LSU, MSU highlight Louisiana’s early-July defensive commitments

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Commitments have continued to roll in fast and furiously across Louisiana as July hits its midway mark and the upcoming season draws near. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at some of the defensive standouts who helped headline the college decision during the first half of this month, including a pair of prospects sharing plans to go to LSU, one to Michigan State and one to Louisiana (Lafayette) among the highlights.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='740982' first='Chris' last='Addison'] — 6-4, 235 EDGE — Franklin Parish —&gt; Michigan State</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Spartans dipped into Winnsboro for a rare recruiting win in The Boot. Michigan State didn't have a Louisiana native on the roster this past fall after graduating three they had previously brought to Ann Arbor, Mich., through the transfer portal. But the program managed to land one of the top rising seniors in the state this year after prioritizing the Patriots' big edge rusher. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='212343' first='Lamar' last='Brown'] — 6-4, 295 DL/OL — University Lab —&gt; LSU</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cubs' two-way star was not only a headliner in Louisiana of the recruiting action the first half of July, but on a national scale as fans tuned into ESPN2 on June 10 to watch him choose the hometown Tigers over a strong push from SEC rival Texas A&amp;M. College coaches have viewed Brown as having NFL potential on either side of the ball and in a variety of roles in the trenches. But he has zeroed in on being a strong defensive end with the versatility to bounce inside. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='401960' first='Henry' last='Jackson'] — 6-2, 310 DL — Isidore Newman —&gt; Cornell</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Greenies' big nose tackle is a stout, run-stuffing force in the middle of the defensive line who uses his combination of power, strong motor and good use of his hands to free himself up and disrupt opposing offenses — even when some try to use double teams and chips to help slow him down and keep him out of the backfield. Like several of his predecessors in the uptown program, Jackson found a great all-around athletic/academic fit in the Ivy League. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1602064' first='Harrison' last='Kidder'] — 6-1, 195 DB/LB — Catholic (Baton Rouge) —&gt; Louisiana (Lafayette)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Ragin' Cajuns have had success in recent years dipping across the Atchafalaya Basin for both baseball and football talent from the Bears' perennial-power programs and landed one of the state's notable 2026 prospects in both sports. On the football field, Kidder is a versatile strong safety whose physicality pops off the film, but is comfortable and effective dropping back in space, covering in the slot or playing in the box closer to the line of scrimmage. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1197420' first='Erin' last='Moore'] — 5-10, 170 DB — University Lab —&gt; Navy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A week before Brown's commitment, another talented member of U-High's defense announced his college pledge as Moore, the speedy cornerback and multisport athlete, became the latest Cubs standout to commit to an opportunity at the next level with the Midshipmen — a nice pipeline in recent years for Navy to land talent from the capital city. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='740993' first='Dylan' last='Shelmire'] — 6-2, 215 LB — Zachary —&gt; Southeastern Louisiana</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Broncos' rising senior linebacker has been a productive member of the perennial power's defense since he was an underclassman with a good combination of physicality and all-around athleticism and has continued to prove more effective as he's gotten bigger and stronger while also posting 40-yard speed in the 4.5-to-4.6 range that shows when he's working off the edge, pinning his ears back and chasing down opposing passers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1673797' first='Isaiah' last='Washington'] — 6-2, 175 DB/ATH — Haynesville —&gt; LSU</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brown wasn't alone in providing some in-state flavor to the Tigers' strong mid-summer recruiting run. LSU was about to land one of Louisiana's more underrated and ascending prospects in the Golden Tornado's two-way standout and intriguing safety prospect, whose recruitment exploded this summer with LSU, Arkansas, Tulane and Texas Tech among others. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->