National signing day is months away, but most of college football’s top 2026 recruits are off the board. In Louisiana, 15 of the state’s top 17 players are committed, per the Rivals Industry Rankings.
Eight of those players are committed to LSU, but the Tigers hope that number will grow in the coming months.
Of that 17, the two without a commitment are linebacker JaMichael Garrett and defensive lineman Darryus McKinley. LSU has a chance to land both.
McKinley is the younger brother of current LSU defensive tackle Dominick McKinley. ESPN and Rivals both rank McKinley as a top-40 defensive tackle in the class. He earned a fourth star from ESPN, but remains a three-star recruit at Rivals and 247Sports. LSU has been considered the heavy favorite for most of McKinley’s recruitment.
According to the Rivals Prediction Machine, LSU has a 99% chance of landing the defensive tackle. He would join a loaded defensive line class that includes Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson. McKinley is scheduled to commit on Nov. 8.
As for Garrett, LSU had to battle to be in the race. Garrett originally committed to Auburn before backing off the pledge and opening his recruitment up. Garrett is an Alabama who recently moved to Baton Rouge. He doesn’t fit the typical bill of a Louisiana high school product who dreamed of playing for LSU. But now that he’s playing in LSU’s city, the Tigers are in the thick of the race for the blue-chip linebacker.
Per 247Sports, Garrett is the No. 8-ranked linebacker in the class. LSU’s 2026 class is yet to add a linebacker, which makes Garrett a priority. LSU isn’t the frontrunner for Garrett at the moment, but LSU has made progress. Don’t count out the Tigers.
