Louisiana's latest 2026 recruiting movement as spring ramps up

College football programs are into the back half of their spring practice periods, and high school spring practice and college on-campus recruiting camps are right around the corner.   And commitments are starting to pop up more frequently for the 2026 recruiting class as many prospects try to make their college choices before their upcoming senior seasons.   Here are 10 new pledges that hit our radar during March — actually, starting just a few hours early with one Feb. 28 announcement, leading through a major headline move March 31.     [player_tooltip player_id='401737' first='Blaine' last='Bradford'] — 6-1, 205 DB — Catholic (Baton Rouge) —> Ohio State   The biggest recruiting news of March for a Louisiana prospect came on the month's final day as one of the state's top-tier prospects announced his commitment to national-champion Ohio State. Beyond Bradford's high-level talent, the magnitude of the news was also heightened by not only the Buckeyes' stature of being fresh off their first title in a decade, but also by the rarity of the program pulling a prospect from The Boot. The smart, speedy and hard-hitting safety was considered likely headed to nearby LSU, which has enjoyed a strong pipeline from Catholic High that most recently included Blaine's brother, Jacob, in the 2025 class. The Tigers will likely continue to push for a flip, but Ohio State now has the benefit from playing from ahead early.     [player_tooltip player_id='212340' first='Jabari' last='Mack'] — 6-1, 195 WR— Destrehan —> LSU   The aforementioned Bradford was a rare miss for LSU in a strong March overall in which Mack was the big in-state win to go with some strong out-of-state efforts. The combination of strength and speed make the Wildcats' star one of the top wide receiver prospects in the country and a great fit in the loaded group co-offensive coordinator Cortez Hankton and company have put together in the Tigers' class. Mack is a versatile weapon with the ability to line up anywhere on the field, capable of attacking every level of the field as a receiver or be dangerous out of the backfield with his physicality and balance through contact.     [player_tooltip player_id='710968' first='Nathan' last='Green'] — 6-2, 195 ATH — Huntington —> Louisiana Tech   and [player_tooltip player_id='1345167' first='Kenny' last='Thomas'] — 5-8, 160 RB — North DeSoto —> Louisiana Tech   and [player_tooltip player_id='740992' first='Johnny' last='Casey'] Jr. — 5-10, 155 WR/DB — Evangel Christian —> Louisiana Tech   and Franklin Morgan Jr. — 5-11, 175 DB/ATH — Amite —> Louisiana Tech   and [player_tooltip player_id='1603272' first='Emanual' last='Collins'] — 5-11, 175 DB — Southside —> Louisiana Tech   No program saw more March returns recruiting The Boot than Louisiana Tech, which landed at least five in-state commitments rapid-fire during a span of about four days late in the month. The over-arching themes of the Bulldogs' new haul were speed all over the field, versatility and some good, highly ranked hits in the nearby Shreveport area that should be as foundational a recruiting ground for the program as any. Green is the highest-ranked of the bunch, a player that has flashed Power-Four talent on both sides of the ball if he can ultimately reach his potential.     [player_tooltip player_id='1238188' first='Roderick' last='Bingham'] — 6-1, 160 DB — Plaquemine —> Louisiana (Lafayette)   [player_tooltip player_id='920618' first='Kristion' last='Brooks'] — 6-4, 180 WR — Zachary —> Louisiana (Lafayette)   The Ragin' Cajuns dipped back into a couple Baton Rouge-area programs where they have had notable recent success and added another pair of promising prospects with Brooks on February 28 and Bingham later in March. Brooks is a long, lean multisport standout with good perimeter speed coming out of perennial power Zachary, which has been among the top pipelines to Lafayette in recent years. And Bingham is a versatile playmaker at safety, confident both on the back end and playing up in the box, for his Green Devils — who sent Percy Butler, now preparing for his fourth season in the NFL, in the 2018 recruiting class.     [player_tooltip player_id='920698' first='Jerry' last='Bottley IV'] — 6-2, 180 QB — Southern Lab —> Delaware State   One of Louisiana's more highly ranked rising senior quarterbacks announced his commitment March 22 to the Hornets. Bottley has impressed from early in his high school career with his strong arm and athleticism at the position and showed impressive efficiency and balance in leading his Southern Lab offense as a junior starter. He earned Class all-state honorable-mention distinction this fall as a 129-for-171 (75.4%) passer for 2,672 yards and 25 touchdowns with just six interceptions, while rushing 66 times for another 564 yards and 10 scores.

College football programs are into the back half of their spring practice periods, and high school spring practice and college on-campus recruiting camps are right around the corner.