LSU Country

LSU Recruiting: No. 1 Safety in America Blaine Bradford Down to Five Schools

The Baton Rouge native has included the LSU Tigers among his final five schools, Kelly and Co. ramping up push.

Zack Nagy

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Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic High five-star safety Blaine Bradford is down to five schools after revealing his finalists on Friday.

The No. 1 defensive back in the 2026 cycle included the LSU Tigers alongside Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon as the handful of programs to make the cut.

Bradford has taken trips to each of his finalists with his most recent trips being with both the Oregon Ducks and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

A Baton Rouge (La.) native, the Bayou Bengals are pushing hard for the coveted safety right down the road from Death Valley.

He's a player at the top of their 2026 "must haves" with defensive backs coaches Corey Raymond and Jake Olsen ramping up their push.

“I am super interested in [LSU],” Bradford told On3 Sports “They are the hometown team. They have a program that is built up. That 2025 class coming in is great too and LSU has real potential. I have been there so many times and they are so consistent. The staff wants what is best for their players and their legacy is strong.” 

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound rising junior has an impressive double-digit scholarship list with LSU now among the five finalists.

A Louisiana native, the program is positioned well for one of the top targets in next year's class, but there is another piece to monitor.

Bradford's brother, Jacob Bradford, recently added an LSU offer to his list of scholarships.

[Jacob] Bradford is one of the top defensive backs in the Bayou State as well. A four-star safety in the 2025 class, the older brother of Blaine now has the Tigers surging his his recruitment.

Secondary coach Corey Raymond and the Bayou Bengals made the call to extend a scholarship to the four-star defensive back on Monday with the program searching for more talent in the secondary in the 2025 cycle.

Bradford, a coveted safety with a slew of Power Four offers, revealed his commitment to the Houston Cougars in early June with Willie Fritz and Co. securing one of The Boot's top talents.

"Coach Fritz has been recruiting me since his time at Tulane," Bradford told Rivals. "I trust this staff and what they are about. Coach Fritz is a great coach who knows how to get the best effort out of his staff and athletes."

He's logged a 4.4 40-yard dash over the summer with his explosiveness and twitchiness on full display.

Now, Brian Kelly and the Tigers have gotten in on the action after dishing out an offer to the 6-foot, 195-pounder who's become a hot commodity on the recruiting trail.

He's exploded as a national prospect after shining for his Catholic (La.) squad alongside his brother, Blaine.

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Zack Nagy

ZACK NAGY

Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of LSU Country, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Tiger Football, Basketball, Baseball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving LSU athletics. 

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