LSU fired its head coach and offensive coordinator after its lopsided home loss to Texas A&M, but those changes have so far not affected the program’s recruiting efforts.
As of Tuesday, no prospects had backed off their verbal commitments to the Tigers, and no players on the current roster had decided to forgo any of the four games left on their schedule, as interim coach Frank Wilson said Tuesday in his first news conference since coach Brian Kelly was fired.
“I think it’s a testament to the quality of young men that we have,” Wilson said, “that they signed up to come to school here. They came at the helm of coach Kelly as our head coach, and they were also committed to this university, and they were committed to one another.”
In fact, LSU has even added to its 2026 recruiting class since it fired Kelly and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan. A three-star wide receiver named Kervin Johnson announced Monday that he had flipped his commitment from Louisiana Tech to the Tigers — even as uncertainty swirled around the program.
Still, Wilson’s and what’s left of the staff must now work to retain quite a bit of talent.
Freshmen cornerback DJ Pickett and running back Harlem Berry were both five-star recruits, and they’ve already stepped into leading roles eight games into the first season of their collegiate careers. Sophomore tight end Trey’Dez Green has also begun to emerge as one of Garrett Nussmeier’s favorite targets, and he can’t declare for the NFL draft for another year.
LSU also has commitments from Lamar Brown — a U-High defensive lineman rated as one of the nation’s five best recruits — as well as Trenton Henderson, a Florida edge rusher who’s one of the top 50 prospects in 247Sports’ composite rankings.
When Kelly was fired, LSU’s 2026 class was the 11th-best group in the country. Only time can tell now if the Tigers can hang on to those commitments through a coaching change.
“I think when in a time as perilous as this,” Wilson said, “that you back down the hatches, you go shoulder to shoulder, you go back to back, and you stand firm with one another, and the commitment of what your intentions were from the beginning.
“And so, it’s kind of testimonial that we haven’t had it.”
