LSU football spring practice: 5 position battles to watch

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LSU football began spring practice this week as Lane Kiffin's Tigers officially hit practice together for the first time.

Baton Rouge is ready. The Brian Kelly era ended on a sour note, with LSU falling short of expectations and LSU firing the coach midseason. Kiffin was LSU's top target, and the Tigers went all-out to land their guy. Kiffin is tasked with returning LSU to the College Football Playoff — a place the Tigers haven't been since 2019.

LSU has plenty of new faces. Kiffin's staff signed 40+ transfers on top of a high school recruiting class. That's normal these days. With the portal, coaches can flip a roster overnight.

A handful of LSU starters are set in stone, but spring practice will mark the begining of a few key position battles. This is a talented roster, and one of the sport's most expensive. The coaching staff has options at every position, which should bode well for LSU's depth this fall.

Let's take a look at five position battles to monitor during LSU football's spring practice.

Defensive tackle

I think Dominick McKinley will be LSU's DT1 in 2026. The rising junior is a five-star talent and we watched him take a step in 2025. The progress will continue this fall and he'll be LSU's top interior defensive lineman. The intriguing competition is to determine who will emerge next to McKinley.

True freshman Richard Anderson has garnered attention, but like McKinley, he's a bigger body. LSU DC Blake Baker could prefer a quicker, lighter defender for this spot, much like LSU had with Bernard Gooden in 2025.

Auburn transfer Malik Blocton is a name to watch. Blocton spent the bulk of his time at Auburn playing the 3-tech, which could complement McKinley at the 1-tech. In two years on the plains, Blocton played 718 snaps.

Right tackle

After a brief transfer portal entry, Weston Davis opted to return to LSU. He was LSU's starting right tackle for the bulk of 2025, and could have the head start on winning the job in 2026.

But Davis left a lot to be desired. He struggled blocking for the run and in pass protection, even against lesser opponents like Louisiana Tech.

LSU brought in several talented options to push Davis. That includes Ole Miss transfer Devin Harper, a four-star recruit entering his second year of college football. Harper didn't play much with the Rebels as a freshman, but the talent is clear. Kentucky transfer Darrin Strey has a similar story.

LSU feels good about the left tackle position with Jordan Seaton. If the Tigers are to make a jump up front, the right tackle spot needs dramatic improvement, too.

QB2

All eyes will be on the quarterback position this spring. Sam Leavitt will miss a chunk of spring practice as he recovers from an injury that ended his 2025 season, leaving Husan Longstreet and Landen Clark to compete. Leavitt will be the starter when he returns, but QB2 is up for grabs.

Longstreet, a five-star recruit, has the talent edge. He was the backup in his lone year at USC, only playing in blowouts.

Clark hails from Elon, where he had an uber productive 2025. Jumping from the FCS to the SEC brings its challenges, though.

Longstreet and Clark have upside, and this coaching staff has shown it can develop talented quarterbacks.

Defensive end

Both of LSU's defensive end spots are open. The Tigers are tasked with replacing significant production with Jack Pyburn and Patrick Payton off to the NFL.

Gabe Reliford is a name to keep an eye on. He was emerging through four games in 2025 until an injury cut his season short. The talent is there, and he'll look to put it together this fall.

LSU invested in transfers Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Ross. Both players bring talent and SEC experience, and figure to provide an upgraded pass rush.

Redshirt Dylan Carpenter will also have a chance to compete for playing time.

Wide receiver

This position may be of the most intrigue to LSU fans, given all the fresh faces and talented options in the room. LSU returns only one wide receiver who caught a pass in 2025: Phillip Wright, who caught one pass.

This is a completely new position room.

Jayce Brown is the favorite to claim the WR1 spot after putting up impressive numbers at Kansas State. After Brown, the picture gets murky.

Eugene Wilson brings SEC experience from Florida, though health is a concern. Winston Watkins saw significant time with Ole Miss as a freshman in 2025, and looks ready for a bigger role in 2026.

Tre Brown and Jackson Harris, boh transfers moving up from the G6, came close to 1,000 yards in 2025.

LSU has no shortage of options at WR.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU football spring practice: 5 position battles to watch

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