Tag: 2023 Football Commitments

Where LSU stands in the 247Sports Composite recruiting rankings after Zalance Heard’s commitment

After landing yet another top-100 prospect, the Tigers are on the rise.

The month of August may not have been as explosive on the recruiting trail for the Tigers as July was, but they were able to maintain a lot of their momentum.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] added three blue-chip commits to his 2023 class: five-star wideout [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], four-star quarterback [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] and four-star athlete [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag] — all Louisiana prospects.

Then, the Tigers kicked off September in a big way by landing offensive tackle [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag], another in-state prospect who is listed as a four-star by 247Sports but is a five-star according to other recruiting services.

With these pickups, here’s where Kelly’s class stands among the rest of the country per the 247Sports Composite.

BREAKING: LSU lands elite in-state offensive tackle prospect

Brian Kelly has landed another blue-chip Louisiana prospect in OT Zalance Heard.

The Tigers already had an impressive 2023 recruiting class heading into the month of September. But on Thursday, that group got even better for coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag].

LSU secured a commitment from Neville (Monroe, Louisiana) offensive tackle [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag]. 247Sports lists Heard as a four-star recruit sitting just outside the top 50 nationally, but On3 is significantly higher on the 6-foot-5, 300-pound prospect, ranking him as a five-star and the No. 13 player nationally.

Per the 247Sports Composite, he is the No. 6 offensive tackle and No. 4 prospect in the state of Louisiana.

He becomes the third offensive lineman to commit to the Tigers in this cycle, joining fellow offensive tackles [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Mubenga[/autotag].

Earlier in this cycle, there were questions about Kelly’s ability to recruit the state of Louisiana. Now, he holds pledges from six of the top 13 players in the state.

Heard’s commitment didn’t move LSU beyond No. 7 in the 247Sports Composite rankings, but the Tigers are now neck-and-neck with Ohio State for the No. 6 spot.

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LSU commit listed as Week 1 standout by On3

Whit Weeks is already making plays during his senior season.

[autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] is a four-star, 6-foot-2, 205-pound linebacker from Watkinsville, Georgia, where he plays for Oconee County High School. Weeks did it all for the Warriors in their 33-9 win over Clarke Central, earning him the honor of On3 Week 1 standouts.

He is listed as a middle linebacker prospect by multiple recruiting sites, but on the field for the Warriors, he does it all. Weeks had a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown, 94 rushing yards, 12 receiving yards, two rushing touchdowns, 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and two pass breakups.

He was all over the field on both ends of the ball as well as on special teams. That kind of production could get him playing time early at LSU. Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has to like what he’s seen so far from Weeks this season.

Weeks is one of LSU’s 21 commits for the 2023 recruiting class, which ranks as the No. 7 class in the country.

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Four-star athlete Khai Prean commits to LSU

Prean gives the Tigers 21 commits for the 2023 class, which ranks sixth nationally.

The Tigers’ run of success in the state of Louisiana for the 2023 class continued on Tuesday as coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] picked up a commitment from a top in-state talent.

Four-star St. James athlete [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag] chose the Tigers over Auburn, Florida State and Mississippi State. Prean, who plays both receiver and in the secondary at the high school level but will likely stick to offense for LSU, is rated as the No. 259 overall prospect and the 15th-best in Louisiana.

His commitment gives LSU 21 commits in total for the 2023 class. The Tigers’ group remains ranked sixth nationally, but if they could pick up another commitment — such as five-star in-state tackle [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] — they could sneak into the top five.

Despite early concerns about his recruiting acumen in the Pelican State, Kelly has been crushing it on the trail in the Tigers’ backyard. Just in the month of August, he has picked up pledges from five-star receiver [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] and four-star quarterback [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] (both natives of Baton Rouge) and defensive back [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag] (Zachary).

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5-star receiver Shelton Sampson Jr. commits to LSU

Brian Kelly just got a huge win on the recruiting trail.

One of the biggest dominoes in the 2023 recruiting class for the Tigers fell on Saturday.

[autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], a five-star receiver from Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, committed to LSU over Alabama, Texas A&M and Florida State. The 6-foot-4, 181-pound wideout is the No. 33 overall prospect and the No. 4 receiver this cycle, per the 247Sports Composite.

The Tigers have been seen as the heavy favorite to land Sampson for a while, but credit to coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] (and receivers coach [autotag]Cortez Hankton[/autotag]) for closing here. Sampson gives the Tigers their first composite five-star recruit in the 2023 class and their second top-50 receiver as he joins Miami native [autotag]Jalen Brown[/autotag].

LSU had a great July on the recruiting trail, and it seems that momentum has carried into the month of August. Its class is shaping up to be one of the nation’s best and already ranks No. 7 in the country.

There were some questions about Kelly’s recruiting results in the state of Louisiana, but he has now landed the boot’s No. 3 prospect in Sampson.

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BREAKING: LSU lands first offensive line commit in 2023 class

LSU’s class is now at 16 commits and ranks No. 7 in the country on the 247Sports Composite.

Of course, I write about possible LSU offensive line commits, and the Tigers land a guy that I didn’t put on the list. They heard me and one-upped me on Thursday with the addition of Georgia prospect [autotag]Paul Mubenga[/autotag], who becomes the first offensive line prospect to join the 2023 class.

Mubenga is a 6-foot-4, 280-pound three-star offensive lineman from Buford, Georgia. He was crystal-balled to Michigan by three different Wolverines insiders, but coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] pulled a rabbit out of his hat and snagged Mubenga out of the claws of Jim Harbaugh.

LSU’s class now stands at 16 players after adding Mubenga, and it now ranks seventh in the country on the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Kelly has been having a ball recruiting players from the Peach State. He pretty much has established a pipeline to the areas surrounding Atlanta as he has multiple commits from north Georgia already in 2023 and 2024.

This staff continues to recruit well, and that’s a positive sign for Tigers fans hoping Kelly can become the fourth-straight coach to win a national title in Baton Rouge.

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LSU lands commitment from 4-star Baton Rouge running back

LSU landed one of the top running backs in the country on Tuesday.

LSU stayed hot on the recruiting trail this week with another blue-chip commit.

Running back [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] from Liberty Magnet High School in Baton Rouge elected to stay home and play with the Tigers. According to On3’s prediction machine, Alabama was LSU’s biggest threat to pluck the in-state recruit, but coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] managed to keep Jackson in the boot.

Jackson — the No. 192 player in the country and No. 6 running back — took visits to LSU, Alabama, and Texas A&M in June. On 247Sports, Jackson had received three Crystal Balls, all for LSU.

The 247Sports Composite Rankings have Jackson as the sixth-best running back in the class. Jackson runs track as well and has good speed. He’s listed at 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds.

Jackson is the second running back to join LSU’s 2023 class after fellow Louisiana recruit [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag] committed in May. He is just the third Louisiana recruit to commit to LSU this cycle, joining Holly and defensive back [autotag]Ashton Stamps[/autotag].

It’s a positive sign after LSU’s had some in-state struggles in the past month. Blue-chip Louisiana prospects like [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] could be next.

LSU currently has a top 10 recruiting class in the 2023 cycle, and it could get even better in the coming weeks and months.

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BREAKING: LSU lands another four-star edge rusher

The Tigers have landed their eighth four-star commit in the 2023 class.

Defense wins championships. At least, the Tigers will certainly hope that’s true.

LSU has now landed two four-star edge rushers in the past two days in [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag] and now [autotag]Joshua Mickens[/autotag], who announced his commitment on Sunday. Mickens is a 6-foot-5, 225-pound edge rusher from Indianapolis, where he plays for Lawrence Central.

According to On3, Mickens is a top-50 player in the country. He becomes the eighth commit of the 2023 class for LSU and the second edge rusher. He’s rated as the No. 2 prospect in the state of Indiana and the No. 164 player in the country.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is known for building great recruiting classes and he is well on his way as he already has eight four-stars committed for 2023. The Tigers’ class now ranks 37th nationally with the addition of Mickens, so there is still a lot of work to do between now and signing day.

Still, LSU has had a solid stretch on the trail after things were quiet for a bit.

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NEW: 4-star EDGE Jaxon Howard commits to LSU

LSU landed the highest-rated commit in its class on Friday.

The No. 1 player in Minnesota from the 2023 recruiting class has committed to playing for the LSU Tigers.

[autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag] is rated as the premier prospect in the Gopher State by every recruiting site, and he is ranked as a top-100 player on Rivals.com. He becomes the seventh commit of the 2023 class for Tigers head coach, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and his staff.

He is the sixth four-star in the recruiting class and the first defensive lineman to commit. With the addition of Howard, LSU’s class now ranks 43rd nationally per the 247Sports Composite. He becomes the highest-rated prospect in the class.

LSU could possibly land another four-star edge rusher on July 4 as [autotag]Dashawn Womack[/autotag] will hold his announcement. Womack is down to a list of five schools: LSU, Maryland, Oregon, Ole Miss, and Georgia.

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