8/18/26 5:30 am CT

Good morning, Tiger Fans,

Preseason rankings, scrimmage talk, a practice report and our Countdown to Game Day… let’s jump to it…

The AP preseason rankings are out, and LSU came in at No. 11. Five opponents on LSU’s schedule made the Top 25 and a total of nine SEC teams made the poll, which is the most of any conference. As for LSU’s first opponent, the Clemson Tigers were unranked in the preseason poll for the first time in 15 years but received 112 votes, the most of any team just outside the Top 25.

What should Tiger fans think about the No. 11 ranking? Well, if you ask Lane Kiffin, he’d probably say “not much.” Asked about the rankings after yesterday’s practice, he made it clear they mean nothing to him and made a good point about why they matter even less these days when rosters are largely remade through the transfer portal every offseason. “We don’t know as coaches, let alone media, how other teams will play — we barely know how our own team will play because you have so many new players. I haven’t studied it, because there’s no reason to.”

We were hoping to hear a lot about Saturday’s scrimmage, but it’s becoming clear that Kiffin doesn’t like too much information getting out there. And that’s probably smart. 

Kiffin did say, however, that the first-team defense “played extremely well” in Saturday’s scrimmage, applying consistent pressure on the offense and playing well in coverage. The first-team offense struggled some early on but rallied and finished strong — “which is what we hope for,” Kiffin said. All told, the team got in roughly 170 plays, giving the staff plenty of tape to evaluate, with about half the work coming in live tackling situations. 

Kiffin praised wide receiver Roman Mothershed for continuing to make plays on the outside, and running back Harlem Berry stood out with a long touchdown run. We wrote last week that we were hoping the scrimmage would shed some light on the running back pecking order, and based on Kiffin’s comments and what I’ve heard from others, I’d say it did. It appears that Berry (as well as Dilin Jones) is indeed ahead of Durham, and that Stacy Gage is further along than we anticipated. Unofficial reports suggest Gage got lots of carries in the scrimmage and looked good.

A media member also noted that Sam Leavitt looked like he was really moving well in a brief clip LSU released from Saturday’s action, and asked Kiffin what he liked about seeing his quarterback in something closer to live reps. Kiffin seemed peeved that the clip had even been released, and it has since been removed. Still, Kiffin didn’t hold back with the praise of Leavitt. “He moves great,” Kiffin said. “We knew obviously what an athlete he was, especially two years ago on film, but he moves around great. He got out of a lot of trouble with some great pass rush and pressures that came at him.”

Here are a few more tidbits to pass along.

LSU held a full-pads workout yesterday morning, and the media viewing window was headlined by a few notable absences. Harlem Berry wasn’t seen during the viewable portion, nor were defensive linemen Malik Blocton and Jordan Ross. Asked about the absences, Kiffin said only that they should be fine. 

Coach Ed Orgeron, who has been coaching up the defensive tackles and edge rushers, was also absent. Kiffin said Coach O wasn’t feeling very well, so they sent him home. “You can imagine what that conversation was like,” he joked. Orgeron is expected back soon.

As for the wide receiver room, it appears to be trending healthy. Jayce Brown and Winston Watkins were both back in white (contact) jerseys. Brown had been in gold the previous week, and Watkins had missed three workouts over the last two weeks. Freshman Jabari Mack remains in gold but is participating fully.

During the pitch-and-catch portion of practice, Sam Leavitt and Husan Longstreet handled the bulk of the reps, with Landen Clark working in third. Kiffin said during his presser that both backups have made solid progress, and that Longstreet has really refined his throwing motion. “Husan’s throwing motion looks completely different, and he’s really worked hard on that.”

One more interesting note about yesterday’s practice: In classic Kiffin fashion, he couldn’t resist a little trolling. As the media exited practice, “Rocky Top” was blaring over the loudspeakers, a not-so-subtle nod to LSU’s first trip to Knoxville since 2017 and Kiffin’s second return there as the head coach since he left the Vols in 2010. The first, of course, being that infamous 2021 game with Ole Miss when Tennessee didn’t exactly welcome him back. This year’s contest in Knoxville, and the one in Oxford, are sure to be something else. 

The Tigers will be back at it this evening, continuing to alternate day and night sessions. 

COUNTDOWN TO GAME DAY: 18 DAYS

There’s been a ton of talk about jersey numbers recently (more than I’d like, really), but we’ll gladly continue it today in a positive way while counting down the days until LSU’s season opener. After all, we’re at Day 18, and you know what that means. 

Of all the jersey numbers, none exemplifies what it means to be a Tiger more than good ol’ No. 18. I’d love to be able to tell you who will wear that prestigious number this season, but that has yet to be announced.  So, instead, we’ll quickly look at the number’s history. 

The tradition of making the number one of significance began after Matt Mauck led the Tigers to the 2003 national championship, and it’s been a staple ever since. The number seemed to grow in importance through the years, especially after Jacob Hester exemplified the tough, hard-nosed mentality that we Louisianians really connect with. Since Mauck, these Tigers have worn the honor: Hester (2004-07), Richard Dickson (2008-09), Richard Murphy (2010), Brandon Taylor (2011), Bennie Logan (2012), Lamin Barrow (2013), Terrance Magee (2014), Tre’Davious White (2015-16), Christian LaCouture (2017), J.D. Moore (2017), Foster Moreau (2018), K’Lavon Chaisson (2019), Chris Curry (2020), Damone Clark (2020-21), BJ Ojulari (2022), Mekhi Wingo (2023), Greg Penn (2024), Josh Williams (2024) and Garrett Nussmeier (2025).

Last year’s announcement came at the beginning of Game Week on August 24, so chances are we’ll know within the next week or two who’ll be entrusted with that prestigious number, as well as the No. 7 typically presented to a special playmaker. That is, if Kiffin does in fact continue those traditions.

Closing Tidbits:

• One player who would certainly be a strong candidate for 7 or 18 is tight end Trey’Dez Green, and I mention him only because he was named yesterday to the Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year watch list. 

• We mentioned the playing of Rocky Top at practice. Here’s something else that might just fall into the same “trolling” category. What do you think? VIDEO: He just keeps making plays.

• Yesterday I mentioned the memorial services planned for the late, great Skip Bertman, a true Tiger legend. Here’s more information on the Celebration of Bertman’s Life, scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 25. 

• Lastly, our Ticket Exchange has been updated with new listings. Also, please note that I’d like to refresh our list of  LSU Alumni View-In Parties (many of the listings need updating). If you know of an LSU Alumni Association viewing location for Tiger fans to get together for the games, please let me know.