Brian Kelly is very confident about his team’s prospects. “This is the best roster we have put together,” the LSU Tigers head coach said. While LSU fell short in previous years, Kelly is now entering his fourth year with high hopes for the upcoming 2025 season. Well, the jury’s still out. But looking further ahead, their 2026 recruiting class is already ranked in the top 5 by On3, and Kelly hasn’t hit the ‘SNOOZE’ button on continued success.

Right now, out of their 10 locked-in recruits, two are 5-stars, seven 4-stars, and one 3-star. And Kelly is out to hunt yet another 4-star. It’s none other than quarterback Bryson Beaver. And it turns out that Kelly’s luck clicked all of a sudden.

After all, the Tigers have given up on their hope for Beaver since he has been committed to the Boise State Broncos since April 2025. It’s only on June 12 that he decommitted from the Broncos, reopening his recruitment. And what better opportunity for Kelly to jump in? But the history….

LSU has had trouble earning and retaining its quarterback commitments. The 2025 No.1 quarterback prospect, Bryce Underwood, had given Kelly and Co. enough trauma by switching to the Michigan Wolverines for a fat paycheck. The SEC powerhouse failed to land a marquee field general as part of its 2025 cycle. So, to flip the script, LSU has sent out a new offer to the 6-foot-2 1/2, 200-pound quarterback, who has seen an uptick in interest.

A native of Murrieta, California, Bryson was an Elite 11 finalist and finished the 2024 season with 3,214 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, and six interceptions. In his freshman, sophomore, and junior years combined, Brian Kelly’s new QB target has racked up 6,458 yards and 63 touchdowns. 

His recent feat in the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles earned him the acclaim of the No.3 performer in what is being described as one of the best crops of QBs the camp has seen in quite some time. And Beaver has got the “strongest arm” coming out of the camp. “Beaver looked like one of the more talented prospects on hand. We felt his arm took a backseat to nobody in attendance. The Southern California native has explosive arm power that effortlessly delivers from multiple slots and platforms. … Currently a four-star prospect for On3, Beaver is primed to debut inside the inaugural Rivals300 ranking in July,” wrote On3’s Charles Power. However, are Kelly and LSU late for the party?  

Confusion cooks up in Brian Kelly’s 2026 class

Well, the Oregon Ducks may not have been first to the party when it comes to fast-rising quarterback prospect Beaver, but they certainly arrived early. That’s when the other programs followed.

Dan Lanning offered the quarterback a scholarship a couple of weeks ago. After this, his recruitment has blown up. Before Kelly, Beaver had garnered interest from a lot of top schools in the nation, including the Alabama Crimson Tide and Ole Miss Rebels, both of which hosted him on visits earlier this month. That’s where Kelly lands in a soup.

We are now in another recruiting dead period, so Beaver won’t be able to take a visit to LSU in the near future. However, assuming he keeps his recruitment open through the summer, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him end up in Baton Rouge this fall for a game. While Beaver might keep Kelly hanging on the edge, he is not the only one to pester the Tigers’ head coach. The other one is none other than his 5-star wide receiver Tristen Keys—the No. 1 WR in the class—who committed to LSU back in March.

Just like Beaver, chances reign supreme for Keys to jump out of Brian Kelly’s squad. On June 13, On3 NIL revealed on X. “The race for LSU 5-star WR commit Tristen Keys continues to heat up🔥 Keys is expected to ink an NIL package that will pay him between $500K to $1 million as a freshman, per @PeteNakos_💰.” Now, if you think that someone would be willing to offer such a sum, you are mistaken. A clip went viral that showed Kelly’s 5-star recruit dancing in full Tennessee’s orange-colored gear. But at the same time, Keys is fighting for the Tigers. 

LSU’s other hot target, 4-star quarterback prospect Bowe Bentley, chose Oklahoma over LSU. Hayes Fawcett quoted the quarterback on his IG post, “Norman! I’m home!!” The comment section of the post had Keys’ comment that read, “Noooo why not come throw to 3 top 10 WRs😢💔😭😭😭.”  Trying to flip? Now, confusion is the current headline on Brian Kelly’s 2026 recruiting board.