendous speed and outstanding instincts. And if I didn’t mention Ty Benefield in this report, it would be a disservice. Benefield is that guy you want first off the bus, first out of the tunnel, and first onto the field. He is truly special; words don’t do him justice as a player, and he is going to be incredibly fun to watch this season.
There won’t be media access tomorrow, but we’ll be back out there Saturday morning. Lane Kiffin is also meeting with the media after practice. With this kind of early performance from the freshmen and the coaching staff’s relentless intensity, this upcoming season is already shaping up to be absolutely thrilling.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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