LSU's stellar recruiting day included an SEC robbery

What's better than a huge recruiting day for a college football program? Adding to it by swiping a recruit from a conference rival.

Brian Kelly and his staff had a massive day on July 5. The day was highlighted by a couple of moves, but the one that will feel extra sweet involves 4-star defensive lineman Brandon Brown.

On3's Shea Dixon shared via X that Brown was flipping his commitment. After originally committing to play for the Texas Longhorns, Brown flipped his commitment to play for LSU instead.

Brown was a 4-star recruit and a top-50 player in the state of Florida. He's joining fellow 4-star defensive lineman Zion Williams, who committed to the Tigers one day earlier.

As if that wasn't enough, the Tigers also landed a top-100 player in the country in EDGE Damien Shanklin . He's the top player in the state of Indiana, coming out of Warren Central High School. He had been considering other top programs, including staying in his home state to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The Tigers skyrocketed up the recruiting rankings after a busy Friday. On3 originally had LSU with the seventh-best recruiting class for 2025, but bumped them up three spots to No. 4 in the country after all of their moves in one day. They now have the second-best recruiting class in the SEC, behind the Alabama Crimson Tide but ahead of the Georgia Bulldogs.

Things are trending in the right direction for Brian Kelly. He's gone 20-7 in his two seasons as head coach for LSU, producing legitimate NFL talent including Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels. The program is expected to produce significantly more NFL players after this season, including a pair of offensive tackles in Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr..

With a clear pipeline to the NFL and the opportunity to contend in the SEC, it's easy to see why so many top-tier recruits are flocking to Baton Rouge.