LSU is one of several programs looking for a strong close on signing day

The Tigers could end up with the best defensive back class in the country.

Though the official national signing day doesn’t come until February, a lot of that event’s fanfare has been replaced by early signing day in December, when the vast majority of prospects ink their letters of intent.

That’s coming up on Wednesday, and with the Tigers already having a top-five class in 2023 and pushing for more, the next week will be crucial. Coach Brian Kelly’s team was listed by On3’s Keegan Pope as one of four programs looking to close out strong as we approach the early signing period.

Here’s Pope’s breakdown of the recruiting situation for LSU as things currently stand in December.

On3 Consensus Team Ranking: No. 5
Commitments: 24
Avg. Rating Per Commit: 91.34

The number of targets still on the board for LSU continues to shrink, but Brian Kelly and Co. have a chance over the next few days to lock in LSU’s best class in half a decade. Four-star Arlington (Texas) Martin safety Javien Toviano is set to commit tomorrow with LSU still trending in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM). Texas, Texas A&M and other schools are still making a run at him, though. Elsewhere in the defensive backfield, LSU has its eyes on four-star cornerback Desmond Ricks (deciding on Dec. 22) and Itawamba (Miss.) four-star safety Isaac Smith.

Much like Toviano, the Tigers are trending for Ricks and Smith, but they’ll have to fight off some tough challengers over the next week. If Kelly and Co. can close all three, it just might solidify the best defensive back class in the country.

One of those dominoes already fell on Thursday as Toviano announced his commitment to the Tigers. They also remain the heavy favorite for Ricks, one of the top players in the class after reclassifying from 2024. If the Tigers can land Ricks and Smith, this will likely end up as a top-three class.

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