Elite five-star recruit Lamar Brown ditches Brian Kelly & LSU before move to make major career announcement

Five-star prospect Lamar Brown canceled his scheduled visit to LSU this weekend, according to On3. This is a huge setback for Brian Kelly’s program, as the Tigers had been leading the race for the versatile lineman with an 86.5% chance of landing him, per the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, since last spring.

As per On3's Hayes Fawcett, Brown has also declared he will announce his commitment on July 10.

Brown is the No. 1 athlete in the 2026 class and the No. 7 recruit in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. The University Lab standout is also the No. 1 recruit in Louisiana, which is why LSU has long been invested in his recruitment, offering him a scholarship before he even began high school.

That offer came from former Tigers defensive line coach Jamar Cain during a camp where Brown stood out.

“I dominated that camp and coach Cain felt like he should offer me and that’s when it took off from there,” Brown told Geaux Preps. “It was kind of life-changing. People started to look different at me, but I was still the same person before I got the offer.”

The 6-foot-5, 292-pound prospect has been familiar with LSU for years, having visited campus regularly since seventh grade. Brown idolized former Tigers defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy and had built strong ties to the program until canceling this week's trip, which will definitely haunt Kelly's program.

Lamar Brown is viewed as a versatile two-way lineman capable of playing on both sides of the ball. In the 2024 season, he gave up no pressures or sacks in over 120 offensive snaps, while also tallying 44 tackles, including two sacks and five tackles for loss on defense.

Texas A&M secures edge in Lamar Brown’s recruitment amid LSU’s setback

Lamar Brown is expected to make his college decision on July 10. He completed an official visit to Texas A&M this past weekend and has now canceled his planned trip to LSU.

LSU and Texas A&M were considered the primary contenders for Brown, but the Tigers' recent dip in momentum appears to benefit the Aggies. Even before Brown’s visit to College Station, Rivals analyst Adam Gorney predicted the Louisiana native was likely to choose Texas A&M.

"It seems as if Texas A&M has taken the lead for Brown – selling him on playing on the defensive line – and that could be a big factor," Gorney wrote two weeks ago.

Lamar Brown's potential addition will be a big boost for Texas A&M's 2026 class, which already holds the commitments of multiple four-star prospects. The Aggies have 14 committed players in the cycle, ranking No. 6 in the nation.