Tag: 2026 Football Recruiting

Elite 5-star LSU quarterback target Faizon Brandon names top 4, sets commitment date

LSU made the cut for Faizon Brandon, but Tennessee looks like the team to beat.

The 2026 recruiting cycle hasn’t even officially begun, but we’re coming down the home stretch in the pursuit of one of the best overall players in the class.

On Thursday, five-star quarterback [autotag]Faizon Brandon[/autotag] named his final four, which includes LSU, Alabama, Tennessee and NC State. Brandon also announced that he will be making his commitment decision on Aug. 3.

Brandon is a top 10 prospect and the No. 2 quarterback in the cycle according to the On3 industry rankings, but 247Sports is the highest on the Grimsley (Greensboro, N.C.) prospect and has him ranked as the top overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.

LSU currently has two pledges in the 2026 class, but Brandon would give it quite the player to build around. However, it seems the Tigers have some ground to make up here as Tennessee holds a crystal ball projection from 247Sports and is the heavy favorite according to the On3 recruiting prediction machine.

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Gators offer class of 2026 ATH committed to Florida State

The latest class of 2026 recruit to pick up an offer from Florida is four-star athlete Darryon Williams, who is committed to Florida State.

Florida hosted Gaither (Tampa) athlete Darryon Williams on a visit earlier this month and extended an offer to the Florida State commit, according to Swamp247.

“I had gotten up there for a visit before June 15, so they offered me on the visit,” Williams said. “I’ve been talking with (Florida) a lot more since June 15. I’ve been there before for camps and with my team before, but this was more of a visit for me to spend time.”

June 15 marked the first-day coaches could reach out to the class of 2026. Contact before that isn’t explicitly barred, but it usually is in the form of a summer camp visit. Having been on campus before for tournaments, Williams looked at things with the bigger picture in mind knowing he’s entering the most critical year of his recruitment.

In 2024, a verbal commitment from high school underclassmen means very little. Flips are commonplace with name, image and likeness dominating the game, and things are only trending further in that direction.

It’s clear that Florida is very much in this race.

Recruiting Summary

Williams is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked the highest by On3 at No. 62 overall on the site’s standalone rankings.

The On3 industry ranking, which considers all four major recruiting services, puts him at No. 112 overall and No. 7 among athletes in the class of 2026, while the 247Sports composite has him at Nos. 134 and 18 (among receivers).

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LSU receives prediction for No. 1 2026 Louisiana receiver

On3’s Shea Dixon issued a prediction for LSU to land top in-state receiver Jabari Mack.

Though most of the focus has been on fleshing out an already strong 2025 recruiting class, LSU has already begun to turn its attention to the following cycle.

The Tigers picked up their first two commitments in the 2026 cycle over the weekend from defensive lineman [autotag]Richard Anderson[/autotag] and receiver [autotag]Jakai Anderson[/autotag]. Now, they seem to be trending for another top wideout in the class.

[autotag]Jabari Mack[/autotag], a top-100 prospect from Destrehan, received an expert prediction in favor of LSU from On3’s Shea Dixon over the weekend. The No. 6 player in the state according to the 247Sports composite rankings, Mack is the No. 1 receiver in Louisiana.

LSU has already landed one top-10 commitment in the state in 2026 from Anderson, who ranks No. 7 in Louisiana and inside the top 150 nationally.

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4-star Ohio OL names Michigan State football in top seven

MSU made the elite top 7 list for a 4-star OL from Ohio:

Avon Lake (OH) native Maxwell Riley has cut his list down to seven and the Spartans have made the cut. Michigan State is listed alongside six other elite programs, vying for the offensive lineman’s talent.

https://x.com/bigmax2026/status/1805599160097267771

The Spartans are featured with Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Missouri, Ohio State and Oklahoma.

Riley is a 6-foot-5, 265 pound offensive lineman that is ranked as a 4-star prospect inside of the top 50.

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Class of 2026 4-star coming around on Florida after visit

Changes on the coaching staff soured four-star offensive tackle Micah Smith on Florida at first, but now he’s coming around to the Orange and Blue.

Florida’s coaching staff changes initially hurt the team’s chances with four-star Vero Beach High offensive tackle [autotag]Micah Smith[/autotag]. However, some quality time with the new guys during a visit to The Swamp has flipped Smith’s opinion, according to On3’s Keith Niebuhr.

“It changed today,” Smith said. “I really like Coach Napier. Two coaches left (the program). Those were my best coaches at Florida. They left and (Florida) kind of fell on my board. But meeting (offensive line coach Jonathan Decoster) today was really nice.”

A member of the class of 2026, Smith still has plenty of time to get comfortable with the staff. He was in town for a Friday Night Lights 7-on-7 tournament at Florida, which is how most rising juniors get on campus. If all goes well, he’ll be back in Gainesville this time next year for an official visit.

The Gators should get him back on campus in about 10 weeks when the Miami Hurricanes come to town to open the regular season.

O-line coach Jon Decoster’s experience

It didn’t take long for Decoster to win over Smith. Coming from the NFL is an immediate green flag for any coach when a recruit is looking to learn more about them. There’s a level of expertise there that’s gong to impress any high school athlete, and there doesn’t appear to be any sort of style clash between the two.

“He’s going to recruit me with the way he coaches,” Smith said of Decoster. “I really like the way he coaches. And the technique. He took me in his room. His technique, it was amazing. Just the stuff that he coached and the players actually did it. That really impressed me.”

Of course, Florida has two offensive line coaches on staff. Rob Sale is also developing a relationship with Smith now that contact limitations have been lifted on the class of 2026.

Recruiting Summary

Smith is a four-star recruit everywhere but the On300 rankings, where he holds three-star status and is ranked outside of the top 200 nationally.

However, both major composite rankings have him listed as a four-star talent. The 247Sports composite has him at No. 90 nationally and No. 10 among offensive tackles, while the On3 industry ranking puts him at Nos. 102 and 10, respectively.

The On3 recruiting prediction machine indicates that its a Sunshine State Big 4 race for Smith, with UCF in the lead. The Knights own 20.9% odds to land Smith, followed by the Miami Hurricanes (18.3%) and Gators (15.7%). Florida State is less of a threat in fourth place with 8.9% odds.

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5-star 2026 LSU quarterback target Faizon Brandon moves up commitment date

Faizon Brandon will make his college decision in August after a busy June visit slate.

LSU already has the top quarterback and overall player on board in the 2025 cycle, and it’s trying to add an elite option in the 2026 class as well.

One of the players the Tigers have been pushing for is five-star quarterback [autotag]Faizon Brandon[/autotag], a Greensboro, North Carolina, native who ranks as the No. 1 overall prospect nationally according to the 247Sports rankings.

LSU was one of several schools that hosted Brandon in the month of June, and he has now decided to move up his commitment to August, according to 247Sports’ Anna Adams. He also is expected to release a top-five soon.

The Tigers have two commits in the 2026 class, picking up some steam this week. Now, they hope to land one of the top players in the cycle ahead of the start of the 2024 season.

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LSU picks up another 2026 commitment from 3-star safety

The Tigers are starting to pick up steam with their 2026 recruiting class, landing two commits in the last two days.

It took a bit of time to get going, but LSU is finally starting to get some momentum going with its 2026 recruiting class.

The Tigers picked up their first commitment in the cycle from New Orleans four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Richard Anderson[/autotag], and they’ve now added another commit in [autotag]Jakai Anderson[/autotag] from McDonogh 35, also in New Orleans.

Anderson is a three-star prospect, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He’s the No. 454 player nationally as well as the No. 34 safety and No. 15 prospect in the state of Louisiana. He received an offer from LSU back in November, and he also had offers from the likes of Arkansas, Georgia Tech and Louisville.

LSU is off to a very strong start in the 2025 cycle, boasting eight top-100 commits including a pair of five-star prospects. The Tigers will hope to close out strong in the current cycle and continue their success in 2026.

They’re now off to a solid start with a pair of commits on board.

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LSU lands 1st commitment in 2026 class from 4-star defensive lineman

Richard Anderson is the No. 7 prospect in the state of Louisiana.

The Tigers have a strong recruiting class in the works for the 2025 cycle, and now, they have their first pledge in the subsequent 2026 cycle.

On Friday night, four-star Edna Karr (New Orleans) defensive lineman [autotag]Richard Anderson[/autotag] became the first commit in LSU’s 2026 class. Anderson ranks as the No. 7 overall player in the state of Louisiana and the No. 131 prospect nationally, according to On3.

Anderson, who stands at 6-foot-3.5 and weighs 325 pounds, had previously taken two unofficial visits to Baton Rouge, and he received a pair of predictions in favor of the Tigers from On3’s Billy Embody and Shea Dixon back in March.

LSU’s 2025 class ranks No. 2 in the nation at the moment, and it will hope to close the current cycle strong and enter the next one with some momentum. Anderson gives the Tigers a strong start.

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2026 4-star QB Brady Hart commits to Michigan after LSU visit

LSU hosted three blue-chip quarterbacks in the last week, but two have since committed elsewhere.

LSU had a busy recruiting weekend for the 2025 class, but it also had quite a few players from the 2026 cycle on campus as well, including three blue-chip quarterbacks in the last week.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, two of those signal-callers have since committed elsewhere. Five-star [autotag]Dia Bell[/autotag] committed to Texas on Monday, and on Tuesday, four-star [autotag]Brady Hart[/autotag] announced his commitment to Michigan.

Hart, a native of Cocoa, Florida, ranks as the No. 92 player in the 2026 class and the No. 7 quarterback, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. His commitment came on the heels of a number of crystal ball projections in favor of the Wolverines.

With Bell and Hart now committed elsewhere, LSU is likely to focus on North Carolina five-star [autotag]Faizon Brandon[/autotag], who was also on campus this week and had positive impressions of his trip.

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Top quarterback in 2026 class reacts to recent LSU visit

The Tigers are looking to land the nation’s top quarterback in back-to-back cycles.

LSU already holds a commitment from the top quarterback in the 2025 cycle, [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag] — who is also the No. 1 overall player in America.

Now, the Tigers are looking to make it back-to-back cycles landing the top quarterback in the country as they’re pursuing No. 1 2024 quarterback [autotag]Faizon Brandon[/autotag], who was on campus last weekend for his second visit to Baton Rouge in three months.

Brandon, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, ranks as a top-10 prospect and the No. 2 quarterback in the cycle by On3’s industry rankings, but both On3 and 247Sports rank him as the top quarterback in their own rankings, and the latter has him as the No. 1 overall player in the cycle.

He reacted to his recent trip, which seemed to be a positive one as he told On3’s Steve Wiltfong that he was able to talk with [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] and the coaching staff about his potential development process.

Brandon is the top target on the Tigers’ quarterback board after fellow five-star [autotag]Dia Bell[/autotag] committed to Texas earlier this week. [autotag]Brady Hart[/autotag], a Florida four-star who was also on campus this week, committed to Michigan.

Tennessee is currently the heavy favorite to land Brandon, but with quite a bit of time between now and his signing day, LSU will hope to remain in the mix after hosting him for three visits in total now.

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