Top-ranked football recruit picks LSU over Aggies

Five-star defensive tackle Lamar Brown, ESPN's No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class, announced his commitment to LSU on Thursday, securing a seismic local recruiting win for coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers.

Brown, the 6-foot-5, 285-pound defender from Erwinville, Louisiana, announced his decision on "SportsCenter" from a ceremony at University Laboratory School, located on the LSU campus just one mile east of Tiger Stadium.

Brown chose LSU over Texas A&M, Miami and Texas following official visits with each program this spring. If Brown hangs on at No. 1 in the ESPN 300 and signs later this year, he'll mark the Tigers' first overall top-ranked recruit since Leonard Fournette in 2014.

"It's something not a lot of kids from Baton Rouge get to do, honestly," Brown told ESPN of his pledge to LSU. "Everyone wants to play at Tiger Stadium. I'm blessed to be going to play there."

Despite home ties and the school's proximity to Brown, LSU faced a tight, down-to-the-wire recruiting battle with SEC rivals Texas A&M to keep ESPN's top-ranked 2026 defender home.

According to ESPN sources, Brown remained undecided between the schools as late as Wednesday night. Sources within both the Tigers and Aggies football programs remained optimistic Thursday morning before Brown informed each coaching staff of his decision shortly before his ceremony.

The first major program involved in Brown's process, Texas A&M carried its confidence into the late stages Thursday on the power of the program's all-out recruiting efforts with the versatile, two-way lineman over the past two years.

The Aggies hosted Brown at least eight times after June 1, 2024, and Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko and his staff made routine trips to visit Brown across his sophomore and junior years at University Lab. Brown told ESPN that he developed close relationships with Aggies defensive line coaches Sean Spencer and Tony Jerod-Eddie over the course of his recruitment.

"We did everything we could," a source within the Texas A&M football program told ESPN.

Texas A&M even appeared to pull ahead in Brown's process last month. After an official visit with the Aggies, Brown posted: "Think this one close the book..." on social media on June 14 and temporarily canceled a planned trip to LSU set for the following weekend.

Brown later rescheduled the official visit with the Tigers from June 20-22, a weekend that ultimately swayed his decision to stay close to home and to join as the second five-star pledge in LSU's 2026 class.

"They didn't take it lightly," Brown said of his late-June visit with LSU. "They laid everything on the table for me about what it's like to be a Tiger, being there as a player for three or four years, but also in life after football. Staying home, all the resources and branding I can build for myself here, that made a lot of sense for me."

Initially recruited as both a defensive and offensive line prospect before shifting his focus to defense this spring, Brown plays two-ways at University Lab. He has recorded 91 tackles and eight sacks over his past three varsity seasons, and Brown projects as a skilled defender capable of playing across the defensive line at the next level.

Set to become the Tigers' first top-five signee since Harold Perkins (No. 4 in the 2024 ESPN 300), Brown now joins five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys (No. 10 overall) atop the Tigers' 2026 class, which will rise to the cusp of the top 10 in ESPN's 2026 class rankings upon his pledge.

Brown stands among 10 ESPN 300 recruits committed to LSU in the cycle. He settles in alongside defensive end Trenton Henderson (No. 61 overall) and defensive tackle Richard Anderson (No. 93), leading a defensive class that also includes pledges from safety Aiden Hall (No. 126) and cornerbacks Havon Finney Jr. (No. 72) and Dylan Purter (No. 223).

The Tigers could continue adding on the defensive line next month with four-star prospect Deuce Geralds, ESPN's No. 2 defensive tackle in 2026, set to announce his commitment on Aug. 2. Four-star offensive lineman Darius Gray (No. 73 overall) remains another priority target for LSU.

Brown's pledge leaves only four uncommitted recruits among ESPN's 23 five-star prospects in the 2026 class, a group led by No. 1 running back Derrek Cooper (No. 7 overall). Tight end Kaiden Prothro (No. 19) is expected to become the next five-star off the board with the pass catcher set to announce a decision between Florida, Georgia and Texas on Saturday afternoon.