The Transfer Portal activity has finally slowed nearing a halt with a few days left for LSU Tigers to enter and all attention for the staff has now shifted toward building out the 2026 recruiting class. The Tigers entered the new year with the Nation's 7th ranked recruiting class holding five commitments all of which had come from In-State players.
The LSU Football program has added a sixth commitment this time from Mississippi Native JaReylan McCoy who committed to the Tigers during the Under Armour All American Game. The Tigers beat out USC and Tennessee to nab the elite edge rusher.
BREAKING: Four-Star DL JaReylan McCoy (2026) has Committed to LSU, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 2, 2025
The 6’7 245 DL from Tupelo, MS chose the Tigers over Tennessee, USC, & Alabama
“Geaux Tigers! Ready to work and make history #LLMF”#UANexthttps://t.co/SJoZAWQVcD pic.twitter.com/Du42KzAynz
The Tigers land McCoy who's out of Tupelo going into an area that is typically a tough place to recruit for the Tigers and leave with a commitment. If McCoy stays on board and signs with LSU it would mark the third straight year the Tigers have nabbed a player from Mississippi after landing Tyler Miller this past cycle and PJ Woodland the cycle before.
McCoy is a player that has been on the staffs radar for a long time as he was one of the players at Brian Kelly's first LSU Summer camp and impressed the staff while the new staff has remained engaged since the staff change. McCoy's first offer came from USC when Jimmy Lindsey offered him, when Lindsey came to LSU he offered McCoy again, and after the turnover Kevin Peoples and Blake Baker have recruited McCoy.
According to On3, JaReylan McCoy is the 88th ranked player in the class, the 8th ranked defensive lineman, and the 6th ranked player out of Mississippi.
Landing JaReylan McCoy is a massive win for the Tigers and now the focus is keeping him on board for the next 11 months while adding around him. McCoy joins fellow LSU commit Richard Anderson and both players have five-star upside in this class.
At 6 foot 7 and 246 pounds, McCoy runs a 4.6 40 yard dash which gives him great speed and a ton of closing burst. During the game the broadcasters couldn’t help but, marvel at the size of McCoy’s arms. At the next level, McCoy is likely an edge rusher with a similar body frame to Sai'Vion Jones while developing under Kevin Peoples.
The Tigers have one of the best pitches to any edge rusher on the recruiting trail which we saw with the Tigers success in the transfer portal. Kevin Peoples is a dominant recruiter and an elite developer of talent which we saw as he took Bradyn Swinson from being a rotational player to an elite edge rusher.
The new defensive staff has proven their worth on the recruiting trail thus far as the Tigers are off to another incredible start to a class. Like we saw last cycle keeping everyone on board the entire way is a challenge but, half the battle is getting them to join the class.