LSU football defense continues to chase interceptions in fall camp

Defensive coordinator Blake Baker transformed LSU football's defense from a national bottom-feeder into one of the best units in the SEC. One metric that jumped significantly year over year was interceptions, up from six in 2024 to 17 in 2025. "I think it's a combination of guys being more in tune to exactly what the scheme is," Baker said. "Sometimes it comes down to just better players, to be honest with you." Baker hopes for a similar jump in 2026 and said the team is running pick six drills during fall camp. LSU needs to replace three interceptions apiece from Harold Perkins and A.J. Haulcy. Both departed for the NFL after last season, as did first-rounder Mansoor Delane. But the Tigers get DJ Pickett, Dashawn Spears and Tamarcus Cooley back, all of whom came away with at least two picks in 2025. They also add transfer Ty Benefield, who made two interceptions each of the last two years. Baker said the Tigers have the physical tools to compete for balls in the air. "We have great length in the back end," Baker said. "All those guys have extremely good ball skills and when you look back on the tape in a self- scout standpoint, I think we had four interceptions where we were tackled by a quarterback last year, so it's a point of emphasis." This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU football defense continues to chase interceptions in fall camp