The 2025 season marks the make-or-break year for LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly. The Tigers’ former HC, Ed Orgeron, had already dished out a wake-up call. “Expectations at LSU are No. 1 or nothing! I mean, that’s it! LSU expects you to win the national championship. They don’t expect you to win it every year, but Coach [Nick] Saban won it in his third year, Les Miles won it in his third year, and I won it in my third year.” And what better way for Kelly to win back the trust than coming off as a threat on the recruiting trail?

As per On3’s 2026 Industry Ranking football Team Recruiting Rankings, Kelly’s Tigers are yet to make it to the top 3 of the list. Right now, they are sitting at No.6 with 12 recruits locked in. While their 2026 business remains unfinished, Kelly can’t help but obsess over his 2027 class. After all, a No.1 quarterback recruit, Elijah Haven, is waving at him. 

On July 3, LSU Recruiting made an IG post. The caption read, “#UPDATE: Elite 2027 5🌟 Baton Rouge (La.) QB and No. 1 overall player Elijah Haven has taken a bunch of visits since the spring and over the summer and appears to be narrowing down his list.” Kelly’s LSU, Alabama, and more have received visits from Haven after he made his way to Death Valley for multiple game day experiences. Having “an offer from just about every school under the sun,” who made it to Haven’s final list? The Louisiana native confirmed LSU, Florida, Ohio State, Michigan, and Alabama stand at the top of his priority list. However, being the hometown team, Kelly’s Tigers continue generating significant buzz for the coveted quarterback from right down the road.

Haven was named the MaxPreps National Sophomore Football Player of the Year after accounting for over 4,000 yards of total offense and 58 total touchdowns last season. The quarterback had the spotlights on him as he led Dunham to a 14-1 record and an appearance in the Division III Select state title game. Hailing from Baton Rouge, does it give Kelly any edge in the Haven race? No way. As it’s reported, “Haven went on to talk about how relationships play a heavy part in his recruitment and made it clear he isn’t afraid to go out of state for college, as he says he plans on picking the school where he believes he’ll be developed best.”

The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder is already carrying with him a strong resume. Haven has completed 206 of his 324 passing attempts (63.6%) while tossing for 3,137 yards and 37 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. His dynamic ability did not go unnoticed when he came up with 937 rushing yards on 170 carries for 21 touchdowns. So, all these numbers will be hard for Kelly to resist.

Now what’s their next plan? To woo Haven. A big chance is looming around the corner. As the IG post revealed, “Joe Sloan and the Tigers have a golden opportunity to make a lasting first impression on the season and on Haven in their Week 1 matchup at Clemson as Elijah and his family plan on making the trip over to watch that game in person.” By landing Haven, Kelly can get rid of one of LSU’s major curses.

A drought situation looms in Brian Kelly’s LSU 

Stats say the last time Kelly brought in any high school quarterback ranked inside the top 200 players in the country was in 2022. The quarterback to fit that bill was Walker Howard. But poor Kelly. It’s been a long time since Howard took his exit from Baton Rouge. Kelly even failed to close on yet another recruiting cycle of quarterback recruits. They made the push to woo Bowe Bentley, a highly touted top 100 recruit from Texas. But they even lost their final hope as Bentley chose the Oklahoma Sooners over Kelly’s program. 

Moral of the story? The LSU Tigers almost certainly won’t land a top QB recruit for 2026 either. In fact, they may not land a QB recruit in the cycle at all. It’s not that the Tigers did not try. They chased hard some elite options like Jared Curtis, Ryder Lyons, Dia Bell, among others. But their luck did not favor them, and they missed out on all of them. On that note, the IG post shared, “It’s going to be a crucial season for Joe Sloan and LSU not only from a winning perspective but from a recruiting perspective as it appears LSU will not land a QB for the second consecutive recruiting cycle and the pressure to land one of the elite options within the state for the 2027 cycle are higher than ever.” 

Now that Brian Kelly and Co. have made a strong push, what does Haven feel about them? “Coach Sloan got on me so early — at the start of my freshman year — and we have just continued to build up that relationship. That’s the biggest part of it with LSU. It’s not because it’s close; it’s home,” the quarterback said in an interview with Steve Wiltfong. But wait, a threat is looming for the Tigers. Reports revealed, “No team has pressed harder since June than the (Florida) Gators, who hosted Haven for a second June in a row and is feeling the love from Billy Napier and the entire Florida coaching staff.” So, Baton Rouge isn’t a fortress yet—Kelly must guard the gates to keep Haven in.