2026 Forward Jordan Bender Commits To LSU Tigers, First High School Player On Roster

The LSU Tigers have dipped into international waters and the transfer portal to build their 2026 men's basketball roster, but now they have gone traditional and added a high school player as well.

ESPN insider Jeff Borzello broke the news on Thursday that 6-foot-8 forward Jordan Bender would be committing to the Tigers for 2026. Bender confirmed the news on social media with the message, "Glad to be headed to Baton Rouge (tiger and basketball emojis."

Bender wasn't a very high-ranking recruit, which makes sense as to why he's still available, which could actually be a big reason why Will Wade was able to take him in.

Wade mentioned in the past that the roster would be built out by going all out with the first seven or eight players who would actually be seeing the court this season, and then filling out the rest of the team accordingly.

Bender makes sense as someone who might not play a ton, given the experience around him, but should be able to take in a lot of information as a depth player, being surrounded by the international professionals and late-career college veterans that he will be around.

The forward averaged 7.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.8 blocks per game last season for Northside Christian School in St. Petersburg, Fla. His head coach there was Florida Gators legend Mareese Speights. 

Speights won a championship with the Gators in 2007, was a first-round draft pick and had a decade-long career in the NBA. That is exactly the type of former player who would be picked to train a young basketball player. Speights is someone who knows what it takes to both win in college and stick around in the league as a role player.

Bender could be the first real development project for Wade and his staff, with all of the other pieces they've added around him being mostly finished products. If the players around him, his history with Speights and the plan for the front court at LSU, the plan will be to turn Bender into a defensive menace.

The high rebound numbers in high school are a good sign, but he should be able to grab boards with ease as a 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward. If he can develop a defensive edge, he should eventually be able to find the court in Baton Rouge.