LSU Football signs prized tight end from South Carolina

Brian Kelly and the LSU football staff welcomed coveted tight end Mike Tyler Jr. to Baton Rouge this weekend for the program’s Bayou Splash recruiting event.

The South Carolina native traveled to Baton Rouge on Thursday to begin his two-day stay at LSU, keeping the pressure on as he recruits his players.

After spending the summer camping with the Tigers, the program was impressed with the 6-foot-3, 225-pound player, eventually inviting him to town for the Bayou Splash event.

Now Tyler is a name to watch as his recruitment nears completion in the coming weeks. A player the program has been pushing for, they have been ramping up the pressure of late.

Recruiting expert Sonny Shipp of 247Sports predicted Tyler would ultimately end up in LSU’s 2025 recruiting class after transferring on Thursday.

Tyler currently holds offers from over 20 programs, including LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Wake Forest.

LSU is pushing for the Columbia, South Carolina native despite already having a commitment from Louisiana’s top tight end, J.D. LaFleur. As it stands, the goal is to have a two-legged tight end class in 2025, with Tyler rounding out the haul along with LaFleur.

Tyler just finished a stellar junior season, hauling in 33 receptions for 543 yards and seven touchdowns for his program.

He is a dynamic offensive weapon and has shown the ability to play both as a receiving and blocking tight end, and expectations are high as he enters his senior year.

As it stands, the Tigers are pushing for his services with LSU Tigers on SI now predicts Tyler will ultimately end up in the LSU Recruiting Class of 2025.

Tyler, the No. 3 seed in the U.S. class, would join a group of stars who have a chance to become No. 1 before it’s all said and done.

Tyler isn’t the only name we’ll need to keep a close eye on in the coming days.

Another name to keep an eye on:

JaMichael Garrett: Top 10 Linebacker in America (2026)

One name to keep an eye on is that of a Gulf Shores (Ala.) resident. YesMichael Garrett.

The 2026 four-star linebacker has seen his recruit status skyrocket in recent months after cracking the Top 150 in the recent update.

Garrett is one of the top 10 linebackers in America and the top of college football is interested in him. But after he narrows down his list, LSU and Auburn are his finalists.

On Friday, Garrett drove to Baton Rouge for LSU’s Bayou Splash recruiting event, where he was joined by some of the top targets on LSU’s radar.

After his visit to LSU, he got back in the car to drive to Auburn, where he will visit the (Auburn) Tigers on Saturday.

Now that his finalists have been finalized, Garrett confirmed that a commitment will be forthcoming and a decision will likely be made next week.

At the moment LSU is trending for his services following a helpful visit to Baton Rouge for the Bayou Splash event.

Garrett is an elite linebacker who could flourish under defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s system. There will be a need for linebackers in the 2026 cycle as the Tigers look to ramp up the pressure on Garrett.

LSU currently has two 2026 commitments, but after a busy weekend on the recruiting front, we could see more growth sooner rather than later.

All indications are that Garrett will join the class.

Kelly and co. capped off a great weekend with a host of promising players coming to Baton Rouge to get a glimpse of what the Tigers have planned for the long term.

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers on SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage of the LSU program.