LSU Country

Three LSU Football Targets to Know: Which Louisiana Prospects Must the Tigers Land?

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers looking to once again lockdown the Bayou State on the recruiting trail, three targets stand out.

Zack Nagy

Courtesy of Lamar Brown's Instagram.
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Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers staff continue a critical offseason in Baton Rouge with the program placing an emphasis on dominating the recruiting trail.

From securing the No. 1 Transfer Portal Class in America to reeling in a Top-10 2025 Signing Class, the stars aligned for the 2025 roster.

Now, it's about building the program up for the long haul and that starts with the 2026 Recruiting Cycle.

It's no secret Louisiana is bursting with talent and the LSU staff has locked in on making sure the top prospects in the Bayou State stay home.

The Tigers have landed commitments from five of the Top-10 prospects in The Boot, but there remains work to be done with a trio of blue-chippers on the program's radar.

Three "Must Have" Louisiana Prospects: 2026 Cycle Edition

Blaine Bradford: No. 1 Safety in America

Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic High five-star Blaine Bradford ranks as the No. 1 safety in America heading into his senior campaign with programs across the country pushing for his services.

The longtime LSU Tigers target has Brian Kelly's program in the mix as he begins navigating a rigorous recruiting stretch this offseason.

Bradford, a 6-foot-2, 200-pounder right down the road from LSU, has the Tigers heavily in the mix alongside the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns.

Now, with spring vastly approaching, the top-ranked safety will see his recruitment process begin to heat up with the trio of Power Four schools swinging for the fences.

Kelly and Co. have proven they will build a wall around Louisiana on the recruiting trail and the 2026 cycle is no different.

LSU has already reeled in commitments from five of the Bayou State's Top-10 prospects with the program trending for others as well.

That includes Bradford.

The No. 1 safety in America has LSU, Ohio State and Texas all in the mix for his services, but has also checked in with Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks in 2025.

Bradford has the "Who's Who" of college football battling for his services, but it's the LSU Tigers that have an edge given it's the hometown school. Another critical component is Bradford's older brother, Jacob, signed with the LSU program in December and will enroll this summer.

The Louisiana native has now set three official visits for this summer with a commitment timeline in mind.

- Texas Longhorns: June 6-8
- Ohio State Buckeyes: June 13-15
- LSU Tigers: June 20-22

LSU will get the final visit of Bradford's process where he will be surrounded by multiple top targets from Louisiana that weekend.

The Tigers have locked in official visits with the No. 1 prospect in Louisiana, Lamar Brown, alongside the state's top-ranked wideout, Jabari Mack. The duo will be on campus alongside Bradford for official visits.

Bradford will be on campus for a multi-day stay towards the end of June, but his tentative commitment date is shortly after.

The coveted prospect told On3 Sports' Chad Simmons that he will "likely commit before July."

It's a significant development for the hometown Tigers with Bradford set to be on campus alongside multiple priority targets with a commitment timeframe now looking to be cemented.

Lamar Brown: No. 1 Interior Offensive Lineman in America

Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab five-star interior offensive lineman Lamar Brown ranks as the No. 1 player in Louisiana as he works through a pivotal offseason.

The 6-foot-3, 285-pounder has cruised up the recruiting rankings as the top prep player in the Bayou State with a slew of elite programs pushing for his services.

The sought-after Louisiana prospect is a Swiss Army Knife in the trenches where he can play both sides of the ball as a lineman on offense and defense.

During his recruitment process, it's clear the ability to play both sides has programs across America salivating at the potential he attains at the next level with LSU, Texas A&M, Florida State and several others beginning to make noise.

LSU and the Texas A&M Aggies are the pair of schools that are separating themselves from the pack for his services.

Brown sat down with On3 Sports where he stated, "LSU is a little above Texas A&M at No. 1."

It's an intriguing development for the LSU Tigers in their race to win the "Brown Sweepstakes" during a rigorous recruiting battle.

Brown ranks as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in America, but has aspirations of playing on defense in college as well. He's been vocal about the chance to do so and it's clear LSU is providing that opportunity.

Now, he's set his official visit schedule with the LSU Tigers receiving the final visit of his process during the weekend of June 20-22, he told On3 Sports.

The Schedule:
•Miami: May 30-June 1
•Florida State: June 6-8
•Texas A&M: June 13-15
•LSU: June 20-22

The weekend of June 20-22 will be a pivotal one for the LSU Tigers with Brown set to be accompanied by the No. 1 wide receiver in Louisiana, Jabari Mack, and coveted wideout Boobie Feaster.

Jabari Mack: No. 1 Wide Receiver in Louisiana

Destrehan (La.) wide receiver Jabari Mack is fresh off of a visit to Baton Rouge in January for the program's Junior Day event where he was alongside several blue-chip prospects.

Mack, the No. 1 wideout in Louisiana, received a scholarship from his hometown LSU program in early 2024 with wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton continuing to turn up the heat for the 2026 star.

For the top-ranked wideout in The Boot, he's seen premier programs ramp up the push, but LSU is certainly making a move in his recruitment.

The most recent visit to Baton Rouge was one that answered several questions for Mack and his camp.

It was a trip that was beneficial for the star wideout with the opportunity to sit down and talk shop with Brian Kelly alongside his family, meet up with other Louisiana talents and more.

All in all, it was an impactful visit to LSU for Mack.

The 6-foot, 192-pounder has received offers from Ohio State, Texas, Auburn, Florida State, Mississippi State, Nebraska and Penn State, among others as his rise continues.

The Louisiana native will work through a big-time offseason leading up to his senior campaign with the Destrehan (La.) Wildcats in 2025 as he focuses on his finalists.

Mack has revealed four official visits he's set to take this summer:

- Ohio State: May 31
- Texas A&M: June 5
- Texas: June 14
- LSU: June 21

LSU will receive the final visit of Mack's process which will give the program an opportunity to swing for the fences in the top-ranked wideout's process.

With five of Louisiana's top prospects currently committed to LSU, the focus will now shift towards the remaining Top-10 with the chance to make a statement in the 2026 cycle.

More LSU News:

The Breakdown: LSU Football Holds No. 1 Recruiting Class in the SEC

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Three Observations From LSU Baseball's Opening Weekend Sweep

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Zack Nagy
ZACK NAGY

Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of LSU Country, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Tiger Football, Basketball, Baseball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving LSU athletics. 

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