The Tigers got a major jumpstart to their 2026 class at the Under Armour All-America game.
The LSU Tigers have secured a commitment from 2026 four-star defensive lineman JaReylan McCoy, he announced at the Under Armour All-America Game on Thursday.
McCoy, a 6’6”, 245-pound defensive lineman from Tupelo, Mississippi, chose the Tigers over the Alabama Crimson Tide, Tennessee Volunteers and USC Trojans.
Earning 19 scholarship offers, which primarily came from some heavy-hitting SEC schools, the four-star has shined during his high school career with long arms, and has been touted as a recruit with high potential as he grows both with his frame and technical skills.
LSU had long been a part of McCoy’s recruitment, getting involved as early as his eighth-grade season, while maintaining that connection throughout the last few years. There were several recruiters involved with McCoy, including outside linebackers coach Kevin Peoples, that ultimately helped sell him on the relationship aspect to commit.
@JaReylanMcCoy just committed to @LSU @LSUfootball #uanext pic.twitter.com/LQaKkvsGo9
— All-America Game (@UANextFootball) January 3, 2025
The Tigers had one of the strongest 2025 recruiting classes in the country, as head coach Brian Kelly’s staff put together a top-10 class led by five-star cornerback DJ Pickett.
Up front, they did add four-star edge rusher Damien Shanklin, a 6’4”, 230-pound recruit from Indianapolis. McCoy follows a similar trend to that addition, although he’s already bigger in size with room to grow given his long frame.
LSU had long been a supporter this offseason, but the Tigers had seen some major competition this fall with a number of other schools looking to lock in visits with the four-star.
Both the hometown Mississippi State Bulldogs and Ole Miss Rebels were involved, with McCoy getting up to Oxford on a number of occasions.
He also made trips up to USC, Tennessee and Alabama, with the Crimson Tide consistently showing interest after getting McCoy out to a practice last spring. USC made it to McCoy’s initial top three, thanks to a good relationship between him and defensive line coach Eric Henderson.
But, ultimately, it was the initial team that proved too hard to beat out, as the Tigers continued to bolster their 2026 class with some early recruitments.
He joins a 2026 class for the Tigers that already has five other commits, including fellow four-star defensive lineman Richard Anderson, four-star safety Aiden Hall, four-star wide receiver Kenny Darby, three-star safety Jakai Anderson, and three-star offensive lineman Jalan Chapman.
Richard Anderson, a New Orleans, Louisiana, native, has been committed to LSU since the summer, shutting down his recruitment early in June as the Tigers’ first recruit in the 2026 class.
In-state athletes were a big focus early, as the in-state Jakai Anderson, Jalan Chapman, and Aidan Hall committed back in June, July, and August, respectively, after each visited in the summer.
The last of the commits, in-state four-star wide receiver Kenny Darby, joined the frame back in November over numerous other SEC offers, as he committed to LSU nearly immediately after earning a scholarship offer.
McCoy becomes the first non-LSU native to commit to the Tigers in the cycle, and will now be a key building block for the program as they continue to recruit the junior cycle hard over the coming months.
