Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers have no excuse in their next five-star QB pursuit, but it won’t be easy

After the late flip from LSU to Michigan by elite 2025 quarterback Bryce Underwood, head coach Brian Kelly and his staff has been trying to recover in terms of quarterback recruiting. They are still waiting to find their 2026 signal caller, and the future of the position does have some questions. 

In the 2027 recruiting class, there is going to be very little excuse for the program not to reverse their fortunes. A big reason for that is they have a five-star signal caller right in their backyard, Baton Rouge (La.) Dunham School superstar Elijah Haven. 

In a recent piece over at On3, vice president of recruiting Steve Wiltfong detailed Haven’s recruitment. It wasn’t much of a surprise to hear that LSU is making a strong push. 

“Coach Sloan got on me so early — at the start of my freshman year — and we have just continued to build up that relationship,” he told Steve Wiltfong from On3. “That’s the biggest part of it with LSU. It’s not because it’s close; it’s home.”

One somewhat unsettling piece of news is that LSU, however, is not the school that is pursing the heaviest. According to Haven, “No team has pressed harder since June than the (Florida) Gators, who hosted Haven for a second June in a row and is feeling the love from Billy Napier and the entire Florida coaching staff.”

The Ohio State Buckeyes are another school that have been pursuing Haven a ton recently, and stand near the top of his list right now. That includes a trip to Columbus recently. Things are trending well.

“For my first time being up there, seeing what they’re all about — it was a great time,” Haven told Wiltfong. “My dad came along with me and he loved it. It’s definitely a school I want to explore more and continue to build my relationship up there. Between the coaches — Coach Fessler and Coach Day — you can just tell it’s a different type of culture around there. It’s a different vibe.”

Considering Haven is right in the LSU backyard, there is little excuse for Coach Kelly not to close in the end. It appears, however, that it is not going to be easy. If LSU is able to develop into a championship program, keeping players like Haven at home is paramount. 

Haven is already considered an elite recruit in the 2027 class. On the 247Sports Composite ranking, he is rated as a five-star player. For the 247Sports individual ranking, Haven is currently pegged as the top overall player and quarterback in the county.

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that a long list of impressive schools are pursuing Haven heavily. Some of his top offers so far include the Tigers, Georgia, Michigan, Alabama, Ole Miss, Miami, Florida, Auburn, Florida State, SMU, Texas Texh, Baylor, and Houston among others. 

As a sophomore, Haven put together an outstanding season for the Dunham School. The 6-5, 215-pound passer managed to throw for 3,093 yards and 37 touchdowns, while only throwing seven interceptions. Haven also rushed for another 925 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground, leading the team to a 14-1 overall record and Louisiana’s Division III Selection state championship.