LSU Football Battling Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks for Top-10 Athlete

Originally posted on LSU Tigers on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated May 24, 2025 4:15 PM ET

St. Louis (Mo.) Kirkwood four-star athlete Jacob Eberhart has emerged as a critical out-of-state target for Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle.

Eberhart, a Top-10 athlete in America, has shined on both sides of the ball during his prep career in Missouri across the last three seasons.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder has reeled in offers from the likes of Oregon, Ohio State, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, among several others, as he hones in on his recruiting process.

Now, after securing a myriad of offers, Eberhart is down to seven schools as the busy summer months approach.

It's Brian Kelly's LSU Tigers sitting alongside the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, Illinois Fighting Illini, Oklahoma Sooners, Missouri Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide rounding out the finalists.

Eberhart has been a two-way star for Kirkwood during his prep career while shining as both a wide receiver and safety, but all signs point towards the Missouri native taking reps as a defensive back at the next level.

“I play wide receiver and safety mostly,” Eberhart told On3 Sports. “I’m very comfortable at safety and I love playing defense. You can move more freely.

"Sometimes on offense you feel like you have strings attached. On defense you can scheme and let everybody play freely the way they want.”

He's been a hot commodity on the recruiting scene after visiting the likes of Ole Miss, Illinois and Ohio State this spring, but is quickly beginning to identify the contenders in his process. Miami is also looking to get back in the fold.

“Illinois, Nebraska and Oklahoma, those are like the top three,” Eberhart told On3 Sports' CaneSport. “But there’s way more, it’s way deeper than that.

"There’s way more schools like LSU, those are my top four that I like right now. …(Miami) has been making a good effort. It’s coming down to it, but we’re just going to have to see what happens in the future.”

LSU is beginning to turn up the heat for Eberhart where he can plug and play in defensive coordinator Blake Baker's system at the next level.

Baker, who spent time on staff with the Missouri Tigers prior to making his way back to Baton Rouge, knows his way around the Missouri prep scene.

Now, he's going back to his old stomping grounds to push for the St. Louis (Mo.) stud where he can play in the STAR (hybrid linebacker/safety) role in the Tigers' system.

LSU will keep a foot on the gas for the talented four-star prospect, but it'll be a battle down the stretch with the likes of Nebraska, Illinois and Oklahoma keeping a foot on the gas.