**BREAKING: Nation’s No. 1 Recruit, Forward Chris Cenac Jr., Flips Commitment to LSU Tigers Basketball**
**BATON ROUGE, La.** – In a stunning, program-defining victory that has sent shockwaves through college basketball, LSU has secured a commitment from the most dominant frontcourt prospect in America. **Chris Cenac Jr.** , the five-star forward from New Orleans, Louisiana, and the consensus No. 1 overall player in the Class of 2025, announced Saturday he has decommitted from the University of Houston and will instead sign with the LSU Tigers.
The announcement, made during a live broadcast from his high school gymnasium, represents the single most significant recruiting triumph of the **Matt McMahon** era and a definitive declaration that LSU basketball has reclaimed its place among the sport’s elite. Cenac, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound generational talent with a polished post game, face-up ability, and elite shot-blocking instincts, had been the cornerstone of Houston’s top-ranked recruiting class for nearly a year. His decision to flip to his home-state Tigers is a monumental victory on multiple fronts.
“This decision is about home, family, and building a legacy that lasts forever,” Cenac stated, donning a purple and gold LSU hat. “I have immense respect for Coach [Kelvin] Sampson and what Houston has built. But my heart has always been here in Louisiana. Coach McMahon and his staff never stopped believing, never stopped recruiting me, and showed me exactly how I fit into their vision. I want to bring a national championship to this state. I want to make Louisiana proud.”
This monumental flip is the ultimate validation of Matt McMahon’s methodical rebuild of LSU basketball. Since arriving in Baton Rouge amid program uncertainty, McMahon has emphasized recruiting the state’s elite talent while developing a culture of toughness and accountability. Landing a player of Cenac’s caliber—a rare, homegrown, program-defining prospect projected as an immediate impact starter and future lottery pick—proves that vision is now a breathtaking reality.
“This is an absolute earthquake in college basketball and the biggest win of Matt McMahon’s LSU tenure,” declared 247Sports National Recruiting Director Eric Bossi. “For LSU to go into its own backyard, into the heart of New Orleans, and take the No. 1 player in America away from a national championship contender like Houston is a statement of supreme confidence. It announces that the Tigers are no longer losing these battles—they’re winning them. Cenac is the kind of foundational player who can restore LSU to national prominence.”
The move is deeply connected to LSU’s rich basketball tradition and the opportunity for Cenac to become the face of a program renaissance. The chance to stay home and become a hero for an entire state, to play in the SEC’s demanding arena, and to build something lasting in purple and gold proved to be an irresistible narrative.
The implications are immediate and profound. Cenac’s commitment instantly catapults LSU’s 2025 recruiting class into the national top five and serves as a powerful beacon for other elite prospects across the South. It provides McMahon with his first true program-defining recruit and sends a clear message that LSU basketball is back in the conversation.
For Houston, the loss of its top commit is a significant setback. For LSU and the entire state of Louisiana, it is a transformative, program-defining moment that signals a new era of championship ambition on the bayou.
Chris Cenac Jr. is more than a forward; he is the personification of LSU’s restored recruiting power and the catalyst for its brightest future. In Baton Rouge, the message is clear: Geaux Tigers, and welcome home, No. 1.
