LSU Tigers commit is a newly minted 5-star after latest rankings updates

TL;DR

Jaiden Bryant has been upgraded to a 5-star recruit in the latest Rivals Industry Ranking. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound edge rusher is now the No. 29 overall prospect and the top recruit from South Carolina.

Key points

Jaiden Bryant is a newly minted 5-star recruit.
He is the No. 29 overall prospect in his class.
Bryant is the No. 4 EDGE rusher in the country.
He is the top recruit from South Carolina.
His commitment is a significant win for LSU Tigers' recruiting.

Mentioned in this story

Lane KiffinIrmo, S.C.

RivalsESPN247SportsJaiden Bryant

Jaiden Bryant (Photo by Chad Simmons)

Securing the commitment of elite edge rusher Jaiden Bryant was a massive first win on the recruiting trail for Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers coaching staff. The Bayou Bengals’ defense struggled mightily with getting a consistent pass-rush under Brian Kelly, and adding playmakers like Bryant is among the first steps in changing that.

At the time, Rivals was higher on Bryant than any of the other major recruiting services. But over the past few months, his rise has been undeniable — and on Monday he earned five-star status in the Rivals Industry Ranking.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder out of Irmo (S.C.) checks in as the No. 29 overall prospect in the class, the No. 4 EDGE and the No. 1 recruit in the Palmetto State. Each of the major recruiting services — Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports — ranks him as a top-40 prospect in the class with each tabbing him as the country’s No. 4 edge rusher.

Kiffin and Co. won out of over South Carolina, Florida, Clemson and a host of other Power 4 offers, in large part due to Bryant’s connection with new defensive ends coach Sterling Lucas. The latter had previously been with the Gamecocks. And when he made the move to Baton Rouge, Bryant knew he wanted to follow.

“Coach Lucas is a coach I trust and believe in,” Bryant told Rivals’ Chad Simmons when he committed. “South Carolina wasn’t one of my first offers, but he was recruiting me before that. He started recruiting me early, and he’s like family. He’s easy to talk to, we have a nice relationship, and he’s always been a coach I knew I would love to play for.”