By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
LSU spring football practice No. 11 was filled with action.
Redshirt junior safety Tamarcus Cooley was not seen at Thursday’s practice, marking the most notable absence. Sophomore safety Jhase Thomas filled in at strong safety with the first-team defense.
Senior linebacker Whit Weeks was in pads and continued working through individual drills.
The Tigers opened practice on the Ponderosa with an 11-on-11 period featuring the first-team offense against the first-team defense. On the first play, redshirt freshman quarterback Husan Longstreet made a poor decision, throwing an out-route intended for Jackson Harris that was intercepted by sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett. It likely would have been returned for a touchdown in a game.
On the very next play, Longstreet was intercepted again, this time by senior safety Ty Benefield, who made a strong play in the end zone on a slightly overthrown deep ball. Benefield continues to stand out as one of the most productive players this spring.
The initial first-team offense featured Longstreet at quarterback, Caden Durham at running back, Jackson Harris at the “Z” receiver, and Winston Watkins in the slot. The offensive line remained unchanged with junior Jordan Seaton at left tackle, fifth-year senior Bo Bordelon at left guard, fifth-year senior Braelin Moore at center, fifth-year senior Aliou Bah at right guard, and redshirt sophomore Weston Davis at right tackle.
Defensively, the only changes were Thomas at strong safety in place of Cooley, while redshirt junior Stephiylan Green also saw first-team reps at defensive tackle, splitting time with junior Dominick McKinley.
Senior Princewill Umanmielen appears to have locked up a starting defensive end role, but the battle for the second spot remains wide open. Redshirt junior Dylan Carpenter and junior Jordan Ross both saw reps there.
There was plenty of mixing and matching with both the first-team offense and defense. Redshirt sophomore running back Dilin Jones took multiple first-team reps throughout practice.
After the 11-on-11 period, the Tigers moved into individual drills.
Running backs coach Kevin Smith worked with his group on cutting and fighting through contact, while Corey Raymond focused with the defensive backs on ball tracking and zone coverage.
Kevin Smith continued to work with the #LSU running backs this morning. pic.twitter.com/6UMCx4HN6I
— Andre Champagne (@andrechampagnee) April 16, 2026
Kiffin worked with the wide receivers while the quarterbacks were throwing. He was seen speaking with Wilson off to the side after a couple of routes, appearing to explain a drill.
Lane Kiffin giving Tre Wilson III some tips in drills at practice this morning. #LSU pic.twitter.com/2ITbzvj9TY
— Andre Champagne (@andrechampagnee) April 16, 2026
Following individual work, the team moved into one-on-one drills between receivers and defensive backs, one of the more competitive portions of practice.
Watkins was the most impressive during the period, consistently beating LSU’s defensive backs, especially across the middle, where his speed stood out. He caught a deep touchdown on a go ball with junior safety Dashawn Spears in coverage.
Wilson also had a strong showing. Although he didn’t record a touchdown, he beat Pickett twice on go routes but was underthrown both times, allowing Pickett to recover and break up the passes. Senior wide receiver Jayce Brown continued to impress, beating Faheem Delane on a deep route for a touchdown on a well-thrown ball from Landen Clark.
LSU later moved into a 7-on-7 period. Benefield recorded his second interception of the day, jumping a comeback route after reading Longstreet’s throw. Longstreet responded with touchdown passes to Watkins and Harris. Clark threw an interception to Thomas, and junior tight end Trey’Dez Green made the play of the day when he hauled in a 10-yard touchdown over three defenders in the middle of the end zone while getting a foot down.
In the final 11-on-11 period, redshirt senior linebacker TJ Dottery recorded a tackle-for-loss. Jones added a couple of strong runs in the red zone, and junior Malik Blocton came free on a blitz that likely would have resulted in a sack.
OTHER NOTES
True freshman cornerback Havon Finney had a standout day, which is encouraging for the Tigers. With Aidan Anding’s season-ending injury this past weekend, Raymond is searching for more depth at cornerback, and Finney is emerging as a potential option. He intercepted Clark during one-on-one drills on a comeback route while tightly covering sophomore wide receiver Philip Wright III. He also broke up another pass later in the period.
#LSU is in search for some cornerbacks to step up with Aidan Anding out.
— Andre Champagne (@andrechampagnee) April 16, 2026
True freshman Havon Finney is certainly doing that. He intercepted a pass and broke up another in practice today. pic.twitter.com/CDAibdsgFi
Former LSU and current New England Patriots starting left tackle Will Campbell was in attendance at practice on Thursday.
#JustDifferent @LSUfootball pic.twitter.com/mJUmK6XMl4
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) April 16, 2026
Be the first to comment