Jalen Brewster is still deciding on where to play college football. The Texas Tech commit remains open to LSU and Florida.
Ironically, the Red Raiders are using the Tigers’ recent national championship to recruit against them.
While it is important to sell college football players on their future coaching staff, this specific pitch seemed to backfire. It actually gave more value to the opponent.
Jalen Brewster’s recruitment is down to three college football programs.
At 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, Jalen Brewster is rated as a five-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2027. He is the consensus No. 1 player at his position, and depending on where you look, the top-ranked player overall.
The monstrous defensive lineman plays for Cedar Hill High School in Texas. It is not hard to see why he is ranked so highly. Brewster was absolutely dominant for the Longhorns during his junior season at defensive tackle and at running back.
As things currently stand, the son of a former third-round NFL Draft pick is committed to play college football at Texas Tech. He committed to the Red Raiders on Oct. 4, 2025.
That was a long time ago. Things have changed. Lane Kiffin was hired at LSU. Jon Sumrall was hired at Florida.
Both coaches are making a push to flip Brewster and it appears like he is listening. There has been a lot of buzz in recent weeks about the Tigers. They put a full-court press on the highly-touted prospect and even got him on campus at the end of May.
Brewster does not have to sign his National Letter of Intent until February if he does not choose to do so during the Early Signing Period in December. His recruitment is far from over and there are a lot of different factors into the equation.
First and foremost, Brewster has to decide what he actually wants for his future. NIL money will also play a role. The Tigers are reportedly looking into a potential buyout from his contract with the Red Raiders. An expensive property purchase in Lubbock under his father’s name adds another confusing wrinkle to the mix.
Texas Tech used LSU’s national championship to recruit against LSU.
Jalen Brewster recently posted a behind-the-scenes video from his official campus visit to Texas Tech. Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire told the recruits that he has “people in this building” who have done “everything they are trying to do” as in, win a national title.
Specifically, McGuire made reference to Lance Barilow. The current head strength and conditioning coach in Lubbock previously won a national title with LSU in 2019.
I get it. On the most basic level, McGuire’s pitch makes sense. Barilow knows what it takes to build a national championship-winning roster in the weight room. He’s been there, done that.
However, there is a large element of irony to this specific pitch for this specific player.
Brewster is deciding between Texas Tech and LSU. Barilow started as an intern in Baton Rouge and was eventually elevated to the associate director of strength and conditioning before he eventually landed in Lubbock under McGuire. The head coach who won a national title that year, Ed Orgeron, is on staff with the Tigers. Plus, Lane Kiffin won a national title as the offensive coordinator at Alabama in 2015.
For Texas Tech to pitch Brewster on national championship coaches while recruiting against national championship coaches does not quite hold the same amount of value. Especially when the coach who won the national championship did so at LSU…