BEAUMONT, Texas – An entire offseason has come and gone since Lamar made its run to the NCAA FCS Playoffs, and with players having officially reported for preseason camp, it's time for the 2026 version of the Cardinals to write their own chapter. It also means LamarCardinals.com will once again be posting its annual position-by-position breakdown leading up to the team's season opener Saturday, Aug. 29 at home against Abilene Christian.
 
Today LamarCardinals.com will break down the LU defensive linemen. 
 
DL Quick Facts:
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 3/8*
Starters Returning/Lost: 0/3*
Newcomers: 7
*These numbers could change in a very positive way for Lamar following the pending outcome of an NCAA appeal regarding the class of 2022 freshmen. 

Stats: Lamar's defense held teams to 23.0 points per game (a number that dropped to fewer than 20 in Southland only games) and ranked third in the league in total defense. In conference only games, Lamar surrendered fewer than 295.6 yards of offense per game. The Cardinals also ranked third in the league in sacks (30 for 175 yards in losses and also ranked among the league leaders with 88 tackles for losses). Most importantly, when Lamar's defense wanted to it tightened the screws on opponents. Big Red held five opponents to 17 or fewer points last season including 13 against No. 4 South Dakota and 12 to No. 19 Southeastern Louisiana.
 
Key Player: IyiolaOluwa Solomi (5-10, 255, So.) played in all 12 games last season making one start. He ended the year with 26 tackles, including 2.5 for losses and 1.5 sacks.
 
The Storyline
Big Red's defense was explosive at times last season and the defensive line played a huge role in that. Unfortunately, the Cards' defensive front suffered heavy casualties during the offseason. There is potential good news headed our way in all of this surrounding the same NCAA appeal that could help bolster the Cardinals at wide receiver could pay similar dividends on the line.  
 
Lamar returns just three letterwinners and none of its full-time starters from last season. With that being said, sophomore IyiolaOluwa Solomi played in all 12 games making one start in 2025 and if you heard Coach Rossomando from the Cardinals' media day, Solomi has only improved from last year. 
 
The Cardinals other returning letterwinners are Alex Sumler (6-2, 256, Jr.) and Grayden Spencer (6-1, 296, So.). Redshirts Alexandre Dedieu (6-4, 231) and Fred Banks, Jr. (5-10, 302, Fr.) also need to be considered. Dedieu entered 2025 preseason camp expecting to be a huge part of the team's success only to have his season come to an end before the first game. 
 
For those fans who immediately jump to pressing the panic button, you should continue to remind yourself – replacing large portions of a roster has become the rule for everyone in this new day and age of the transfer portal. Fans should also be reminded that Coach Rossomando and his staff constantly prepare for these scenarios and brought in a wealth of talent during the offseason.
 
There are seven newcomers to the defensive line which consists of four transfers and three incoming freshmen. The transfers are Jermy Jackson (6-3, 220, Texas State), Kyran Bourda (6-4, 265, Texas State), Chris Campbell (6-1, 302, East Central) and Kamari Federick (5-11, 270, Virginia Union) while the freshman include Broderick Sublet (6-2, 240, Nevada, Texas), Kha'ron Freeman-Wade (6-2, 220, Denton, Texas) and Kelvin Baptiste (5-10, 240, Houston, Texas).
 
The transfers average 6-2, 264 pounds and include three interior linemen and one end. The incoming freshmen stand 6-0, 234 pounds and include two interior linemen with an end. Jackson is a former first-team all-district selection who spent two seasons at Texas State (2024 redshirt) before transferring to Beaumont. Bourda is a former three-star prospect coming out of high school who has played at both Arizona State and Texas State before transferring to the Golden Triangle. Both Campbell and Federick make their way to Lamar after standout careers at the NCAA Division II level. 
 
The biggest addition to this group might just be on the sidelines in new D-Line coach Reggie Marsall who makes his way to LU from Texas State where he spent the previous two seasons. A high-energy coach who never slows down, Marshall made a name for himself churning out high-impact players for the Bobcats while helping lead Texas State to consecutive Bowl game appearances.