LSU’s fall camp is coming to an end. With two weeks to go before kickoff against USC, practice and preparation will now resemble a regular season schedule rather than training camp.

The first two weeks of camp have given us a fresh look at LSU. There were a lot of unknowns about what this team will look like in 2023. LSU replaced a Heisman Trophy winner at QB, both coordinators, and two first-round wide receivers. Spring practice provided some answers, some of which were further solidified in camp.

It’s also the first time we’ll get a proper look at some new faces, particularly defensive tackles Gio Paez and (autotag)Dominick McKinley(/autotag), who weren’t at LSU for spring ball.

Despite the offensive changes, there is more security on that side of the ball. That has led to a lot of fan attention lately being focused on defense, where LSU is hoping new first-year DC (autotag)Blake Baker(/autotag) can turn things around.

There’s still a lot to learn about this team, but the answers will come when they get down to business against USC. Now, let’s look at six things we learned about LSU during fall camp.

Cornerback is an interesting position for LSU starting in 2024. The pass defense was not up to standard in 2023, but LSU failed to break through and chose to focus on the development of its young players.

Ashton Stamps is part of that group. The sophomore received rave reviews when he first arrived on campus in 2023. He was forced into action as a true freshman and had mixed results. Now, Stamps has emerged as LSU’s best cornerback.

Stamps said the secondary school had made great progress and left the difficulties of last year behind.

“I just feel like we have less to think about,” Stamps said. “We’re not guessing. We’re just going out there and playing.”

Stamps started four times last year and said the experience has given him more confidence heading into his sophomore year.

LSU needs a strong year from Stamps if the defense is to recover.

The TE group is even stronger than we thought

LSU tight end Mason Taylor is expected to have a great junior year. He immediately turned heads when he stepped on campus as a freshman, hauling in 74 catches for 762 yards in his first two years in Baton Rouge.

With LSU having to replace a number of targets, Taylor is taking on a more prominent role. If he lives up to expectations, he has a chance to become one of the best tight ends in the SEC.

But it’s not just Taylor. LSU is happy with what it has: sophomore Ka’Morreun Pimpton and freshman Trey’Dez Green. LSU has flashed two and three tight end sets throughout fall camp, suggesting Taylor, Pimpton and Green will get their fair share of playing time this fall.

LSU lost a man after Mac Markway entered the portal at the beginning of the camp, but the location of this room is not to be liked.

Gio Paez will start alongside Jacobian Guillory at DT

There is no doubt that Jacobian Guillory is LSU’s DT1. He is the only returning player with real starting experience at LSU.

LSU was forced to bolster its defensive line through transfers, bringing in Gio Paez and Jay’Viar Suggs. So far, Paez has made a name for himself and secured a starting position.

When LSU fields its first defense against USC, Guillory and Paez will likely man the defensive tackle position. This is a new position for Paez, as he plays a three-technique position instead of the nose and one-tech positions he played at Wisconsin.

The move to the SEC and a slight position change make Paez difficult to predict for 2023. He wasn’t a playmaker at Wisconsin, but he’s no newbie to power conference football. There are still a lot of unknowns here, but LSU seems increasingly confident that Paez will play competent football.

LSU is still trying to find the punter

LSU will have a new punter in 2024 after losing senior Jay Bramblett. With Bramblett, LSU had one of the SEC’s most effective punters in 2022-23, even though he barely touched the field last year.

LSU has a few options in Peyton Todd and Blake Ochsendorf, but Brian Kelly said neither has committed yet.

“I think we have two guys at the punting position that complement each other in some ways and I think they can both help us, we just have to figure out in which area. They’re both extremely talented, they both have great legs,” Kelly said.

“I think what stands out to me most right now is we need to get consistency. We’re going to see some incredibly big kicks and then we’re going to see one that’s not effective enough. We’re going to keep letting the guys challenge each other, but I think that will sort itself out,” Kelly said.

I’m sure LSU fans haven’t spent much time thinking about the punting position this summer, but that’s one thing you don’t realize until something bad happens. LSU needs to avoid costly mistakes on special teams and finding a reliable punter will help with that.

Harold Perkins Jr. looks good

With Blake Baker taking over the defense, LSU is happy with the direction Harold Perkins is taking.

Perkins has the talent to become one of the best linebackers in the SEC. He was an elite pass rusher in 2022 and showed equally good coverage skills last year. He will look to put it all together this fall.

Baker said Perkins has made tremendous progress since spring ball. That means something considering the work Baker has done with LSU’s linebackers in 2021.

Perkins said Baker has found a way to simplify the defense so he can play freely and quickly, something we didn’t see last year.

LSU now has a plan for Perkins and it should result in Perkins returning to an All-SEC level of play.

There is still a lot to do in defense

There have been positive reports about the defensive performance, some of which we have highlighted here before, but consistency remains an issue.

Blake Baker said all the pieces are there, but LSU needs to get better at putting them together on a day-to-day basis, and mentioned that he wants to see more accountability from the players.

The secondary should also be better, but here too Kelly would like to see more consistency, especially among the young cornerbacks.

LSU has less than two weeks to clean up before facing a Lincoln Riley offense.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: 6 takeaways from LSU’s fall camp so far