BATON ROUGE — LSU football's season opener against USC at the Vegas Kickoff Classic at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is less than two weeks away. Kickoff is slated for Sunday, Sept. 1 (6:30 p.m., ABC).

The Tigers, ranked No. 12 in the preseason LMB Coaches Poll, have been prepping for the 2024 season and are entering their third full week of preseason practice Monday. LSU head coach Brian Kelly told reporters Saturday that the team will reach the conclusion of "fall camp" this Wednesday and will begin game prep for the Trojans starting on Thursday.

LSU opened fall camp Aug. 1 and will hold 17 practices before Thursday. Through the first 14 team sessions to this point, which three positions groups have stood out the most during practice and why as year three under Kelly is set to get underway?

Let's take a look.

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Cornerbacks

Considering how much work this position group needed following an abysmal 2023 campaign, LSU's corners may be the room that's stood out the most during preseason practice.

There's plenty that can be attributed to that from Kelly bringing back cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond from Florida, a coach that's guided some of the best corners LSU has ever had, to new defensive coordinator Blake Baker's defensive scheme.

Also, there's been some personnel shifting and players emerging. Junior Sage Ryan, who worked at safety his first three seasons in Baton Rouge, has repped at cornerback all preseason and the "cross-training" move, as Kelly called it this camp, has seemed to have stuck.

Sophomore Ashton Stamps has made huge strides in his game and been the best defensive back during camp.

"The report I got was (Stamps') man coverage relative to balls defended during camp," Kelly said of Stamps. "Defended ball, pass breakups, his numbers have been the best in camp. I think he feels comfortable being out there. He's moving well, he's stronger and I think his confidence is high that he can play in the SEC against the very best."

The difference this year is quality depth at corner, as freshman P.J. Woodland had a nice spring and seems to be holding his own during the preseason while J.K. Johnson and Jyaire Brown both flashed playmaking ability in periods.

Kelly said that he wants to see more consistency from the group. But all things considered, LSU's cornerback room looks to be the most improved room on the team.

Tight ends

Everyone knows about Mason Taylor and rightfully so. But he's not the only reason the tight ends are making this short list.

That's because Ka'Morreun Pimpton and freshman Trey'Dez Green have made the most of their opportunities and ran with them on a pretty consistent basis.

Each practice when LSU works through red zone and goal line situations, both Pimpton (6-6, 242) and Green (6-7, 245) have both seen their fair-share of targets and made a ton of plays, high-pointing the ball on backline routes and back-pylon throws. It wouldn't be shocking to see three tight ends on the field for the Tigers when they get inside the 20-yard line.

On Pimpton, Kelly said that he's been impressed with his growth of understanding more about the position. "You have to do the dirty job and there was a question of whether he wanted to do those. Now, he realizes the importance of getting in there and blocking."

Running backs

LSU's offense is going through a bit of renaissance under new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan as the skillset of Jayden Daniels at quarterback is no longer there. Junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier brings a different element to the Tigers, one that's more of a traditional dropback passer but does have the ability to evade and escape when necessary.

The passing game will look different in 2024 and how Sloan plans to utilize a couple of positions in his scheme will take on new life. Tight ends will be involved more in passing situations as will LSU's running backs.

Through preseason practice, the media have seen plenty of dump-downs and screens designed to go to the tailbacks. And senior Josh Williams, sophomore Kaleb Jackson, senior John Emery Jr. as well as freshman Caden Durham have all looked good in that aspect.

All backs have been consistent in showing off their receiving abilities and each have the athleticism to turn upfield to get positive yards. Sloan said that Williams has provided the group plenty of stability while there's been much praise for Jackson and how he approached the offseason, showed up 35 pounds heavier and is primed for a much more substantial role.

Emery is coming back from an ACL injury and is back to running hard, albeit with a condensed workload. Durham is still learning but has flashed a few times during practice, showing his burst and strength.

LSU's running back stable appears set to handle their revamped role in the offense this season.

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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz atbdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Which LSU football position groups have stood out most during practice