Immanuel Iheanacho, the five-star offensive lineman out of Georgetown Prep in Maryland, has become one of the prominent prospects of the 2026 class. Standing at 6-foot-7 and weighing 350 pounds, he isn’t just physically imposing; he is also ranked as the No. 2 overall recruit in the country. Naturally, every college football blue blood wants him, but his recruitment has taken a dramatic twist in the past few weeks. Immanuel had everyone speculating with his official visit calendar, and initially, Maryland, Oregon, Penn State, and Alabama appeared to be the top contenders, with LSU merely in the background. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he rescheduled his plans — Maryland was suddenly out of the picture, and LSU, which was previously not even on his official visit list, was added, with a trip to Baton Rouge scheduled at the end of May.

LSU, under the guidance of Brian Kelly, is making a strong but late push. After Immanuel visited Baton Rouge, the Tigers have become a serious contender in his recruitment. And the timing couldn’t be better, as he’s getting closer to his commitment date on August 5th, and the Tigers are going all in.

You can sense the momentum change. Before this trip, Oregon was the trendy choice, and LSU was a long shot. But over the weekend, Immanuel loaded up his bags and made his way down to Baton Rouge for an official visit with LSU. Now, if you’ve been following along, you’ll know this was an unexpected move. Afterward, Immanuel spoke with On3, and Chad Simmons posted on X saying, “Immuneuel [Immanuel] Iheanacho spent the weekend at LSU on his official visit and the Tigers made a move for the five-star offensive tackle,” and Immanuel delivered the golden words: “I can see myself there.”

Immanuel Iheanacho’s had an impressive high school career at Georgetown Prep. He led his squad to a remarkable 8-2 record and their fifth Interstate Athletic Conference title in six years, earning first-team all-league and all-state recognition in the process. Along with his physical prowess, his exceptional athleticism makes him a valuable acquisition to the mix. For large programs, Iheanacho is a dream signing, his size, strength, and agility make him a plug-and-play tackle who can fill a quarterback’s blind side on day one.

LSU and Oregon in a heated race for Iheanacho

At this point, LSU has become Oregon’s largest competitor for Immanuel Iheanacho’s signature, and that’s a huge turn in the competition. Following his official visit to Baton Rouge, Immanuel was pretty certain that he wanted this, and insiders indicate that LSU treated him like home. Oregon got back the edge over Iheanacho after establishing a strong bond with him and obtaining the highly prized last official visit in June. Penn State is in the running as well and will be hosting Immanuel soon, but the majority of experts have them behind the Ducks and Tigers at this point.

After losing out on commitment from the five-star tackle Jackson Cantwell and EDGE rusher Richard Wesley in the weeks following his commitment, the Ducks want a knockout victory—and Iheanacho is their top priority. They’re not merely banking on their glitzy facilities or Nike-powered NIL leverage; they’re forging actual relationships. Immanuel himself declared, “My relationships with the coaches at Oregon is what has them on top. I like the staff a lot and we can talk about anything. My second visit there was great. I loved my first one too.”

Oregon’s also playing up the family card; Immanuel’s family is a big Ducks fan, and their opinion carries weight. Dan Lanning and his team are going to make sure Immanuel knows he’s more than just another recruit—he’s being sold as a building block for the future, a prospect who can bring in other blue-chippers to Eugene. With the Ducks currently ranked No. 10 in the class of 2026 recruiting and the O-line becoming scarce, landing Iheanacho is paramount.