Elite Top-10 Quarterback Plans to Sign With SEC Rival Amid LSU Football Pursuit

Lane Kiffin and Co. made a run at the coveted signal-caller, ultimately stays loyal to initial commitment to SEC foe.

Dec 6, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Jackson's Landon Duckworth (1) comes to the line of scrimmage to run a play against Cherokee County at Protective Stadium in the AHSAA 4A State Championship game. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jackson (Ala.) four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth will sign with the South Carolina Gamecocks during the Early Signing Period despite a strong push from the LSU Tigers down the stretch of his process.

Duckworth, the No. 9 rated signal-caller in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle, emerged as a coveted target for Lane Kiffin and the LSU coaching staff after the new staff arriving in Baton Rouge on Sunday.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder has earned offers from a myriad of programs across his time on the prep scene, but it's Shane Beamer's South Carolina Gamecocks that hold the verbal commitment and will get the signature this week, according to Rivals.

Duckworth revealed a pledge to the SEC program over the summer with the Gamecocks ultimately beating out the Ole Miss Rebels and Auburn Tigers, among others, down the stretch.

BREAKING: Four-Star QB Landon Duckworth will sign with South Carolina, he tells me for @rivals

The 6’3 200 QB is set to make it official today at 2:00 PM CT

LSU made a hard push at the end, but Duckworth is locked in

“Never would regret signing here.”https://t.co/cgbEjmV5IL pic.twitter.com/hl1Znhuesx

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 4, 2025

But LSU remained in pursuit. The Tigers hosted Duckworth on an unofficial visit during the fall and intensified their pursuit this week once Kiffin and Co. arrived in the Bayou State.

“Lane Kiffin and LSU have gained momentum in this recruitment and quickly started trending for the Jackson (Ala.) High standout,” Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong wrote on Wednesday.

“With no papers in hand, the Gamecocks are now doing what they can to keep Duckworth in the fold. Rivals is hearing that Duckworth is being responsive with the Gamecocks so we’ll see if Shane Beamer and company can get momentum back.”

But as of Tuesday morning, the Gamecocks have regained confidence with Duckworth set to sign with the South Carolina program this week, Rivals reports.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

“I always loved South Carolina,” Duckworth told Rivals upon committing over the summer. “Coach Beamer was always the same. We have been close for a long time. That is what kept South Carolina high on my list. They had a change of offensive coordinator, so I had to get to know coach Shula better, but South Carolina was always up there.”

“Coach Beamer never changed with me. He made me feel special. They always wanted me there and South Carolina is a place I can be successful at.”

Now, with Kiffin and the LSU Tigers not signing a quarterback in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle, there will be a primary focus on adding one during the Transfer Portal window in January.

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