The LSU Tigers are still doing okay in their recruiting for the 2027 class, but missing out on Albert Simien hurts.

The LSU Tigers lost out on five-star interior offensive lineman Albert Simien earlier this week when the 6’4, 315-pound recruit committed to Notre Dame.

Simien, the No. 10 recruit in the 2027 class and the No. 2 interior offensive lineman in the country, picked the Fighting Irish over LSU, Texas A&M, Nebraska, and Alabama. The loss stings for LSU, which needs offensive line help and had a homegrown blue-chip prospect slip away. Simien hails from Sam Houston High School in Lake Charles, Louisiana, making him the No. 2 player in the state.

According to Rivals, Simien carries a 96.53 Industry Composite rating. Notre Dame landed a massive get, and LSU is left searching for answers along the offensive line.

Visit totals tell the story

When you look at the visit breakdown, LSU’s position in this recruitment becomes clear. Simien visited Nebraska five times, Alabama three times, and Notre Dame three times. He visited LSU just twice, the same number as Texas A&M and Ole Miss. That gap in visits suggests LSU was fighting from behind throughout the process, and it showed in the final decision.

Two visits is not zero, and LSU was certainly in the mix. But falling a visit behind Notre Dame and well behind Nebraska made it difficult for the Tigers to build the kind of momentum needed to flip a top-10 recruit. In a way, this one felt like it was slipping away before the commitment ever came.

Where LSU’s 2027 class stands now

LSU still holds the No. 11 ranked class in the country and the No. 5 class in the SEC. The Tigers have one five-star and nine four-stars committed. That is a strong foundation, but the offensive line remains a clear area of need.

LSU already has interior offensive lineman Terrance Smith committed, a four-star ranked 115th in the country who stands 6’7, 290 pounds. They also have offensive tackle Amaziah Siale, who is 6’6 and ranked as a top-600 prospect nationally. Both are solid additions, but adding Simien would have given LSU another blue-chip talent on the interior, where depth and quality matter in the SEC.

Options remain, but the path is unclear

LSU still has offers out across the country at numerous positions, including interior offensive line. Names like Ismael Camara and Nate Carson remain possibilities on paper, but as things stand, LSU does not appear to be in the running for either of those prospects. Recruiting can change quickly, so nothing is completely off the table.

The Tigers are in the mix for Caleb Unger, though Mississippi State appears to be the frontrunner for the three-star prospect. Landing Unger would help address the need, but he would not replace the kind of impact a player like Simien brings to a recruiting class.

This was a significant miss for LSU. Losing a top-10 national recruit from your own state to an out-of-conference program is never ideal. The Tigers will continue to recruit aggressively across the board, but the Simien commitment to Notre Dame leaves a gap that will be tough to fill at the position where LSU needed him most.

This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: LSU Tigers lose out on a big-time five-star recruit that plays the exact position Lane Kiffin needs on his offense

© 2026 A to Z Sports.

The Georgia Bulldogs are still in a decent position in terms of their recruiting, even after losing out on Sean Fox.

The Georgia Bulldogs lost out on one of the top linebackers in the 2026 recruiting class when four-star linebacker Sean Fox committed to Kentucky over Georgia, Clemson, and Notre Dame.

The 6’5″, 225-pound Fox, a top-150 player on 247Sports and the No. 10 linebacker in the class, picked the Wildcats in a decision that stings for a Georgia program that needed his size and athleticism. Fox holds a 90.37 composite rating on Rivals Industry and ranks as the No. 2 player in the state of Indiana, where he plays at Warren Central.

Fox chose Kentucky, a school relatively close to his home compared to the other finalists. Clemson and Georgia finished second and third, with Notre Dame fourth and Kansas fifth. He took two visits to each of Kentucky, Clemson, and Georgia, meaning the Wildcats clearly nailed their pitch on the same number of opportunities the Bulldogs had.

Kentucky lands a program-changing defender

For Kentucky, this is a significant recruiting win. The Wildcats currently hold the 22nd-ranked class nationally and the ninth-best class in the SEC. Fox becomes their fourth-highest-rated commit and the best defensive player in the class. They already had linebacker Drew Williams and Ty Ashley committed, so adding Fox gives them serious depth at the position.

Whether Kentucky won this recruitment on fit, proximity, or NIL, the result is the same. That’s how recruiting works now.

Georgia feels the sting despite a solid class

The Bulldogs have Joakim Gouda committed at linebacker, so this isn’t a devastating loss. Georgia also has Temorris Campbell Jr. in the fold. But the program still needed one more linebacker, and Fox’s combination of length and athleticism had Georgia written all over him.

Georgia’s 2026 class sits at No. 14 nationally and No. 7 in the SEC with 17 commits. The Bulldogs have two five-stars and six four-stars, and 47% of their class comes from in-state recruits. Those are solid numbers. But landing Fox would have pushed the class further up the rankings and filled a clear need on the defensive side of the ball.

The Bulldogs weren’t able to close the deal here, and that’s going to leave a mark when you consider the caliber of player they missed. Georgia still has time to address the linebacker position, but opportunities to add a top-150 talent don’t come around every day.

This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Georgia Bulldogs lose out on an elite recruit in the 2027 recruiting class, and who they lost him to should make fans angry

© 2026 A to Z Sports.