Recent five-star LSU commit just started recruiting another big-time player to flip from Ohio State to Tigers during 2026 cycle

Brown later rescheduled the official visit with the Tigers from June 20-22, a weekend that ultimately swayed his decision to stay close to home and to join as the second five-star pledge in LSU's 2026 class.

Brown stands among 10 ESPN 300 recruits committed to LSU in the cycle. He settles in alongside defensive end Trenton Henderson (No. 61 overall) and defensive tackle Richard Anderson (No. 93), leading a defensive class that also includes pledges from safety Aiden Hall (No. 126) and cornerbacks Havon Finney Jr. (No. 72) and Dylan Purter (No. 223).

-- ESPN

The Tigers have the hometown advantage when it comes to Bradford as well. He's from Baton Rouge and could ultimately choose to stay home. There's work to do for Kelly's staff, of course, but it is notable that Brown pinpointed Bradford specifically. 

Good-sized safety who presents a linebacker play style/mentality. Could become a special teams demon. Physical, accelerates on a line, arrives with power. Possesses frame space to add mass if off-ball linebacker is a desired long-term home. Flies downhill. Quick-trigger pursuer vs. the run. Breaks down and drives through targets as a tackler. Speed-to-power ability and play strength enable playing through a block en route to the ball. Predominantly a downhill, run-and-hit defender with straight-line juice but lack of ideal coverage context/volume. Relishes tone-setting aspect as a striker. Missed most of sophomore season with a knee injury (returned for state final).

-- Gabe Brooks, 247Sports on Bradford

Bradford committed to the Buckeyes in March. He recently visited LSU on an OV on June 20th. 

I discussed the ever-evolving recruitment of a five-star recruit between College Football Playoff potential contenders for 2025 with Brandon Little. Little covers the Ohio State Buckeyes for A to Z Sports. 

Bradford committed to Ohio State back in March, and when he did, the Buckeyes landed one of the best safeties in the 2026 class. He excels at coming downhill and making plays on the ball carrier in space, regardless of where they are on the field. There aren’t many players in this class with better sideline-to-sideline range than Bradford, who stands at 6-foot-1 and 207 pounds. It’s easy to see why other programs across the country continue to pursue the current Buckeye commit.

Ohio State also holds a commitment from four-star safety Simeon Caldwell and is pushing hard for five-star safety Bralan Womack. If the Buckeyes were to land Womack, he would undoubtedly be the top safety prospect in this class for Ohio State. However, their pursuit of Womack could be used as a negative recruiting tactic by other schools, particularly in conversations with Bradford. The talented safety is a Louisiana native, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he ultimately decided to stay closer to home. -- Brandon Little, A to Z Sports