LSU firing Brian Kelly may have hurt its chances of flipping a 5-star Auburn commit

LSU recruiting is in a complicated place right now thanks to the firing of Brian Kelly.

The good news is that there haven't been any de-commitments since Kelly was fired on Sunday. The recruiting class, ranked 11th by 247Sports, has stayed strong despite all the changes and even added a commitment. While discussion about the future of the program is likely to make some recruits consider different options (you can thank Governor Landry for that). 

However, the current vacancy at head coach will make it difficult for LSU to get into discussions to flip top prospects in the 2026 class. Rivals/On3 recruiting director Steve Wiltfong suggested that might be the case with 5-star safety Bralan Womack, an Auburn commit.

"LSU is kind of a new school to the party for Bralan Womack." Wiltfong said.

Womack is arguably the top defensive back in the country. LSU's recent pursuit of the blue chipper from Flowood, Mississippi, added to the belief that the Tigers were completely out on in-state prospect Blaine Bradford, who appears solid with Ohio State.

Can LSU stay alive for Jase Mathews?

While the Womack recruitment appears to be on pause right now, Wiltfong did say that the Tigers are still active with another Auburn commit, 4-star wide receiver Jase Mathews, but Kelly's firing will force Mathews to reconsider his interest in LSU. 

"Prior to Brian Kelly getting let go, LSU was the biggest threat, Jace Mathews told me last night, to flipping him from Auburn. Now he has to take a step back and process things."

Steve Wiltfong, Rivals/On3

One thing that could keep Mathews interested is that he loves the environment around LSU and reportedly had a great time watching the Tigers play Texas A&M last Saturday in Death Valley. He also has a very good relationship with wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton.

Hankton is staying at LSU for now and taking on a greater role as pass-game coordinator.

"No surrpise that LSU was back in the mix, and he enjoyed being in Death Valley and believed in that coaching staff getting things back on track," Wiltfong added.

Hankton, a New Orleans native, could be part of the next staff at LSU, so it might be premature to rule out Mathews as a flip prospect. However, the Tigers' staff will have some work to do in order to keep that relationship strong.