Louisiana’s 2026 commitments shifting as early signing day nears

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Flip season" has very much arrived to Louisiana in the final weeks leading up to the early signing period.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The recruiting movement has picked back up drastically for many of the state's ranked seniors, including both new commitments and changes of plans — whether from a prior commitment to a new destination or taking a step back with no pivotal yet set. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a run-down of some of the latest developments.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CHANGING COURSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1736616' first='Tre' last='Garrison'] — 5-11, 190 RB — Edna Karr ———&gt; Washington State</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='920629' first='John' last='Johnson'] — 6-0, 170 QB/ATH — Edna Karr ———&gt; Washington State</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From Algiers to the Apple Cup, Edna Karr's starting backfield will remain together and remain Cougars at the next level. Garrison and Johnson backed off prior pledges to Nicholls State and Liberty, respectively, as the regular season came to a close and announced new pledges to Washington State during their bye-week break before opening the Division-I Select playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='920615' first='Leon' last='Noil Jr.'] — 6-5, 275 OL — Edna Karr ———&gt; Mississippi State</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Garrison-Johnson backfield duo wasn't the only change of college plans this month among Edna Karr's senior stars. The Cougars' left tackle found an SEC opportunity closer to home and opted to flip his commitment from Nebraska to Mississippi State before kicking off the playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NEW COMMITMENTS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='920695' first='Ke'Rynn' last='Smith'] — 5-9, 175 RB — Holy Cross ———&gt; Louisiana (Lafayette)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Ragin' Cajuns continued their longstanding tradition of landing in-state steals of top Louisiana running backs who fall outside the target boards of LSU and other nearby SEC programs. Smith has been among Prep Redzone Louisiana's top tier of solid prospects at the position since his sophomore season and had been among the state's top remaining uncommitted prospects before his Tuesday pledge to head to Lafayette for college. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1581312' first='Greg' last='Wilfred'] — 5-9, 165 WR — Edna Karr ———&gt; UTSA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wilfred fit into a pair of aforementioned categories with his announcement Monday he would be San Antonio-bound for college. The quick and sure-handed slot receiver had been a highly ranked prospect in the class going back to his underclassman days at Destrehan and entered this fall as one of Prep Redzone Louisiana's top remaining uncommitted seniors. His UTSA commitment also highlights the string of late movement for Edna Karr's senior class, which he joined early this year. The Cougars now plan to have at least 14 players sign in the early period. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DECOMMITMENTS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='401954' first='Dylan' last='Berymon'] — 6-3, 335 DL — Ouachita Parish</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions' defensive tackle became the highest-ranked uncommitted prospect early in the month when he decommitted from Texas following a visit to Ole Miss. LSU, Mississippi State, Purdue, Texas A&amp;M and USC had been among other programs to feature prominently in his recruiting process before his summer commitment announcement.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1601945' first='Trez' last='Davis'] —6-0, 185 WR — West Monroe</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tulane suffered a recruiting loss Monday that was simultaneously a bit of a heart-breaker, but also one that had appeared to be building for weeks now. A slew of Power-Four programs ramped up their pursuit of Davis during the past month and a half since his return from a wrist injury and subsequently impressive senior season. And, on the heels of a trip to Washington (in addition to stops at Houston and Mississippi State), the West Monroe standout backed off his pledge, marking the second highly regarded Louisiana wide receiver to decommit from the Green Wave. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1601790' first='Kevin' last='Martin Jr.'] — 6-0, 190 LB — Edna Karr</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The offensive standouts didn't provide the only notable recruiting movement for Edna Karr with the early signing period approaching. The Cougars' senior field general at linebacker announced Monday he would take a step back from his commitment to Alcorn State. Martin had been a consistent contributor on his team's 2024 title run, but has taken on a more prominent role as a senior following teammates' graduations and starred in the opportunity. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->