On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported on Tuesday that Darius Gray will travel to Baton Rouge June 14-16 as one of five scheduled official visits. The offensive lineman will also visit Clemson, Tennessee, Penn State, and South Carolina between May and June.
A native of Richmond, VA, Gray is a four-star prospect and the No. 2 recruit in Virginia, according to On3’s Industry Rankings. He is No. 4 at the interior offensive lineman position and the No. 36 recruit overall in the cycle.
Per On3’s Industry Rankings, LSU’s 2026 class ranks No. 5 nationally and No. 3 in the SEC. Five of its six commitments are four-stars and all but one is from Louisiana. The class has one interior offensive lineman in three-star Jalan Chapman.
LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan recently paid Gray a visit, and LSU has some momentum in Gray’s recruitment. Standing at six-foot-three and 285 pounds as a junior, Gray displays the physical attributes necessary to make an immediate impact at any school he chooses.
LSU football will host quarterback Peyton Houston on a junior day visit
LSU will be getting a visit from one of 2027’s top quarterbacks. According to On3, Peyton Houston has a junior day trip to LSU planned.
Houston is a Louisiana product out of Evangel Christian Academy in Cotton Valley, LA. Per Rivals, he’s a four-star and No. 15 overall recruit in the class.
LSU is officially yet to extend an offer, but it may only be a matter of time. Houston has offers from Oklahoma, Texas, and more.
2027 is shaping up to be a good year for quarterbacks in the state of Louisiana. Elijah Haven, out of Baton Rouge, has a chance to be 2027’s top quarterback recruit when it’s all said and done.
LSU QBs coach and offensive coordinator [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] has a strong reputation as a recruiter in Louisiana. That should put LSU in a strong position with Haven and Houston as the recruiting cycle for the 2027 class heats up.
Colton Nussmeier is seeing his recruitment take off
LSU football quarterback [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] will return to LSU for his fifth year of college football in 2025. There are high hopes for the senior quarterback, who currently has the best Heisman odds in the country.
It’s a good time for the Nussmeier family. Garrett’s younger brother, Colton, is seeing his recruitment take off. Garrett and Colton’s father, Doug, is getting ready to coach the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
Earlier this week, Alabama offered Colton Nussmeier. Colton’s offer list keeps growing as he enters his junior year of high school.
LSU was among the first to jump on board, offering Nussmeier in September. Earlier this month, Auburn extended an offer. Georgia and Georgia Tech did too.
According to On3’s Industry Rankings, Nussmeier is the No. 3 ranked quarterback in the class of 2027. He ranks No. 18 overall and No. 4 in Texas.
Nussmeier’s recruitment is far from over, but this is setting up to be a battle between the nation’s top programs.
The 2024 college football season is over. Before we know, it will be time to preview 2025, but only after we spend some time looking back at the year that was.
Despite being No. 15 overall, LSU was just eighth in the SEC. The Tigers were one spot ahead of Iowa and just behind South Carolina.
It may come as a surprise to some, but Ole Miss finished with the top rating in the SEC, coming in at No. 2 overall.
SP+ is a predictive power rating — not a resume ranking. Of course, with the season over, the predictive element doesn’t matter so much.
At 15, LSU isn’t far from where it finished last year. The defense took a step forward with [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] taking over, but the offense regressed after losing Heisman quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels.[/autotag]
Rivals compared a five-star LSU signee to one of the best running backs in the NFL
Five-star LSU running back signee [autotag]Harlem Berry[/autotag] drew high praise from Rivals last week.
The recruiting service compared Berry to current Dolphins running back and former Texas A&M star [autotag]De’Von Achane.[/autotag]
LSU fans are all too familiar with Achane. In Achane’s final collegiate game, he carried it 38 times for 215 yards as Texas A&M upset No. 5 LSU.
The Dolphins selected Achane with the No. 83 overall pick in 2023. He posted 997 yards from scrimmage as a rookie in 2023, averaging 7.7 yards per touch. In 2024, Achane totaled 1,499 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.
If Berry turns out anything like Achane, LSU will be happy with the Louisiana product.
Berry was the consensus No. 1 running back in the 2025 recruiting class. Given his ability to impact the game on the ground and through the air, he can make a difference as a true freshman. LSU showed a willingness to get true freshman running back [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag] involved in 2024 — we could see the same with Berry in 2025.
A four-star LSU receiver commit is “shutting down” his recruitment
LSU commit [autotag]Kenny Darby[/autotag] is “shutting down” his recruitment.
Darby told On3’s Hayes Fawcett, “LSU suits me the best and the best in the boot stay in the boot.”
According to the On3 Industry Rankings, Darby is the No. 39 wide receiver in the class and the No. 9 prospect in Louisiana. He’s a top 300 overall recruit and three of the four major recruiting services slot Darby as a four-star.
Last week, LSU head coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and offensive coordinator [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] paid a visit to Darby. Soon after, Darby was locked in with the Tigers.
Of course, a player’s recruitment is never officially shut down until pen hits paper. But Darby coming out to reinforce his commitment to LSU is a positive sign for LSU’s chances to sign the four-star wide receiver.
LSU makes it a priority to sign Louisiana’s top prospects every year. 2026 has a chance to be one of the best classes in the state’s history.
Former LSU assistant Joe Brady removed his name from consideration for the Saints head coaching job.
Former LSU football passing game coordinator Joe Brady won’t be returning to Louisiana.
On Saturday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Brady opted to stay with the Buffalo Bills and removed his name from the Saints’ head coaching search.
Brady took over the Bills’ offensive coordinator job midway through 2023. Buffalo removed the interim tag entering 2024 and now Brady has the Bills on the doorstep of a Super Bowl appearance.
Brady and the Saints have history. He was an offensive assistant under Sean Payton from 2017-18. That role led him to LSU, where he helped Tigers’ offensive coordinator [autotag]Steve Ensminger[/autotag] build one of the best offenses college football has ever seen.
With quarterback [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] leading the offense, LSU went 15-0 and won a national title.
That put Brady on the map and the Panthers hired him as offensive coordinator. That marriage didn’t work out, but it didn’t take Brady long to bounce back in Buffalo.
The Saints are the last head coach opening left on the board in the NFL.
LSU football star Trey’Dez Green saw his first action with the basketball team. Here’s what he did.
Five-star [autotag]Trey’Dez Green[/autotag] committed to LSU as a two-sport athlete. Following the end of football season, he hit the basketball court.
The freshman saw his first minutes in Saturday’s loss at Alabama. Green scored two points on 1-2 shooting from the field. He also pulled down three rebounds.
LSU head coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] subbed Green in with 12:47 on the clock in the first half. He saw multiple spirits in both halves, combining for 8:50 through the contest.
With Green committed to basketball for the rest of the season, it will be interesting to see if his usage increases. The six-foot-seven freshman proved he could battle on the boards with the No. 4 team in the country.
Green was one of five players who came off the bench against the Crimson Tide. One of those subs led LSU in scoring. Jordan Sears totaled a game-high 21 points, pacing a group of four Tigers in double figures. Cam Carter followed with 17 and Daimion Collins totaled 11. Corey Chest notched a double-double of 12 points and 18 rebounds.
While Green only had two points, his score came on a play that will make the highlight reel. Green blocked a shot, took the ball, and finished with a dunk.
LSU 5 true freshman TE Trey’Dez Green with the block and dunk for the basketball team
A former LSU football star is the Detroit Lions new defensive coordinator
A former LSU football linebacker is rising up in the coaching ranks.
Kelvin Sheppard will be the Detroit Lions’ new defensive coordinator, according to report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapport and Mike Garafolo. He will take the place of Aaron Glenn, who left to take the head coaching job with the New York Jets.
The team’s former linebackers coach, Sheppard takes over to lead a unit that ranked top-10 in most defensive categories, including No. 5 against the rush and No. 7 in scoring and the red zone defense. The Lions were the NFL’s best third-down defense in the regular season.
Sheppard joined head coach Dan Campbell’s staff in 2021 as the outside linebackers coach after one year as LSU’s director of player development. He led the entire position group for the three seasons.
From 2007-2010, Sheppard donned the purple and gold under [autotag]Les Miles[/autotag]. He totaled 311 tackles through four seasons. In his senior year, he made four sacks and forced two fumbles.
The Buffalo Bills selected Sheppard in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He spent eight years playing in the pros before joining the coaching ranks.
Where does LSU football’s transfer wide receiver class rank in college football?
College football’s [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] season is wrapping up. Most schools have begun coursework for the semester with transfers enrolled. That means we have a good idea of what each transfer class looks like.
Wide receivers are in high demand every year. It’s a position where you can find impact players in the transfer portal. LSU was in need this year after losing [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] to graduation and [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] to the portal.
LSU struck big, landing Kentucky’s Barion Brown and Oklahoma’s Nic Anderson. Both are proven playmakers at the SEC level and LSU will expect both to compete for a starting spot.
If Brown and Anderson pan out, LSU’s wide receiver room will be one of the best in the SEC.
But how did LSU’s class stack up to other wide receiver hauls nationwide?
Today, we’ll rank the top transfer portal receiving classes and see which offenses made the biggest upgrades to their pass-catching group.
Oct 12, 2024; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Malachi Fields (8) carries the ball as Louisville Cardinals defensive back M.J. Griffin (26) defends during the second half at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Notre Dame made it all the way to the national title game, but it did without a dynamic passing attack for most of the year. Notre Dame hopped in the portal to upgrade on the outside, landing Virginia’s Malachi Fields.
Fields is coming off back-to-back 800+ yard seasons and brings instant production to the Notre Dame offense.
Along with Fields, Notre Dame signed former Wisconsin receiver Will Pauling, who has 1,364 career yards and power conference experience.
9. TCU Horned Frogs
Troy Babbitt-Imagn Images
TCU’s top addition was former Idaho wide receiver Jordan Dwyer. He’s a four-star transfer who posted 1,204 yards with the Vandals in 2024. There’s a question when guys jump from the FCS to the Power Four, but we’ve seen Big 12 schools have success finding receivers from that level.
Joining Dwyer is former Houston receiver Joseph Manjack.
Manjack brings 1,153 career yards to the Horned Frogs offense.
8. Iowa State Cyclones
James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Iowa State has good luck when it comes to transfer portal wide receivers. The Cyclones got 1,185 yards from Jayden Higgins in 2024. He was an FCS product who began his career at Eastern Kentucky.
Higgins is moving on, meaning Iowa State has a need at receiver.
Iowa State landed Chase Sowell from ECU and Xavier Townsend from UCF. Both are quality players who should help Iowa State’s offense maintain a level of explosiveness.
7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia Tech lost the portal’s top receiver with Eric Singleton looking elsewhere, but the Yellow Jackets did a good job recovering.
Tech added two former FIU products, including Eric Rivers.
Rivers was one of the top available receivers in the portal and was pursued by top programs around the country.
Joining Rivers is Dean Patterson who racked up 692 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024.
6. Florida State Seminoles
Syndication: The Knoxville News-Sentinel
FSU’s transfer classes have been hit or miss. Mike Norvell built a playoff-caliber team in 2023 before a rough 2-10 campaign in 2024. FSU is hopping in the portal again, hoping to bounce back.
Florida State signed Squirrel White from Tennessee and Duce Robinson from USC. Both players were inconsistent in 2024, but the talent is undeniable. They have power conference experience and will face lighter defenses in the ACC.
Both players offer upside in Tallahassee.
5. Ole Miss Rebels
Hanover Evening Sun
Ole Miss is another school that often relies on the portal to fill talent at wide receiver. This year is no different with Ole Miss signing five players at the position.
Ole Miss made landing Power Four players a priority and signed Penn State’s Trey Wallace and West Virginia’s Traylon Ray.
The Rebels added Deuce Alexander from Wake Forest, De’Zhaun Stribling from Oklahoma State, and Caleb Odom from Alabama.
All five players give Ole Miss talented options, but all five transferred for a reason. Kiffin will find a way to get the most out of them.
I mentioned Georgia Tech took a loss with Eric Singleton entering the portal. Auburn was the beneficiary, landing the dynamic playmaker.
Hugh Freeze is looking to jump-start his offense after a rough 2024. The Tigers hope pairing Singleton with a talented crop of young receivers can do just that.
Also heading to the Plains is former Wake Forest WR Horatio Fields, who posted 467 yards and four touchdowns in 2024. He has several years of eligibility remaining.
3. LSU Tigers
The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Coming in at No. 3 is LSU. Wide receiver was a top priority for Brian Kelly and the staff when the transfer portal opened. LSU eventually added three receivers, headlined by former Kentucky playmaker Barion Brown.
Brown is one of the fastest players in the conference and should help LSU get the deep ball going again in 2025.
Joining Brown is former OU product Nic Anderson. 2024 was riddled with injuries for Anderson but he was one of the SEC’s top touchdown threats in 2023.
LSU also adds Destyn Hill. A former blue-chip recruit out of Louisiana who struggled to settle in at Florida State.
2. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
The offense is still the missing piece for Nebraska and Matt Rhule. A strong defense has made Nebraska competent in the Big Ten, but the Huskers need some pass-catchers to pair with five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola.
Nebraska’s top addition was former Kentucky wide receiver Dane Key. Key’s yards per route run ranked in the 90th percentile in 2024 and he brings three years of starting experience to the Nebraska offense.
Along with Key is former Cal WR and four-star recruit Nyziah Hunter.
It’s rare to see a proven blue-chip recruit with several years of eligibility in the portal, but that’s what Nebraska found in Hunter.
A&M signed four transfer receivers. According to 247Sports, the average transfer rating of the four was .9075. No other program signed that caliber of player at the volume Texas A&M did.
Mike Elko and crew added Micah Hudson, Mario Craver, Jonah Wilson, and Kevin Concepcion.
Hudson stepped away from the team, but there’s a chance it’s only temporary and On3 reported a roster spot for Hudson remains.
Per the On3 Industry Rankings, Concepcion and Hudson were both top five wide receivers in this year’s transfer class. A&M is the only school to land two of the top five.
Craver is intriguing, too. He produced with Mississippi State as a true freshman and will look to take another step with the Aggies.
true freshman TE Trey’Dez Green with the block and dunk for the basketball team
