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LSU lost a major piece to its 2026 recruiting class when 4-star defensive lineman JaReylan McCoy decommitted from Brian Kelly’s program, McCoy told On3 on Monday.
The 6-foot-7, 245-pounder from Tupelo, Miss., had been committed to LSU for almost exactly a month, having committed there on Jan. 2. He’s a top-100 recruit in the 2026 class and has 34 offers. Now, he’s reportedly looking elsewhere after LSU thought it had a difference-making player on its defensive line on the way.
According to the 247Sports composite rankings, McCoy was the 79th-ranked player in the 2026 class, the 6th-ranked defensive lineman and the 5th-ranked player out of the state of Mississippi.
According to Yahoo Sports, McCoy spent last weekend visiting Ole Miss, so the school in his home state could now be an option in the aftermath of decommitting from LSU.
“It was a big eye-opener,” McCoy said of his visit to Ole Miss on Saturday. “It was really good. … I had fun at the basketball game and in meetings.”
According to Yahoo Sports, McCoy sat in meetings in Oxford hosted by defensive line coach Randall Joyner and defensive coordinator Pete Golding, and McCoy walked away from those meetings that much more encouraged by the future of the Ole Miss defense.
Now, we’ll see if those meetings sway McCoy to remain in his home state and join the Rebels.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.