With the firing of Brian Kelly in the middle of the season, the recruiting landscape around the LSU Football program is drawing plenty of attention. Will commits stay committed to LSU and the new coaching staff? Or will they jump ship and look for a different situation? It's a reality that 11 teams are now dealing with amid a record-setting coaching carousel so far in the 2025 season.
After nearly 2 weeks, Brian Kelly issues parting message to LSU fans
As LSU searches for its next head coach, several 2026 recruits have already pledged their steadfast commitments to the Tigers. However, one recruit appears to be on the verge of leaving Baton Rouge for another SEC team.
4-star LSU commit projected to leave for another SEC team
4-star recruit Bryson Cooley is a part of LSU's 12th-ranked recruiting class for 2026 according to 247Sports. In the wake of Brian Kelly getting fired, Rivals' Steve Wiltfong and Sam Spiegelman have logged expert predictions for Mississippi State to flip Cooley away from LSU.
NEW: Rivalsâ @SWiltfong_ and @samspiegs haved logged expert predictions for Mississippi State to flip LSU 4-star OT commit Bryson Cooleyđ¶
â Rivals (@Rivals) November 4, 2025
Read: https://t.co/UwwRi4joaw pic.twitter.com/VaVOulqiim
Cooley committed to LSU in July over other offers from Alabama, Baylor, Florida, Georgia, and Ole Miss, among others. Mississippi State extended an offer to Cooley as well, and Jeff Lebby's staff has remained in hot pursuit of the 4-star prospect despite his commitment to LSU.
Cooley hails from Laurel, MS, and is rated by 247Sports Composite as the No. 14 overall player in Mississippi. Owning a 6' 6.5" 315-pound frame, Cooley is also ranked as the No. 34 offensive tackle recruit in the country. If he does end up leaving LSU for Mississippi State, he will join a Bulldog recruiting class currently ranked No. 48 in the country by 247Sports.
As it stands, Cooley is one of 3 commits on the offensive line for LSU's 2026 class. The highest-rated OL recruit is 4-star Brysten Martinez, who is ranked as the No. 11 offensive lineman in the country. 3-star Jalan Chapman is also in the mix, and he has already stated that he is firmly committed to LSU despite the looming coaching change. "You don't go to LSU for the coach," Chapman told TigerRag shortly after Kelly was fired. "You go to LSU because it's LSU. I'm a lil Louisiana boy, I wouldn't go no where else."