LSU signs No. 1 DL Richard Anderson

LSU has officially signed the No. 1 DL in America.

Five-star DL Richard Anderson, more affectionately known as “Big Rich” around New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr, has put pen to paper with the Tigers.

Anderson was the first recruit to commit to the Tigers’ 2026 recruiting class last summer.

The blue-chipper made a late official visit to Texas and USC. Ultimately, however, he never strayed from his declaration to LSU.

“This was an easy decision … There’s no place like home,” Anderson told Rivals when he committed to the Tigers.

He has maintained that same approach for the long haul of this recruitment, which included a change at DL coach (Bo Davis to Kyle Williams) and head coach.

Frank Wilson led the way in this recruitment and was the catalyst to Anderson remaining in The Boot.

“Geaux Tigers,” Anderson told Rivals on the state of his commitment after logging official visits elsewhere.

Scouting Summary

“Explosive interior defensive lineman with immense power and ability to two-gap in the middle of the defensive front. Verified size at 6-foot-3.5, 355 pounds with over 33-inch arms and carries the weight very well. Great burst off the line of scrimmage for his size. Plays with excellent pad level and vision into the backfield. Understands leverage and sheds blocks with ease. Totaled 15 tackles-for-loss as a junior along with 10 sacks. Will need to to maintain quality combination of size and movement skills as he continues to physically develop. Older for the cycle. Projects as a space-eating, two-gap nose tackle at the next level but has the athletic ability to one-gap if needed.” — Cody Bellaire, Rivals National Scout

“LSU commit Richard Anderson (No. 18) adds his fifth star after two seasons of dominant play at New Orleans Edna Karr. Anderson is one of the better nose tackle prospects to come through high school football in the past few years, as he has a rare combination of size, on-field twitch, and ability to make plays in the backfield. At 6-foot-3.5, 350 pounds, he has an innate ability to locate ballcarriers while maintaining blocks. Anderson will need to trim down at the college level, but the movement skills and athleticism pop on film, as he shows the ability to track down plays in pursuit.” — Charles Power, Rivals Director of Rankings and Scouting