LSU Recruiting: Tigers have one of the best LB hauls in America

The 2025 cycle is deep with talented linebacker prospects, and LSU first-year defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Blake Baker has taken full advantage.

11 linebackers check into the Top 100 of the On3 Industry Rankings , while an additional 27 linebackers are ranked as four-star prospects as senior seasons begin around the country.

Of the 38 prospects who are ranked as 5-stars or 4-stars, 33 are already committed to a college program – including seven of the Top 10 linebackers this cycle. With a run of linebacker commitments, a handful of schools have loaded up with versatile, high-caliber athletes at the position.

And LSU is on the list.

Here is On3’s take on the top four linebacker classes in the 2025 cycle, which features the Tigers and an intriguing three-man commit group headed to Baton Rouge for college.

LSU’s Linebacker Class

4-star LB Charles Ross (No. 98 NATL., No. 11 LB)
4-star LB Keylan Moses (No. 251 NATL., No. 25 LB)
3-star LB Jaiden Braker (No. 701 NATL., No. 75 LB)

On3’s Take: “LSU’s linebacker trifecta hails from three different states. Charles Ross headlines as one of the top players on North Shore High in Houston, a top-10 program nationally. Ross committed in March, four months after Keylan Moses — the latest Baton Rouge University Lab product to choose to stay home. The Tigers then flipped Jaiden Braker from South Carolina at the end of July to add some depth to the nation’s No. 3 class.”

Shea’s Take: “Keylan Moses was the first to get on board, giving the Tigers an early 4-star commitment from a Top 25 linebacker and a notable addition out of University High – a program on LSU’s campus that has seen a handful of top recruits leave the state over the past decade. From there, Brian Kelly’s hire of Baker in January brought with it a sleeper offer to North Shore linebacker Charles Ross. Now, Ross is a household name in recruiting circles after skyrocketing up the rankings this offseason – a stretch that included the Houston linebacker clocking a head-turning 10.36 in the 100-yard dash. That makes Ross one of the fastest (if not the fastest) linebacker in the 2025 cycle. Baker used the spring and summer months to evaluate the board for a third linebacker, and he honed in on a Georgia native and South Carolina commit in Jaiden Braker. LSU offered Braker at the Bayou Splash recruiting event in late-July, and he quickly flipped his commitment from the Gamecocks to the Tigers. With Braker, Baker is getting a 6-foot-3, 217-pounder with an 80″ wingspan and track times that have gone under 11 seconds in the 100-meter dash. When talking athleticism at the position, LSU’s getting just that with the incoming haul at linebacker.”

Ohio State’s Linebacker Class

5-star LB Riley Pettijohn (No. 32 NATL., No. 2 LB)
4-star LB Tarvos Alford (No. 68 NATL., No. 4 LB)
3-star LB Eli Lee (No. 520 NATL., No. 55 LB)

On3’s Take: Riley Pettijohn spurned in-state Texas and Texas A&M to choose the Buckeyes last month. He’s since obtained five-star status and is one of the many headliners in the fold for Ryan Day and Co. Tarvos Alford isn’t far behind on the national rankings and has also seen his stock improve ahead of his senior season following a March commitment. Eli Lee was the second prospect to join Ohio State’s 2025 class, doing so back in October. The in-state recruit rounds out an impressive linebacker trio that’s currently set to head to Columbus next year.

Miami’s Linebacker Class

4-star LB Gavin Nix (No. 157 NATL., No. 15 LB)
4-star LB Elijah Melendez (No. 172 NATL., No. 17 LB)
3-star LB Ezekiel Marcelin (No. 482 NATL., No. 48 LB)

On3’s Take: The Hurricanes’ No. 12 recruiting class is heavily bolstered by their trio of linebacker pledges. Despite flip rumors, Elijah Melendez has remained solid in his commitment to Miami, which happened back in December. Like Moses with LSU, Ezekiel Marcelin is coming out of Miami Central high and is set to make the easy move to campus in Coral Gables next year. Gavin Nix out of in-state IMG Academy highlights the group and was one of the may blue-chippers to commit to the Canes in July.

USC’s Linebacker Class

4-star LB Matai Tagoa’i (No. 82 NATL., No. 7 LB)
4-star LB Jadon Perlotte (No. 204 NATL., No. 21 LB)

On3’s Take: The Trojans currently carry one of the top one-two punches at the position. Matai Tagoa’i is a top-five prospect in the state of California and is one of two top-100 overall prospects in USC’s class thus far. He was flanked by Jadon Perlotte on July 30, as Lincoln Riley and Co. were able to flip the Peach State native from his long-standing pledge to Georgia.

Editor’s Note: On3’s Hunter Shelton contributed to this report.

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