LSU football remains in the hunt for blue chip DL JaReylan McCoy

Continuing their trend of remaining in the recruitment of four-star defensive lineman JaReylan McCoy, LSU football has officially been named as one of five schools in contention for the Tupelo, MS, product.

Former LSU football DL commit JaReylan McCoy reveals updated top five ahead of official visit season

Class of 2026 four-star defensive lineman JaReylan McCoy first announced his commitment to LSU football on January 2, 2025. For head coach Brian Kelly, it was an incredible way to get the 2025 calendar year started, and it meant that his recruiting efforts were headed in the right direction for the upcoming cycle.

That said, the pledge would end up being a short-lived one, as he’d decommit from the program just one month later, on February 3.

From there, we didn’t exactly hear much from the blue chip defensive lineman based out of Tupelo, MS. That is, until just recently when he not only revealed a group of upcoming official visits, but also his top five schools – both of which notably included the purple and gold.

NEWS: Elite 2026 DL JaReylan McCoy is down to 5️⃣ Schools, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’7 245 DL from Tupelo, MS is ranked as the No. 2 DL in Mississippi (per On3)

Where Should He Go?👇🏽https://t.co/SJoZAWQnn5 pic.twitter.com/dEoCpVJxBy

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) March 14, 2025

Listed as a 6-foot-7, 245-pound defensive lineman for Tupelo High School, McCoy figures to end up as an edge rusher or defensive end at the next level. Still, with his 6-foot-7 frame, if he’s able to add some weight over the next year or so, he could easily make the transition inside as a defensive tackle.

For now, though, his frame and elite athleticism appear to be more than enough to impress most scouts on the national level, as he currently ranks as the No. 119 player nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite, as well as No. 7 in the state of Mississippi.

As a sophomore, JaReylan McCoy showed flashes of top-end size and speed, while proving to be largely productive for his team in what would go on to be a 44 tackle, 23 tackle for loss, 11 sack and two forced fumble 2023 season. However, a fall to more of a rotational piece in 2024 leads one to believe that he may be a bit of a developmental piece for his first season or two at the next level.

While it would be irresponsible to feel too encouraged by LSU’s presence in today’s top five, it’s at the very least something to keep an eye on, as far as the recruitment as a whole is concerned. When he first announced his commitment in January, there was little doubt that it was early – almost too early. In decommitting, he’s allowing himself to go through his official visit season in an unbiased form, which, ultimately, should allow him to make the most informed decision possible once national signing day comes around in a little less than a year from now.

For the time being, keep an eye on Auburn, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M in this one, as all five will likely roll out the red carpet when they individually get to host McCoy later this spring.

LSU football class of 2026 commitments (ratings according to On3 Industry Rankings)

• 4-star DL Richard Anderson (New Orleans, LA)
• 4-star S Aiden Hall (New Orleans, LA)
• 4-star OT Brysten Martinez (Gonzales, LA)
• 4-star WR Kenny Darby (Bossier City, LA)
• 4-star WR Jakai Anderson (New Orleans, LA)
• 3-star IOL Jalan Chapman (New Orleans, LA)

Thank you for reading LSU Glory. For more LSU Glory content, covering all things LSU athletics, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our Twitter account. It is thanks to your support that we can continue to grow into one of the fastest-growing and most influential LSU media outlets there is.