Karnell James is a four-star safety from Manvel, Texas, and he’s one of the top players at his position in the country.
Nicknamed “Greedy,” presumably because he likes getting his hands on the football, James is the No. 5 safety in the 2027 class and the No. 11 recruit from the talent-packed state of Texas, according to 247Sports.
Speaking of Texas, James was a big-time commitment for Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns back in December 2025, but that’s a commitment that no longer holds.
James has straight-up flipped his commitment to the LSU Tigers.
He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and still has family in the city. That, plus the fact that LSU never gave up on him, led to his decision to flip to Lane Kiffin’s program.
In fact, after his commitment to the Longhorns, Sarkisian and his staff actually encouraged James to take some visits to make sure that Texas was the best fit.
LSU defensive backs coach Corey Raymond deserves credit for flipping four-star safety Greedy James
Notre Dame and LSU came on hard after that point, but ultimately, it was the staff at LSU, and especially defensive backs coach Corey Raymond, that won James over.
“It has been a really tight race and it was a hard decision. I couldn’t go wrong with any of those schools,” James told Rivals. “What mattered to be most was being where I wanted to be the most. At LSU, I loved the culture on and off the field. They have a great coaching staff and they feel like father figures, especially Coach Raymond. He’s one of the best in the game.”
Kiffin also got in on the action, as did former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, who is now Kiffin’s special assistant with a focus on recruiting and defense.
After his official visit to LSU, James was inundated with attention from the Tigers staff.
“When I got back on Sunday afternoon, they really picked it up all the way full-time. Coach Lane Kiffin has been calling me a lot – they’ve really turned it on with Coach Corey Raymond calling me, which is normal. Coach Ed Orgeron as well – just making it known that I am a priority for them.”
All that work on the recruiting trail paid off for LSU. The Tigers now have 15 commitments, and Kiffin’s inaugural class in Baton Rouge is ranked in the top 15 nationally.
