College Football: Class Of 2026 Top-Ranked Recruit Lamar Brown Commits To LSU
He chose Louisiana State University over Texas A&M, Miami, and Texas.
High school defensive lineman Lamar Brown, ESPN’s number-one ranked recruit in the Class of 2026, announced earlier today his commitment to play college football for the Louisiana State University Tigers. Brown, who is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, picked LSU over Texas, Miami, and Texas A&M.
“For the next three to four years, I’ll be committing to Louisiana State University,” Brown said during an interview that aired on ESPN2. “Go Tigers!”
The 6’4″, 285 lbs. high schooler is a five-star recruit who played on both the offensive line and the defensive line for University Lab High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where LSU also happens to be located. Though he’s familiar with the university’s location, it was actually Tigers head coach Brian Kelly who ended up being one of the biggest factors in Brown’s decision.
“It always started off with coach Kelly, eighth-, ninth-grade year. That was my first offer. He always believed in me,” Brown explained. “Just the culture here, playing for Baton Rouge, playing for the state of Louisiana, it means a lot.”
5 ⭐ recruit Lamar Brown and No. 1 prospect on the @SCNext 2026 ESPN 300 commits to LSU pic.twitter.com/1reCNjMP47
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 10, 2025
Originally, it seemed like Brown was going to commit to Texas A&M. According to ESPN, he cancelled a planned trip to LSU after an official visit with the Aggies on June 14th, 2025. However, the Tigers were able to reschedule Brown’s visit to the weekend of June 20th, which “ultimately swayed his decision.”
“They didn’t take it lightly,” Brown said while describing his 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.”
This comes as a major blow to Texas A&M, which currently has the ninth-ranked recruiting class in the country, according to 247 Sports. But the Aggies left no stone unturned during Brown’s recruitment, with one source from the program telling ESPN, “We did everything we could.”
Brown was highly recruited as both an offensive lineman and a defensive lineman. He ended up sticking with the defensive side of the ball, though, because he likes recording sacks more than pancake blocks.
“I always did that when I was young,” Brown explained. “I mean, I like the offensive line, too. But, I feel like [for] me to get to the next level for developing everything, just taking it to the next level for defensive line.”
BREAKING: Five-Star ATH Lamar Brown has Committed to LSU!
The 6’5 280 ATH from Erwinville, LA chose the Tigers over Texas A&M, Texas, & Miami
He’s ranked as the No. 1 ATH in the ‘26 Class (per Rivals)
“SET IT OFF in the 225”https://t.co/wPYSBOg2NJ pic.twitter.com/dy6vdnaptL
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 10, 2025
In the world of college football, highly-touted recruits like Lamar Brown are courted by blue-chip football programs from the time they are in middle school up until the day they announce their decision to play at the next level. He said that getting the opportunity to see all the different types of schools across the U.S. was his favorite part of the recruitment process.
“I’ll say just going around the country [and] seeing schools that fit for me and like don’t fit for me,” he described. “That was probably the best thing.”
Despite all the traveling he got to do, getting a chance to play in the city where he grew up was an opportunity too tempting for the 17-year-old to pass up.
“Playing for Baton Rouge, playing for the state of Louisiana. It meant a lot,” Brown said. “Getting to play Saturday nights in Death Valley. That’s how I’m going to win the national championship.”