By KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
A group of LSU true freshmen defensive linemen have the chance to make history.
Defensive tackles Deuce Geralds and Richard Anderson and defensive end Lamar Brown have all earned looks with the first-team defense through the first week of fall camp. If even one of them earns a starting spot in LSU’s season opener versus Clemson, it would be historic. Two making the cut would be almost unheard of. Geralds and Anderson have a real shot.
Since 1995, only three true freshmen defensive linemen have started a season opener – tackle Johnny Mitchell in 1996, end Theo Williams in 1996 and tackle Booger McFarland in 1995. Mitchell notably only started that 1996 matchup against Houston because McFarland, a sophomore that season, was sidelined with an injury.
LSU coach Lane Kiffin said after practice on Monday that the Tigers’ current group boasts the most freshman talent on a D-line he or special defensive assistant Ed Orgeron has ever coached. Orgeron was LSU’s head coach for part of 2016 through the 2021 regular season and won the national championship in the 2019 season. He was an LSU defensive line coach in 2015 and for the first four games of 2016 before becoming interim head coach, then head coach.
“I was kind of thinking about all the places over the years we’ve been and even when we’ve been together or separate, and neither of us has had that,” Kiffin said of his coaching years with Orgeron at USC, Tennessee, USC again and now LSU. “It’s really unique to have nowadays, because now they’re more spread out usually, where before you could take more numbers. And so, maybe then you hit on some and got that. But it’s really exciting.”
Kiffin also made it a point to mention first-year edge rusher Trenton Henderson (6-foot-4, 243 pounds), a consensus 4-star prospect who ranked as high as No. 8 nationally at his position by 247Sports.com before signing with LSU in the 2026 class from Pine Forest High in Pensacola, Florida. Kiffin said all four of the newcomers have impressed, but Geralds (6-1, 279), Anderson (6-3, 339) and Brown (6-5, 294) are the ones to watch as far as making an impact this season.
“All of them have a chance to play. Those three specifically are playing a lot,” he said.
With the NCAA’s new five-year, age-based eligibility model, there is no reason not to play true freshmen, even just occasionally. In the five-years-to-play-four model, coaches tended to want to save true freshmen and red-shirt them so they could be fifth-year seniors.
Coaches no longer have to worry about preserving a red-shirt season to earn another year of eligibility. That could pave the way for heavy rotational usage for the early years for backups.
In the edge rusher room, transfers Princewill Umanmielen (6-4, 244) and Jordan Ross (6-5, 246) have been penciled into the starting spots since committing to LSU. The interior of the line, though, seems wide open. Former five-star junior Dominick McKinley (6-6, 297) has been relegated to third team at times this camp. Auburn transfer Malik Blocton (6-3, 286) has been with the first team here and there, while Clemson transfer Stephiylan Green (6-3, 296) has either been with the second or third teams.
Geralds (6-1, 279) was the most surprising of the freshman trio to contend for playing time right away, but now may have the best shot at being an immediate starter. The Suwanee, Georgia, native was rated as a four-star prospect and ranked as high as the No. 2 defensive tackle in the 2026 class by ESPN. He holds the all-time sack record in Georgia high school football with 53.5.
His smaller size, though, raises concerns that his prep production may not translate to the Southeastern Conference. Geralds has quickly quieted that so far by using his low leverage and mature rush technique to move to the first team.
Anderson (6-3, 339) was the nation’s top tackle out of Edna Karr High in New Orleans. The five-star’s massive frame gave him potential to make a smooth transition to college, but he needed the spring to refine his game. Now, he too is contending for a starting spot.
Brown (6-5, 294) is a five-star University High School product who ranked as ESPN’s No. 1 overall prospect in this year’s freshman class. He did not enroll early like the other two, so he did not have the spring to practice. Despite his delay, Brown has solidified himself in the second-team rotation amid a few first team looks.
Kiffin is not the only one raving about the young talents, either. Fifth-year senior starting center Braelin Moore also praised the trio on Monday.
“Those guys are going to be crazy talented,” he said. “Their future is so bright. I’ve played in the ACC, played against good Clemson teams, played in the SEC. Those freshmen are developed more than some of the players I played in their fourth year.”
Moore (6-2, 301) started 24 games in three seasons at Virginia Tech and started 12 more as the Tigers’ center last year. He gave a breakdown of each of the freshmen after having to block against them.
“Deuce is an extremely talented pass rusher, ” Moore said. “His bag is endless. And then when it comes to Richard, he is a powerful dude. Can eat up double teams, could just cause chaos in the backfield. And then Lamar’s kind of a switch up. He’s an edge rusher, but he could also move into three technique (at tackle). He has that power. So he could work finesse, and he could just go right through you.”
Other defenders have noticed a difference from the true freshmen as well.
“Those guys up front are doing a great job,” safety Ty Benefield said. “Of course, they’re young, and they’re going to make little mistakes. But from what I’ve seen, this is one of the most talented young defensive lines I’ve seen.”
Benefield (6-3, 208) started 33 games in three seasons at Boise State. He was a first team All-Mountain West selection last year and said that this year’s LSU defense could be the best in the nation.
The miscues is why many coaches are leaning on more experienced transfers, but Kiffin sounds like he may gamble with youth.
“It’s really exciting in an age that a lot of people play older portal players,” he said. “It’s been lost a little bit – significant freshmen playing, because there are challenges with playing them. They make more mistakes. And with a challenging schedule, and the way that it’s set up now and more competitive than ever, it’s even harder to have some of those games early.”
No. 13 LSU, for example, opens the season on Sept. 5 against No. 23 Clemson, and Tiger fans may not have to wait long to find out if Geralds, Anderson and Brown are the real deal. If not right away, it appears LSU’s defensive line room has a bright future.
“It’s an awesome situation to be in,” Kiffin concluded.
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