Another longtime member of LSU’s 2026 recruiting class is suddenly weighing other options on the eve of the early signing period.
Airline wide receiver Kenny Darby, Louisiana’s most prolific pass-catcher the past two seasons, announced Tuesday afternoon he had decommitted from the home-state Tigers.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound athlete is the highest-ranked prospect thus far to decommit from the program’s class since the Oct. 26 dismissal of Brian Kelly and amid the ongoing staff and recruiting reshuffling under newly announced coach Lane Kiffin.
Darby is the No. 7 overall prospect and No. 2 wide receiver in Louisiana vs. All Y’all’s 2026 class rankings, which were updated prior to this season.
This fall, on a new-look offense following heavy 2025 graduations, he caught 93 passes for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns and carried 49 times for 609 yards and nine scores.
The second straight 1,200-yard receiving season after returning from an injury that cost most of his sophomore campaign brought his two-year upperclassman totals to more than 3,100 yards.
Darby joins Warren Easton offensive lineman Jalan Chapman, who announced the reopening of his recruitment earlier Tuesday.
Chapman was one of three longtime LSU pledges who had announced his decision prior to their junior season in 2024, while Darby announced that November just three days after receiving his offer.
Darby’s departure leaves two other in-state wide receivers in the Tigers’ class: Jabari Mack (Destrehan) and Kervin Johnson Jr. (Tioga).
Both players still planned to sign with the home-state program as of Tuesday, though Johnson notably received an Ole Miss offer on Monday and signing-day week amid a coaching change is proving as fluid — or arguably more so — than anticipated.
