LSU added another player to its star-studded 2026 defensive line class on Saturday with a pledge from No. 2 defensive tackle Deuce Geralds, ranked No. 40 in the 2026 ESPN 300.
Geralds, who plays at Collins Hill High School in Suwannee, Georgia, is ESPN's No. 5 recruit in the state for the 2026 class. He chose the Tigers over finalists Oregon, Michigan, Ole Miss and Ohio State following official visits with each program this spring.
Geralds is the son of former Ole Miss offensive lineman Daverin Geralds, a starting center on the Rebels' 2010 Cotton Bowl team. The younger Geralds also spent a portion of his childhood in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, near the LSU campus before relocating to Georgia.
Geralds told ESPN he has maintained strong ties in Louisiana. He now joins as the latest blue-chip member of an increasingly deep Tigers defensive line class led by elite prospects from across the state.
LSU secured a seismic recruiting victory last month when five-star defensive tackle and No. 1 overall prospect Lamar Brown (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) committed to the Tigers on July 10. No. 7 defensive tackle Richard Anderson -- a former youth football teammate of Geralds' -- comes from New Orleans' Edna Karr High School and has been pledged to LSU since June 2024.
Between the in-state trio, the Tigers hold commitments from three of ESPN's top 10 defensive tackle prospects in 2026, more than any other program nationally. Elsewhere on the defensive line, LSU is set to add four-star defensive end pledge Trenton Henderson (No. 61 overall) and fellow edge rushers Darryus McKinley and DeAnthony Lafayette in 2026.
Geralds told ESPN that the prospect of joining a talent-rich defensive line class and his relationship with LSU interior defensive line coach and 13-year NFL veteran Kyle Williams were key factors in pulling his pledge to the Tigers amid late pushes from Ole Miss and Oregon.
"Coach Williams not only coaches my position, but he actually went through it and played with a body type like mine in the NFL for a while," Geralds said. "The opportunity to play for him was really intriguing to me."
Upon his pledge, Geralds trails only Brown and five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys (No. 10 overall) as the third-ranked of 11 top 300 pledges in LSU's 2026 recruiting class, which entered the weekend at No. 11 in ESPN's latest class rankings for the cycle.
Geralds is a two-way standout who also competes in the track and field throwing events at Georgia's Collins Hill. He was credited with 114 tackles (30 for loss), 13 sacks and 36 hurries as a junior in 2024. Geralds also features out of the Collins Hill backfield, where he logged 33 carries for 211 yards and eight touchdowns last fall playing running back and wildcat quarterback.
Geralds began Saturday as one of two uncommitteds among the 24 defensive tackle prospects ranked inside the 2026 ESPN 300 alongside four-star Anthony Lonon Jr. (No. 246 overall), who announced his pledge to Georgia on Saturday. Their moves now leave four-star Emanuel Ruffin, ESPN's No. 28 overall defensive tackle, as the top-ranked uncommitted prospect at the position.