Four-star tight end JC Anderson, No. 165 in the 2026 ESPN 300, flipped his commitment from Ole Miss to LSU on Tuesday, landing as the first pledge of Lane Kiffin's tenure with the Tigers.
Anderson, a 6-foot-6, 235-pound tight end from Mount Zion, Illinois, is ESPN's No. 8 overall tight end. He initially committed to Kiffin and the Rebels in June and remained as the second-ranked member of Ole Miss' incoming class prior to Tuesday.
Anderson joined LSU's 2026 class less than 24 hours after Kiffin's introductory news conference with the Tigers Monday afternoon, during which the former Ole Miss coach said closing the program's latest recruiting class would be his first task in the new job. ESPN sources expect LSU to remain active during this week's early signing period with wide receivers Corey Barber (Ole Miss decommit) and Brayden Allen (Oklahoma decommit) among the program's leading targets. Anderson is now the second top 300 skill position prospect set to sign with LSU this week, joining wide receiver Jabari Mack (No. 64).
Four-star wide receiver Kenny Darby (No. 272) announced his decommitment from the Tigers shortly after Anderson's pledge on Tuesday.
Anderson arrives as the 11th ESPN pledge in the Tigers' incoming class, which entered Tuesday at No. 15 in ESPN's latest class rankings for the cycle. That group is anchored by No. 1 overall recruit Lamar Brown and fellow defensive tackle Deuce Geralds (No. 37 overall).
Ole Miss has lost three 2026 pledges since Kiffin officially left the program Sunday. The Rebels enter the three-day signing period Wednesday with the nation's No. 21 class.
