Brian Kelly drops 4-word message minutes after major recruiting win by landing an elite 5-star recruit to LSU's 2026 class 

Five-star prospect Lamar Brown announced his commitment to LSU on Thursday, marking a big win for coach Brian Kelly. The defensive tackle from Erwinville, Louisiana, made his pledge on ESPN's "SportsCenter" during a ceremony at University Laboratory School, situated on the LSU campus.

Brown settled for the Tigers over Texas A&M, Miami and Texas. He made an official visit to all four programs this spring but eventually decided to play college football in-state. The Aggies were particularly ahead in the race early in June, with the tackle even canceling his planned visit to LSU.

However, Brian Kelly and his team fought back in the commitment race to overtake their SEC rival. Thrilled with the big win in the intense race, the coach dropped a four-word message on X/Twitter just minutes after the news broke out, boasting about the state of Louisiana:

“The State of Football."

Lamar Brown is ranked the No. 7 prospect in the class of 2026 according to 247Sports and No. 1 in his position. He's also the top prospect from the state of Louisiana in this cycle, becoming the third five-star prospect to commit to the Tigers’ 2026 class.

Lamar Brown expresses his feelings on committing to Brian Kelly's program

Brian Kelly and his staff put up a strong fight to ensure Lamar Brown’s commitment, and the defensive lineman is thrilled with the future ahead of him in Baton Rouge.

"It's something not a lot of kids from Baton Rouge get to do, honestly," Brown said after his commitment via ESPN.com. "Everyone wants to play at Tiger Stadium. I'm blessed to be going to play there."

He also spoke about the effort made by the school to secure his commitment. After canceling his planned visit to Baton Rouge following his time in College Station, the Tigers were able to convince him to come around.

“They didn't take it lightly," Brown added. "They laid everything on the table for me about what it's like to be a Tiger, being there as a player for three or four years, but also in life after football. Staying home, all the resources and branding I can build for myself here, that made a lot of sense for me.”

Brown elevates LSU’s class of 2026 to the No. 7 spot on the 247Sports composite rankings. Brian Kelly has assembled a strong class with 16 commits, including 11 blue-chip talents, and the Tigers do not appear to be done on the recruiting trail for the cycle.