{"id":72781,"date":"2025-03-08T12:00:41","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T17:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=72781"},"modified":"2025-03-06T22:25:01","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T03:25:01","slug":"the-top-three-lsu-spring-position-battles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/03\/08\/the-top-three-lsu-spring-position-battles\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top Three LSU Spring Position Battles"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Spring practice set to start on March 8th<\/sup>, the LSU Spring position battles will soon commence. On paper, the most talented version of Brian Kelly’s Tigers will soon take the field with jobs on the line. The fluid nature of today\u2019s college football has added to the constant grind of building a winning roster. Nevertheless, we embraced the challenge of ranking the top three position group battles that will determine the Tigers’ ceiling in 2025.<\/p>\n

Ranking the LSU Spring Position Battles<\/h2>\n

Third \u2013 Defensive End\/Edge<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The third most important LSU Spring position battle will take place on the edges of the defensive line. Bradyn Swinson\u2019s explosive pass-rushing skill set has moved on, and Sai\u2019vion Jones is no longer available to set the edge. The edge players up front must be a strength when facing quarterbacks like Cade Klubnik<\/a>, Lanorris Sellers, and DJ Lagway<\/a>. Fortunately, the Tigers were able to bring in a few veterans through the portal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Florida State\u2019s Patrick Payton<\/a> had a breakout season in 2023 with seven sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss. LSU needs Payton to step in where Swinson left off, rushing the passer. Redshirt freshman CJ Jackson is rarely mentioned but has the quickness to break into the lineup this season.<\/p>\n

Former Gator Jack Pyburn<\/a> has brought his talents from Gainesville to Baton Rouge and could start at defensive end. Pyburn is a prototypical run-stopping defensive end and sets the tone with effort. Second-year player Gabe Reliford<\/a> flashed in 2024 and has a realistic shot to start at defensive end.<\/p>\n

Jimari Butler transferred in from Nebraska and will provide even more competition at end. Damien Shanklin is an early enrollee who could surprise fans with his first step and bend off the edge.<\/p>\n

Second – Cornerback<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The cornerback competition is LSU\u2019s second-most important competition. With all due respect to the influx of talent<\/a> at the receiver position, the impact of the newly acquired talent at cornerback could be more important to the team\u2019s success this year. Quality man coverage would allow more creativity from Blake Baker and improve LSU\u2019s 84th-ranked third-down\u00a0defense.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t expect the returners to back down by any means. Rising junior Ashton Stamps<\/a> has steadily improved since his days as a skinny freshman. Stamps\u2019 growth was evident as he made more plays on the ball as a sophomore. However, the competition will be fierce.<\/p>\n

Virginia Tech transfer cornerback Mansoor Delane<\/a> brings proven experience and versatility. Delane was an All-ACC selection who also played safety for the Hokies. He\u2019s a solid option, but Baker can be more flexible with Delane if another player steps up at cornerback.<\/p>\n

One possibility is true freshman DJ Pickett, LSU\u2019s highest rated cornerback commitment since Derek Stingley. Obviously, expectations are high for this potential instant impact prospect. The 6\u2019-4\u201d Florida native has the height, athleticism, and ball skills to make him a star. He has to prove he can hold up to the physical demands of the SEC as well as grasp Baker\u2019s defensive playbook.<\/p>\n

Florida transfer Ja\u2019Keem Jackson was a highly regarded recruit who entered 2024 as a starter before an injury ended his season early. It wouldn\u2019t surprise anybody if Jackson earned a starting spot, but we can\u2019t forget about rising sophomore PJ Woodland<\/a>. While Woodland\u2019s slim frame limited his playing time, his coverage ability was impressive. The second-year player is a competitor with skill, so expect him to make an impact.<\/p>\n

First – Offensive Line <\/strong><\/h3>\n

The most important battle of LSU\u2019s Spring practice is on the offensive line. LSU faces the daunting task of replacing four out of the five starting offensive linemen of 2024. LSU has recruited well enough<\/a> to have both proven, experienced players and high-potential younger linemen on the roster. The talent on campus is good enough to win, but offensive lines don\u2019t thrive on talent alone. The Tigers need to quickly establish the leaders in this group to allow time for them to grow as a cohesive unit. A visit to Clemson in the first game of the season adds to the urgency.<\/p>\n

Main Photo: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Offensive Line coach Brad Davis has shown his confidence in sophomore Tyree Adams<\/a>, and he\u2019ll start on the blind side, barring a disaster. Northwestern transfer Josh Thompson<\/a> is in a prime position to start at left guard after becoming an honorable mention All-Big Ten team member in 2024. Paul Mubenga also brings value at left guard despite a few spotty performances in 2024; he\u2019s still young.<\/p>\n

Another Virginia Tech transfer could take the reins at center in Braelin Moore<\/a>. Moore allowed only one sack in the last 10 games of 2024 and has experience at both center and guard. Last year\u2019s center, DJ Chester<\/a>, could grab a starting spot at right guard.<\/p>\n

The right tackle could be the tightest battle. Weston Davis returned and was one of the prized recruits of LSU\u2019s 2024 class. Incoming freshmen Carius Curne and Solomon Thomas didn\u2019t enroll early to take a redshirt. Each of these candidates brings a high upside. This is an important Spring for redshirt freshmen Bo Bordelon and Ethan Calloway to earn the trust of the staff at tackle. The competition won’t get any easier for them as Davis has continued to recruit at a high level.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With Spring practice set to start on March 8th, the LSU Spring position battles will soon commence. On paper, the most talented version of Brian Kelly’s Tigers will soon take the field with jobs on the line. The fluid nature of today\u2019s college football has added to the constant grind of building a winning roster. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4690,"featured_media":72811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10906,2,3,2056],"tags":[4504,8667,10530,729,34931,32967,33760,33811,9957,10295,33948,86,34754,9411,1525,34930],"class_list":["post-72781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cfb","category-featured","category-sec","category-top-25","tag-blake-baker","tag-brad-davis","tag-bradyn-swinson","tag-brian-kelly","tag-carius-curne","tag-cj-jackson","tag-damien-shanklin","tag-dj-pickett","tag-jakeem-jackson","tag-jimari-butler","tag-lanorris-sellers","tag-lsu-tigers","tag-paul-mubenga","tag-saivion-jones","tag-solomon-thomas","tag-weston-davis"],"modified_by":"Kate Pearson Halyburton, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4690"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72781"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72812,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72781\/revisions\/72812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}