The playoffs of 2024 are around the corner. The landscape is changing every week; even a team with a 10-0 record does not have a permanent seat in the playoffs. On the other hand, the NFL Draft and the 2025 recruiting process are in the spotlight. Head coaches and the staff are in the business of recruiting top athletes for their teams. But some of them are getting ditched as well. Among the players who currently have a home but may be looking for a new one, four-star wide receiver Derel Meadows has been under the radar. In July, he committed to Brain Kelly and LSU. The 6 feet 6 inches player is quite popular. A few days back, Michigan was running behind him. Does LSU have new competition?

On November 13, Steve Wiltfong, the Vice President of Recruiting and Transfer Portal for On3, announced that LSU’s commitment regarding Derek is threatened by two of their rivals. He said loud and clear that the rising star Derek is considering other options, and he shed light on his recent visit to Notre Dame.

“I heard it went well it’s a place he’s very familiar with. We thought Notre Dame was the leader for much of his process before LSU grabbed him momentum at the end of the summer. I think folks that have spent time with Derrick Meadows on his visit to Michigan last week and his visit to Notre Dame this weekend. It’s more than likely he ends up somewhere other than LSU.”

Notre Dame will enter week 12 with an 8-1 record, which was last in 2021. This week they dominated their opponent FSU 52-3. The number speaks for their preparations this season. But hold on! Do they have one more competition?

Steve further added, “Texas A&M is trying to get into the mix for Derek Meadows. Maybe he visits there this weekend, but he’s always been comfortable at Notre Dame; he knows where he stands on the board, one of their top players regardless of position that they’ve recruited in this 2025 cycle. He sees a need to make an instant impact in an offense where Mike Denbrock, the offensive coordinator, has a track record of developing bigger receivers during his time at Notre Dame, so we’ll see how that one continues to go, but I heard it went well.”

The player is a No. 11 wide receiver and No. 80 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class. Although Derek is visiting various schools, he has still not flipped his decision. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if he really ditches LSU.

Kenny Darby joins the 2026 class of LSU

Currently, LSU is standing at 6-3. After six back-to-back victories, they are struggling, and the past two weeks were tough for them. Last week, they lost to Alabama 42-13. However, they still have received some good news. North Louisiana wide receiver Kenneth Darby committed to Brain Kelly this weekend. He is one of the first key players in Kelly’s 2026 squad. All thanks to Shreveport’s Airline High School, who helped him develop his skills.

Before committing to LSU, Darby had a verbal commitment to Mississippi State. He has all the qualities one requires on the offensive side. Apart from Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and Ole Miss were in talks with him. He had an impressive season; coming to his stats, he has 80 passes for 1,489 yards and he also scored 22 touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how the young talent contributes to the team’s success.