LSU football picked up a commitment from four-star defensive tackle Deuce Geralds on Saturday. For LSU, it marked the 18th commitment of the 2026 recruiting class. Four of those 18 are prized defensive line recruits. Two more are blue-chip edge defenders.
This is the best defensive line crop in college football. There were questions about LSU’s defensive line recruiting after DL coach Bo Davis left for the NFL and was replaced by former LSU defensive tackle Kyle Williams.
Williams coached high school football, but this was his first college gig. Recruiting at the highest level of college football doesn’t always come natural — and you never know how a recruiter will fare until he’s in the role. That worried some with this class of Louisiana defensive linemen. LSU couldn’t afford to have a down recruiting year at defensive line with all the in-state talent.
So far, Williams is passing the test with flying colors.
Lamar Brown is the headliner. Per ESPN, he’s the No. 1 overall recruit in the country. For much of Brown’s recruitment, recruiting services projected him as an offensive lineman. But over the last year, Brown made it clear that defensive line was his home at the next level. LSU didn’t travel far to land Brown with the five-star playing high school football in Baton Rouge.
LSU didn’t go far to find Richard Anderson, either. Anderson, Rivals’ No. 2-ranked defensive tackle in the class, attends New Orleans powerhouse Edna Karr. He committed to LSU in June of 2024 and has held firm.
There’s a good chance Brown and Anderson both finish the cycle as five-star recruits ready to make an immediate impact as true freshmen in 2026.
Geralds, the most recent commit, is the No. 93 overall recruit in the class per the Rivals’ Industry Rankings. With Gerlads, Anderson, and Brown, LSU has three defensive tackles ranked inside the top 100.
The fourth defensive tackle commit is Darryus McKinley. Another Louisiana native and the little brother of current LSU defensive tackle Dominick McKinley.
Last offseason, LSU’s defensive tackle position was in a rough spot. LSU was looking for scraps in the transfer portal as it lacked talent and depth. Now, the outlook is much brighter. Dominick McKinley and Ahmad Breaux just excelled as true freshmen in 2024 and now there’s more talent on the way.