The LSU Tigers have been getting great news the entire month of February on the recruiting trail despite the recruiting dead period that is currently in effect. The Tigers landed elite In-State offensive tackle Brysten Martinez which skyrocketed their recruiting class to the third ranked class in the Country and the 2nd ranked class in the SEC.
While plenty of good news has rolled in across the board at several positions, one position lingers as the most interesting position and that is how LSU lands a quarterback in this recruiting class. When the vast majority of the quarterbacks in the 2026 class were committing to schools LSU had Bryce Underwood on board which didn't provide any clear path to playing time. The issue is compounded now for LSU as they're looking to flip quarterbacks away from other schools.
The name that had come into focus for LSU as of late was Oregon commit Jonas Williams as he strongly considered LSU before picking the Ducks. As Oregon has started to recruit the Top Quarterback in the class Jared Curtis, LSU and USC had come circling back looking to nab Jonas Williams.
The Tigers may not have much of a chance at flipping Jonas Williams as On3 has predicted that Jonas Williams will flip to the USC Trojans.
On3’s @SWiltfong_ and @ChadSimmons_ have logged expert predictions for USC to flip Oregon 4-star QB commit Jonas Williams✌️
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) February 19, 2025
Read: https://t.co/MxmrTziCaQ pic.twitter.com/CTO7S7CF5a
USC being favored isn't much of a surprise as Williams made his way to campus before the recruiting dead period kicked in. Lincoln Riley's resume is better than anyone elses when it comes to developing quarterbacks and when Riley comes calling most quarterbacks have to listen.
For LSU, this is another road block in landing a top quarterback that the Tigers can develop for the future. Due to Bryce Underwood flipping late in the 2025 cycle, LSU missed out on landing a Quarterback in the 2025 class and now they'll likely have to look elsewhere to add one during the 2026 cycle.
This isn't the end for Williams as LSU can recruit him up until signing day and in this new era past signing day as recruits can get out of their financial agreements. If Williams flips to USC before the Spring, LSU likely won't get him on campus for a visit which would give the Tigers next to no chance at landing him.
The Tigers now likely need to pivot to another quarterback target as the Spring and Early Summer will likely decide if LSU is going to land an elite signal caller. Bowe Bentley is LSU's most recent offer and Arizona State commit Jake Fette was offered just before Bentley. Which quarterbacks show up on campus this offseason will be the biggest headline of the recruiting cycle as LSU looks to land a quarterback.