LSU opened fall camp Wednesday, its first August under new coach Lane Kiffin, with a full complement of players — including a healthy quarterback Sam Leavitt.
The highly touted transfer from Arizona State looked comfortable and confident in his return from a Lisfranc injury that sidelined him the bulk of the offense, though media access only included about 11 early minutes for a notably limited first look at the Tigers.
As Kiffin emphasized, the team is still early in its ramp up toward the season and held a shorter-than-usual practice, and early takeaways — particularly prematurely trying to zero into a depth chart — should be taken with somewhat of a grain of salt.
But the coach liked what he saw from his anticipated starting quarterback and his progression toward the team’s season opener Sept. 5 against Clemson.
“I thought Sam had a great day today,” Kiffin said. “Really looked the best he’s looked, and that was exciting to see. Looks like he’s getting more comfortable with the receivers… Really I don’t look at it that he was really far behind because he did a lot of mental work and did a lot of throwing stuff in different situations even when he couldn’t move as well. So I think his progression has been really good, and I think he’s right on pace.”
In addition to the clean bill of health, the Tigers kicked off fall camp with an offseason free of major disciplinary issues that can often become storylines in the summer or as camp kicks off.
“I don’t want to jinx that, but it has been really quiet that way,” Kiffin said. “I think part of that is how you run your program, what (type of character) chooses you — what they’re attracted to when they come and they see how you do things, that’s what they choose and what they become attracted to and choose. So I think that’s a big part of that. We’ve had a good run of a lot of years of very little off-field issues for a while now.
“And just talk to ’em a lot, too, about when you’re here, you’re pros now. They are, and they get paid like it, and the expectations should be that they act like it. And you’re risking a lot. Where before it was you just kind of get in trouble or maybe you lose a scholarship — maybe. Well, now you’re talking about a lot of money when you make those mistakes.”
U-HIGH, DESTREHAN PRODUCTS AMONG EARLY UNDERCLASSMAN STANDOUTS
The depth chart still has a full month to work itself out, and the coaching staff will mix up some reps and personnel groupings during August to get looks at a variety of players.
Kiffin didn’t speak much on many individual players after just a lone day of work, but a pair of Louisiana natives who were highly ranked prospects in the past two recruiting classes were among those about whom he was asked.
Freshman defensive end Lamar Brown, the state’s top-ranked 2026 prospect, joined the program this summer after graduating from University Lab and appears likely to earn early opportunities, though Kiffin cautioned against taking freshman playing time for granted in the modern landscape of college football.
“Lamar is a great height-weight-speed combination and very rare to find, and he’s an awesome kid — really intelligent, really well-spoken, has really good thoughts when you meet with him about being great and what it takes,” the coach said. “So it was awesome for him to be the first guy I met when I was here… so we’re really excited about him, his ability to do multiple things. Again, that’ll take a little time. He just got here.
“You know, freshmen now, if you look at it, are not impacting quite as much as they used to before. I’m not saying he’s not. I’m just speaking in general. I think everybody just expects all these freshmen to just have these elite freshman years, and that’s not really what’s happening a lot around the country, because rosters don’t have as many holes because they’re filled by portal players where before (younger) players were forced to play a little more. So I might just temper some expectations on all these freshmen that every one can start and be All-American.”
Redshirt freshman safety Jhase Thomas, a top-10 prospect out of Destrehan in 2025, was also referenced as getting notable reps in a position group led by returning starter Tamarcus Cooley and Boise State transfer Ty Benefield.
“Jhase really has done a good job, can play multiple things,” Kiffin said. “And we rotate a lot of guys through early in camp for competition.”
