LSU Football, South Carolina, Ohio State and Tennessee Await Decision of Five-Star IOL

Richmond (Va.) St. Christopher School five-star offensive lineman Darius Gray is set to make a commitment decision on Friday, August 22 with the LSU Tigers in the mix.

Gray, the No. 1 rated interior offensive lineman in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle, is one of the top prospects available with a decision inching closer.

The 6-foot-3, 285-pounder will choose between LSU Tigers, South Carolina Gamecocks, Clemson Tigers, Ohio State Buckeyes and Tennessee Volunteers at 6 p.m. CT.

The LSU Tigers have pushed the right buttons across Gray's recruitment with the relationships developed on staff paving the way - specifically position coach Brad Davis.

"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.”

LSU Tigers Football: Darius Gray. — Courtesy of Darius Gray's Instagram.

But the Bayou Bengals appear to be on the outside looking in for Gray's services despite LSU making this a two-team battle down the stretch.

The Expected Pick: South Carolina

Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks have emerged as the likely destination for Gray once he reveals a commitment decision on Friday.

For the Gamecocks, the relationships developed on staff paired with the distance to home played a pivotal factor in the Virginia native's process.

“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.”

This week, Rivals's Steve Wiltfong logged a prediction in favor of South Carolina with the Southeastern Conference program looking to get over the finish line and secure the coveted five-star prospect.

NEW: Rivals’ @SWiltfong_ has logged an expert prediction for South Carolina to land 5-star IOL Darius Gray🤙

Gray is the No. 1 IOL in the class.

Read: https://t.co/1cfsgGhFzz pic.twitter.com/PPM7SIIrKS
— Rivals (@Rivals) August 21, 2025

For the LSU Tigers, the program currently holds commitments from four offensive linemen in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle - including both the No. 1 and No. 2 rated linemen in Mississippi - Emanuel Tucker and Bryson Cooley.

More LSU News:

LSU Football Offensive Lineman, Louisiana Native Has Brian Kelly's Attention in Camp

Nation's No. 1 Wide Receiver, Elite Five-Star LSU Football Commit on 'Flip Watch'

LSU Football Crystal Ball: Predicting Which Newcomers Will Make an Impact in 2025

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU Tigers.