LSU secured its highest-ranked pledge within the 2026 recruiting cycle Thursday with a dedication from four-star in-state offensive deal with Brysten Martinez, No. 32 within the ESPN Junior 300.
Martinez is a 6-foot-6, 280-pound lineman from East Ascension Excessive Faculty in Gonzales, Louisiana. He’s ESPN’s No. 4 offensive deal with prospect and third-ranked recruit within the state of Louisiana within the 2026 class. Martinez, whose checklist of provides consists of Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Tennessee, Florida, Texas A&M and Penn State, introduced his dedication to the Tigers by way of Instagram Thursday morning.
Martinez is now the highest-rated prospect in coach Brian Kelly’s 2026 class, and his pledge continues LSU’s sizzling begin to the cycle on the in-state recruiting path.
All six recruits at present dedicated to the Tigers’ subsequent class hail from the state of Louisiana, together with 5 prospects ranked within the newest ESPN Junior 300 launched earlier this week. Headlined by Martinez, security Aiden Corridor (No. 118 general), athlete Jakai Anderson (No. 161), defensive deal with Richard Anderson (No. 181) and extensive receiver Kenny Darby (No. 275), LSU at present holds pledges from 50% of Louisiana’s prime 12 prospects within the 2026 cycle.
Alongside Martinez, LSU additionally holds one other offensive line pledge in three-star in-state guard Jalan Chapman.
Martinez, who performs his highschool soccer roughly 25 miles from Tiger Stadium, took a sequence of unofficial visits to LSU throughout his recruitment, most not too long ago throughout this system’s junior day final month. He follows four-star Oregon pledge Kodi Greene (No. 37 in ESPN Junior 300) because the second commit amongst ESPN’s prime 5 offensive tackles within the 2026 class, leaving solely five-star blockers Jackson Cantwell (No. 4 general), Lamar Brown (No. 5) and Immanuel Iheanacho (No. 9) nonetheless uncommitted.
Martinez’s pledge provides LSU a probably foundational expertise for the longer term, and the Tigers will probably be attempting so as to add round him on the offensive line atop the 2026 class within the coming months.
Brown is ESPN’s No. 2 offensive deal with and Louisiana’s No. 1 prospect within the cycle. He additionally attends College Lab Faculty on the LSU campus, and the Tigers ought to be considered as front-runners to land Brown’s pledge forward of Alabama, Miami, Florida State and Texas A&M. LSU can be vying to hitch Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, Oregon and Maryland on Iheanacho’s checklist of official visits later this yr whereas the Tigers are additionally within the combine for four-star offensive deal with Darius Grey (No. 70 general).
LSU signed three ESPN 300 offensive tackles within the 2025 cycle, headlined by five-star Solomon Thomas, the No. 17 general prospect within the class.