LSU Football Depth Chart: Predicting LSU's interior defensive line

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

LSU football’s defense has a chance to be elite in 2026. The Tigers were strong under Blake Baker in 2025, finishing as a top-15 unit nationally. Baker has delivered dramatic improvement in each of his two seasons in Baton Rouge, so it was no surprise when new head coach Lane Kiffin sought to retain LSU’s defensive playcaller.

LSU’s defense has a top-five ceiling this fall. Baker’s return allowed LSU to embrace continuity on the defensive side of the ball. Along with impact returners, LSU added talent from the transfer portal, too.

But if this defense is to be national championship-caliber, it starts up front. A strong interior defensive line is critical when building a top-notch defense. It’s hard to make a deep playoff run without one. Strong nose tackles are the heart of a good run defense, athletic three-techs can rush the passer and collapse the pocket from the inside, something even the most polished quarterbacks hate dealing with.

Today, we’ll take a look at LSU’s projected interior defensive line. A mix of returnees, transfer signees, and true freshmen should allow LSU’s defensive line to be one of the best in the SEC.

Nose Tackle

Baker doesn’t use a traditional nose tackle — LSU spends most of its snaps in over and under fronts, meaning there’s a 3-tech and a 1-tech. For our purposes, we’ll call the 1-tech the nose.

Starter: Dominick McKinley

McKinley, entering year three at LSU, took a sizeable step forward in 2025. McKinley was a role player on LSU’s 2024 defense, but last year, played 370 snaps in a near fulltime role. McKinley made seven stops while racking up eight pressures. Stats don’t tell the full story, though. McKinley’s was a physical presence and his size opened oppurtunities for playmakers on the defense to make stops.

He’s tough to block and can eat double-teams. Still, he’s good for the occasional splash play too. McKinley owns LSU’s best combination of experience, size, and athleticism on the defensive line.

Key Depth

Two players both figure to rotate into the rotation behind McKinley this fall: Stephiylan Green and Richard Anderson. Green is a Clemson transfer while Anderson is a five-star freshman.

Green enters his fourth year of college football after seeing significant snaps with Clemson. Per PFF, Green posted a 74.1 defensive grade in 2025 and 71.5 mark in 2025. That’s a productive player. Green won’t wow with any aspect of his game, but he can do a little bit of everything.

As for Anderson, the hype around the freshman continues to build. Anderson was one of the top-ranked defensive tackles in the 2026 recruiting class. One of Kiffin’s first tasks as LSU’s head coach was keeping Anderson in the fold. Expectations are high for Anderson in year one.

Defensive Tackle

LSU’s defensive tackle spot, the three-tech, is up for grabs. Bernard Gooden occupied this position for much of 2025, but he’s off to the NFL. The three-tech tends to be more nimble and explosive than the one-tech, offering pass rush support, too.

Starter: Malik Blocton

The safest pick to see the majority of reps here is Auburn transfer Malik Blocton. By all accounts, Blocton impressed during spring practice. He brings SEC experience to Baton Rouge after playing 718 snaps across two years at Auburn. He totaled 19 pressures and four sacks in that span, along with 18 stops.

Key Depth

Anderson may not be the only true freshman making an impact at defensive tackle for LSU. True freshman Deuce Geralds is enjoying a breakout spring. Lane Kiffin spoke highly of Geralds early this week, and the blue-chip recruit could have the tools to play right away.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU Football Depth Chart: Predicting LSU’s interior defensive line

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos