LSU suffers recruiting blow as 4-star DL commit flips to Ohio State

One day before he is set to battle arch rival Michigan, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has flipped a 4-star recruit away from LSU. Darryus McKinley has officially flipped his commitment from LSU to Ohio State, becoming the second LSU commit to flip since Brian Kelly was fired back on October 26.

4-star EDGE DeAnthony Lafayette was the first Tiger commit to flip in the wake of Kelly's firing. Lafayette decommitted back on November 9, and then committed to the Miami Hurricanes the next day.

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McKinley is a 6'3" 270-pound defensive lineman who is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 19 player in Louisiana and the No. 69 defensive lineman prospect in the country. He is the brother of former 5-star recruit Dominick McKinley, who is a sophomore defensive lineman for the Tigers. Given his brotherly connection to LSU, the move is somewhat surprising.

Lafayette hails from Orlando, FL, and is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 42 player in the state of Florida and the No. 34 EDGE in the country for the 2026 class. The 6'1" 230-pound prospect originally committed to LSU over the summer on July 10.

It's not uncommon for recruits to flip their commitments after a head coach is fired. It was most likely going to happen to LSU at some point, but it's now been over a month since Kelly was fired and just two recruits have gone elsewhere. Several 2026 commits have taken to social media to proclaim their steadfast commitment to LSU, which certainly bodes well for the program.

The loyalty of Tiger recruits is a testament to the LSU brand, which attracts top talent from around the country year-after-year. As it stands, LSU has the No. 12 recruiting class in the country according to 247Sports, and it will be interesting to see how that ranking shifts once a new coaching staff comes aboard.