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Brian Kelly and LSU land four-star CB Havon Finney
Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers have been making some moves on the 2026 recruiting trail and their latest pickup is quite a big one.
Havon Finney from Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth, California, committed to the Tigers on Monday. Notably, Michigan, Oregon and USC were amongst the other schools high up on the list for the four-star cornerback, so this marks another important recruiting win for the Tigers.
At 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, Finney fits that traditional LSU mold as a lanky and tall cornerback who can lock down the outside of a defense. He's also highly ranked as a recruit. According to the 247Sports Composite, he's the No. 7 cornerback recruit in the 2026 class.
He was originally a 2027 recruit, but he reclassified to 2026 and is joining an LSU class that's stacked. LSU can thank his primary recruiter, cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond, for facilitating this recruiting win.
"The corners coach is really cool, Corey Raymond. He’s put a lot of dudes in the league. I’ve grown to know him, and it’s been a cool experience," Finney had told Steve Wiltfong of On3 roughly a month before his commitment.
According to the national recruiting rankings from 247Sports, Kelly's 2026 class is ranked fourth in the nation behind only USC, Clemson and Notre Dame. There's still a lot of time for things to shake out, but Kelly is building one heck of a class in 2026, right after he brought in the seventh-best class in 2025.
Kelly has had a hard time winning the big game as a head coach over the years, but he's brought in some big-time talent to LSU since becoming head coach in 2022.
More must-reads:
- Ranking the new college football coaching hires for 2025
- Notre Dame quarterback race takes surprising turn
- The '2024-25 NFL TD catch leaders' quiz
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