Gators among top-2 schools for blue-chip defensive line prospect

Florida is high on the list for this coveted NOLA product in the 2026 cycle.

Billy Napier and Co. have been grinding away at the college football recruiting front since the re-opening of the contact period and the program has its sights set not just on the upcoming 2025 cycle, but also on the following class in 2026.

Among those in the latter category is four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Richard Anderson[/autotag] out of New Orleans (Louisiana) Edna Karr. The 6-foot-3.5-inch, 325-pound trench warrior recently revealed his top teams to Gators Online, which included the Florida Gators.

“It’s LSU and then the University of Florida,” Anderson offered after his recent trip to see the Orange and Blue in Gainesville on Tuesday.

Campus visit highlights

“I liked everything about the visit, like, the dorms, the people and coaches. They really fit a lot (in my recruitment),” Anderson said.

The coaching staff was certainly one of the major highlights.

“I loved the energy and love being coached by a group of guys who are going to show me love on and off the field, and they were showing that. I love the energy and they put in the work, so it’s a great fit.”

In particular, running backs coach Jabbar Juluke and defensive line coach Gerald Chatman stood out to the high school sophomore.

“Coach Juluke, he’s a great man and from New Orleans, so he was showing a lot of love. His message to me was to just enjoy the process and enjoy everything,” he noted.

“Coach Chatman was real and I loved his energy. It would be nice to be coached by him.”

Recruiting rankings

Anderson is ranked No. 139 overall and No. 14 at his position nationally according to the On3 industry rankings while Rivals has him at Nos. 160 and 13, respectively. LSU has a 98.1% chance of signing him according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine.

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LSU offers 2026 defensive lineman from the Boot

The Tigers have offered another 2026 prospect from Edna Karr High School in Richard Anderson.

[autotag]Richard Anderson[/autotag] is a 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive lineman from the class of 2026. He is from New Orleans, where he plays for Edna Karr High School. The Edna Karr Cougars finished the 2022 season 7-4 with a loss to Catholic-B.R. in the second round of the playoffs.

With Edna Karr in LSU’s backyard, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and his staff have been able to watch them play a few times this year and they have found a couple of freshmen standouts that they’ve offered. The Tigers are slim on the defensive line so Kelly has been attacking that area of need in the next few recruiting classes.