LSU’s Trey’Dez Green Named to 2026 Preseason Mackey Award Watchlist
BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU junior tight end Trey’Dez Green has been named to the 2026 Preseason John Mackey Award Watchlist, solidifying his status as one of college football’s premier tight ends entering the upcoming season. The announcement, made Wednesday by the Mackey Award Selection Committee, comes as little surprise for a player who has already rewritten the LSU record book and established himself as a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
The Mackey Award, presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding collegiate tight end, honors the legacy of Pro Football Hall of Famer John Mackey, who revolutionized the position during his playing days with the Baltimore Colts in the 1960s. Green is among a select group of tight ends nationwide to earn preseason recognition as the award enters its 26th season.
A Record-Breaking Sophomore Campaign
Green’s inclusion on the watchlist follows a spectacular sophomore season in 2025 that saw him earn Second-Team All-SEC honors from league coaches. The 6-foot-7, 237-pound Jackson, Louisiana native caught 33 passes for 433 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns, setting the LSU single-season record for receiving touchdowns by a tight end .
His seven touchdown receptions ranked second among all tight ends nationally, while his 12 contested catches also placed him among the nation’s elite at the position . Green’s ability to create separation and win 50-50 balls has become his trademark, with his size and athleticism creating what LSU’s official athletics website describes as “almost unfair mismatches with defenders in the passing game” .
The former four-star recruit and top-rated prospect in the state of Louisiana for the Class of 2024 has already established himself as the LSU career record holder for receiving touchdowns by a tight end with 11 career scores. He broke the previous mark of 10 held by Richard Dickson (2006-09) with his second touchdown against Houston in the Texas Bowl, while also surpassing Dickson’s single-season record of five touchdown receptions .
A Breakout Performance That Announced His Arrival
Perhaps no single game better encapsulates Green’s potential than LSU’s victory over South Carolina in 2025, when he recorded career-highs of eight receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown. That performance earned him the John Mackey Award National Tight End of the Week honor, providing an early glimpse of the dominance that would define his sophomore campaign .
Green’s midseason production was particularly impressive, as he recorded a three-game stretch against South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Texas A&M where he caught 19 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. He opened the season with a touchdown reception in a road victory over Top 10 Clemson, and capped the year with a four-catch, 80-yard, two-touchdown performance against Houston in the Texas Bowl .
A New Era in the Lane Kiffin Offense
With the arrival of head coach Lane Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., expectations for Green have reached new heights entering the 2026 season. Kiffin’s offensive system, known for its creativity and tempo, is expected to maximize Green’s unique skill set .
“Everything Coach Kiff and Coach Weis have told me that they’re going to do with me has happened so far, and I’m loving it,” Green said at SEC Media Days. “I’m having so much fun in this offense, this tempo offense. It’s just so unfair for defenses. When you put me in a different position, then I can make plays” .
Green elaborated on the mismatches the new offensive system creates: “It creates mismatches. I get matched up with corners. I get matched up with safeties and linebackers. It’s the formations but with the tempo, we catch teams off guard. If they drop eight, we’ve got quick throws. We take what they give us and we are creating mismatches” .
The versatile tight end, who also spent time with the LSU basketball team in January and February 2025, is capable of lining up in the slot or split out as a wide receiver, making him a particularly difficult player to game plan against. Pro Football Focus ranked Green as the No. 49 overall player in college football entering the 2026 season, highlighting that “greater exposure in Lane Kiffin’s offense should allow Green to excel downfield and be in contention for the John Mackey Award” .
National Recognition and NFL Projections
Green’s preseason accolades extend beyond the Mackey Award watchlist. He was named to Phil Steele’s preseason All-SEC First Team, with the longtime college football analyst projecting him as a potential first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft .
According to Pro Football Focus, Green’s 75.0 grade in 2025 ranked among the best at his position, and his 77.6 PFF receiving grade placed third among SEC tight ends . His ability to produce yards after the catch has been particularly noteworthy, with 176 of his 433 receiving yards in 2025 coming after the catch, including a career-high 63 yards after the catch against Vanderbilt .
“Arguably the most gifted athlete in college football,” reads Green’s official LSU biography, noting that “with size, strength, and wingspan, [he] creates almost unfair mismatches with defenders” . The bio also highlights Green’s development as a complete tight end, noting he “has developed into an all-around outstanding tight end with improved blocking skills and his physicality on the field” .
Depth and Expectations for 2026
While Green is firmly established as LSU’s starting tight end, the Tigers have added transfer tight ends Malachi Thomas and Zach Grace to provide depth at the position. Thomas, a 6-foot-3, 242-pound transfer from Pitt, and Grace, a blocking specialist from Oregon, are expected to complement Green’s pass-catching prowess .
However, all eyes remain on Green, who is expected to see the vast majority of snaps at the position. LSU’s offense will likely feature Green prominently as the team integrates new quarterback Sam Leavitt, who transferred to LSU and is ranked by PFF as the No. 41 overall player in college football .
The Road Ahead
The John Mackey Award Selection Committee will continue to monitor player performance throughout the fall, with the flexibility to expand the watchlist based on collegiate success. The award’s semifinalists are typically announced in November, with the winner revealed in December.
For Green, the path to becoming LSU’s first Mackey Award winner – following in the footsteps of former LSU tight end Mason Taylor, who was named a semifinalist in 2024 – begins with the season opener against Clemson. The Tigers are expected to rely heavily on their athletic tight end as they navigate a challenging SEC schedule .
With his combination of size, speed, and now the creative offensive mind of Lane Kiffin designing plays specifically to exploit his unique abilities, Trey’Dez Green has positioned himself not only as a leading candidate for the Mackey Award but as one of the most exciting players in all of college football entering the 2026 season.
