“It’s heating up in South Carolina…” The Gamecocks’ head coach, Shane Beamer, was emotionally charged after wrapping a great month of recruiting visits in Columbia last month. HC Beamer has already secured eight commitments for the 2026 class before the final OV weekend. Two weeks later, despite being one of the favorites to land 5-star offensive lineman Darius Gray, the Gamecocks now seem to be out of the race.

The 5-star offensive line phenom out of Richmond’s St. Christopher’s School has long been considered a cornerstone target for the Gamecocks. Head coach Beamer and crew were early, offering him back before he even suited up for his first high school game. That kind of long-term investment usually pays off. But Brian Kelly and LSU might be rewriting that narrative.

Gray’s summer tour was SEC royalty-level busy. Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio State, and LSU all rolled out the red carpet after his March visit to South Carolina. But it was his June 13 official visit to Baton Rouge that turned heads and maybe turned the tide. “My OV was fantastic,” he said. “The ability to play for a coach like Coach [Brad] Davis, and Coach [Joe] Sloan excites me the most while winning a National Championship for the fans!” And if the latest report is anything, LSU is now leading the race for the five-star offensive lineman.

In a new Rivals episode on July 10, Steve Wiltfong revealed that LSU is trending heavily for the nation’s No. 1 OT in the 2026 cycle, Darius Gray. “Darius Gray is one of LSU’s most coveted targets regardless of position,” he said. “His recruitment’s going to go into the fall, but I have an RPM in favor of LSU right now. And I think that they are still setting the pace with South Carolina, the biggest challenger to the Tigers.” The 6-3, 285-pounder isn’t just another highly rated offensive lineman. LSU wants him because he’s the kind of trench anchor Brian Kelly built a dynasty around at Notre Dame and then at LSU.

As Wiltfong added, “He is not an NIL recruit like so many of these other five stars. So, I think it’s an old school recruitment that LSU is doing very well in.” LSU’s pitch is player development, big-time football, and Davis’ O-line legacy. And look at what he’s already cooked up. Will Campbell became a top-5 NFL pick. Emery Jones is NFL-bound. Tyree Adams and Weston Davis are anchoring 2025’s line. Carius Curne and Solomon Thomas are ready to contribute as freshmen.

“LSU is definitely one of the top schools,” Darius Gray added. “The ability to follow the footsteps of many greats that came here before!” And now, he’s building a fortress again in 2026 with No. 10 OT Brysten Martinez, No. 16 OT Emmanuel Tucker, No. 32 IOL Bryson Cooley, and Jalen Chapman. And that brings us to the next wave of LSU dominance.

Brian Kelly is building a powerful 2026 LSU class

As if the O-line haul wasn’t enough, LSU just landed Louisiana’s top prospect in 5-star DL Lamar Brown. The No. 1 player in the state, he spurned Texas A&M, Texas, and Miami to stay home. But the question is if the Tigers can retain him until signing day in December. Still, they aren’t chasing numbers. They’re chasing stars. With the highest average player rating in the country (92.47), Brian Kelly’s crew is choosing quality over quantity, and it’s working.

Still, LSU boasts 16 commits and sits at No. 6 nationally in the 2026 recruiting rankings. In addition to Lamar Brown, add in recent 5-star commits like Tristen Keys and Richard Anderson, and the Tigers’ 2026 class is looking like a playoff core in the making. And this might not be the final number. There are still elite targets on Brian Kelly’s radar, and the numbers could soar in the coming weeks or months.

South Carolina may have started the Darius Gray race, but LSU’s building a future around finishing it.