LSU has now passed the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle Team rankings. The Tigers trail only the USC Trojans, Georgia Bulldogs, Texas A&M Aggies and Notre Dame Fighting Irish with the programs rounding out the top-five.

The No. 1 recruit in the 2026 recruiting class, according to ESPN’s rankings, is off the board. The five-star defensive tackle Lamar Brown is committing to his home state school, LSU. “For the next three or four years, I will be committing to Louisiana State University.” Brown said as he put on the LSU cap on Thursday. “Go Tigers.”

On Thursday, defensive lineman Lamar Brown chose the Tigers over Texas A&M, Texas and Miami during a live broadcast of his decision on ESPN2. It's a significant recruiting win for Brian Kelly, especially since he was going up against some of his program's SEC rivals.

LSU has been an early winner in July on the recruiting scene alongside the Oregon Ducks and Michigan Wolverines, among several others. For Dan Lanning and the Ducks, the program sits with the No. 7 overall class with LSU one slot below them at No. 8, according to the Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings.

The Georgia Bulldogs have the SEC's top recruiting class, but the Alabama Crimson Tide are the hottest recruiting team in the SEC right now