LSU Football Eyeing Five-Star, No. 1 Interior Offensive Lineman Pledged to SEC Rival

Brian Kelly and Co. will look to get back in the race, recent coaching changes could elevate the Tigers' chances.

Courtesy of Darius Gray's Instagram.

Richmond (Va.) St. Christopher School five-star offensive lineman Darius Gray revealed a commitment to Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks in August after going public with a decision.

Gray, the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle, pledged to Beamer's program over the LSU Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, Ohio State Buckeyes and Clemson Tigers down the stretch.

The 6-foot-3, 285-pounder made the decision to stay closer to home with the Gamecocks pushing all the right buttons to keep the him near his hometown.

“They have been the longest relationship possible. I think the most important thing to me is how everyone remained the same," Gray said.

"You know way back, they were a five or six win team and now they are scratching the surface for playoffs and not once did they change anything that they are doing with their culture, so I think that’s been the biggest thing for me and Coach Beamer is an amazing people that you’d want to play for.”

Courtesy of Darius Gray's Instagram.

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers made this one a two-team race down the stretch with both the Bayou Bengals and Gamecocks fighting until the end.

The relationship developed between Gray and LSU offensive line coach Brad Davis kept the Tigers in it down the stretch.

"Definitely Coach Davis. Coach Davis is one of the greatest humans that I’ve ever talked to," Gray told Tennessee Volunteers On SI. "He gives off a father figure.

"He hopes the kids grow as men, and that is very important with me coming into college at 18, so to have someone like that to help you develop as an NFL player, but also as a great human being, a great husband, a great father, and that is just something I want.

"LSU kind of speaks for itself. It’s a winning program. They do everything to develop linemen perfectly, so that’s good and they check all the boxes.”

Courtesy of Darius Gray's X/Twitter.

But ultimately it was Beamer and Co. that won out for the No. 1 rated interior offensive lineman in America after committing to the Gamecocks over LSU, Tennessee, Ohio State and Clemson.

Fast forward to Sunday morning after a South Carolina loss to LSU, with the Gamecocks falling to 3-3 on the season, and the program has made a coaching change.

Beamer has tweaked his staff after firing offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley - opening the door for the LSU Tigers to make things interesting once again with the Early Signing Period in December just weeks away.

NEW: South Carolina commits Darius Gray and Zyon Guiles react to the firing of OL coach Lonnie Teasley:

“Opened up my options a little bit…”

Read: https://t.co/VQewIfwapV pic.twitter.com/3ugk60gsL2

— Rivals (@Rivals) October 12, 2025

Gray told Rivals the Gamecocks' decision to fire Teasley "opened up his options a little bit" on Sunday. Can the LSU Tigers get back in the mix for the five-star?

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