LSU beats out Texas A&M for top-ranked 2026 defensive lineman Lamar Brown
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LSU landed the big one on Thursday.
Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab defensive lineman Lamar Brown announced his commitment to LSU live on ESPN Thursday afternoon. Brown, a 5-star recruit and the top-ranked defensive lineman in the 2026 class, chose from a group of finalists that also included Texas A&M, Miami, and Texas. He took official visits to all 4 of his finalists over the last 2 months and made the decision that he didn’t need to leave home to begin his college career.
Brown is a 6-foot-4, 285-pound defensive lineman. He’s a consensus 5-star recruit and, in the industry-generated 247 Composite, he ranks as the fifth-best prospect in the entire class.
Throughout each of his first 3 high school seasons, Brown has been a dominant two-way presence on the line of scrimmage. He was a MaxPreps Freshman All-America second-team selection on the offensive line during the 2022 season, a MaxPreps Sophomore All-America first-team offensive line selection in 023, and then a MaxPreps Junior All-America first-team pick as an offensive lineman in 2024. Brown is also an accomplished track & field athlete for University Lab, winning the Louisiana 3A state shot put title as a sophomore and a junior.
247Sports’ Mike Roach has reported that Brown is expected to focus on the defensive side of the football with the Tigers.
According to ESPN’s Eli Lederman, Texas A&M made a strong push to steal the Bayou’s top-ranked recruit from the Tigers. Lederman reported Thursday that both A&M and LSU coaching staffs felt confident about their positions heading into Brown’s announcement.
But LSU won in the end, and it’s a massive victory for head coach Brian Kelly on the trail. The Tigers now hold verbal pledges from a pair of 5-star recruits, with Brown joining Hattiesburg (Miss.) wideout Tristen Keys. The class is up to No. 7 nationally, according to the 247 Composite. You can see Brown’s highlight tape below, via Hudl:
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
