Jalen Brewster has more than 150 days to flip his commitment from Texas Tech to LSU if the top-ranked recruit in college football chooses to make things official during the Early Signing Period. If not, he could wait until February.
The Tigers are not backing down either way.
New developments suggest that Brewster already signed an NIL deal with the Red Raiders. However, it is unclear as to whether the purchase of property in Lubbock is part of that agreement or separate.
Who is Jalen Brewster?
At 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, Brewster is rated as a five-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2027. He is the top-ranked player at his position and, depending on where you look, the top-ranked player overall— or at least top-five.
The monstrous defensive lineman hails from Cedar Hill, Texas, where he plays for the Longhorns. His highlight tape makes him look like a man amongst boys.
Jalen Brewster, the son of a former third-round NFL Draft pick, comes from a great football pedigree. And not only is he big, he is fast, explosive and powerful. His speed is that of a much smaller player, which allows him to penetrate gaps and collapse the pocket. His “stack-and-shed” strength allows him to easily eat a double team and win consistently at the point of attack.
If that is not impressive enough, Brewster has experience all over the defensive line. Teams can line him up at the 3-technique or in a two-point stance on the edge. He even played running back during his first two seasons of high school football and often received touches out of a wildcat formation in short yardage situations as an upperclassmen.
Can LSU beat out Texas Tech?
Brewster, an Under Armour All-American as a junior, has 29 scholarship offers from schools like Miami, Indiana, Georgia, Ole Miss, Ohio State, USC, Texas A&M and Michigan. He could play anywhere in the country. Any program would be thrilled to have him but his commitment will come down to one of two schools.
According to Zack Nagy of 247, Florida is now out of the mix despite his recent visit to Gainesville.
Jalen Brewster committed to Texas Tech back in October. LSU is working hard to flip him. A “hard” verbal commit means nothing until the pen hits the paper. It only becomes official with a signed National Letter of Intent. (Even then there are ways out!)
That means the Bayou Bengals and Red Raiders will battle it out over the next five months, assuming Brewster signs in December.
According to Colby Faria of TigerBait.com, the situation has escalated quickly over the last few days. Brewster is showing a strong interest in LSU but NIL money could be a factor. The Tigers are apparently looking into what it might (or might not) take to “buy out” his deal with Texas Tech.
That, to me, makes it sound like Brewster already has a deal in place with the Red Raiders. Maybe he does. Maybe he doesn’t.
And here’s the interesting part.
It appeared as though Brewster (through his parents as trustees) purchased property in Lubbock, Texas at some point in early or mid 2026. Was this purchase made through the university or a booster with the university? Was this something that he purchased with money that was provided to him during the commitment process? Would he have to give it back? Is property considered in the buyout? What does that look like? Would LSU need to pay back the land? Would it provide a lump sum back to Texas Tech?
I don’t know the answer to any of those questions and I am pretty sure an athlete cannot accept payment in the state of Texas until he is enrolled, which adds another wrinkle to the mix. The purchase of property in Lubbock makes the buyout process a lot more expansive and confusing than a simple exchange of an undisclosed dollar amount. It’s all very messy. The Tigers want to flip him.