LSU four-star linebacker transferring to old SEC West rival

LSU is losing a talented linebacker to an old SEC west rival

An LSU linebacker is transferring to one of the Tigers’ longtime rivals. [autotag]Xavier Atkins[/autotag] announced his commitment to Auburn on Tuesday, joining Hugh Freeze’s group after spending one year at LSU.

Atkins was a four-star linebacker in the class of 2024. The On3 Industry Rankings slotted Atkins as the No. 309 ranked overall prospect, the No. 24 linebacker, and the No. 50 recruit in Texas. Atkins was originally from Louisiana.

Atkins hitting the portal was not a surprise. With [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] and [autotag]Dahvon Keys[/autotag] both seeing significant playing time in 2024, LSU didn’t offer much of an opportunity at linebacker.

LSU’s depth takes a hit with Atkins departure, and it’s not great when a young blue-chip recruit goes to an SEC rival, but the Tigers like where they sit at the position.

There’s also a chance LSU returns star linebacker [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], who continues to recover from a knee injury suffered in the win over UCLA.

Atkins joins an Auburn transfer class that is among the best in the SEC. So far, the Tigers have added ten players from the portal.

4-star LSU commit flips to Houston

Maurice Williams was the second highest-ranked commit in LSU’s 2024 class.

LSU suffered its second decommitment in the 2024 class on Friday night.

Four-star Pearland (Tex.) Shadow Creek linebacker [autotag]Maurice Williams[/autotag] announced his decommitment from the Tigers. Shortly after, he committed to the Houston Cougars, who are entering their first season in the Big 12.

It’s a huge loss for LSU. As the No. 110 prospect nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings, he was the second-highest-rated prospect in coach Brian Kelly’s 2024 class. He also plays safety, but his rankings are as a linebacker

Williams is currently in Houston for an official visit, and he received several Crystal Ball projections for the Cougars shortly before his decommitment.

LSU still has three other linebacker prospects committed in the class in [autotag]Kolaj Cobbins[/autotag], [autotag]Xavier Atkins[/autotag] and [autotag]Dahvon Keys[/autotag]. All of them are four-star prospects, but they all also rank lower than Williams.

The Tigers still have 18 total prospects committed in 2024.

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Where LSU’s 2024 recruiting class stands in the latest On3 rankings at the end of March

On3 ranks LSU’s class a bit lower than 247Sports.

There are still more than eight months between now and early signing day for the 2024 class in December, which is when history tells us the bulk of the class’ prospects will sign.

Though it’s early in the process, this cycle has the chance to be coach Brian Kelly’s best yet since taking over at LSU. The Tigers already have 11 players committed including a quarterback in [autotag]Colin Hurley[/autotag], a four-star Jacksonville, Florida, prospect from powerhouse Trinity Christian, who reclassified from the 2025 class.

In the month of March, the Tigers added a trio of players in four-star linebackers [autotag]Kolaj Cobbins[/autotag] and [autotag]Dahvon Keys[/autotag], as well as three-star EDGE [autotag]Ahmad Breaux[/autotag], who LSU managed to flip from Duke.

Things will really start to heat up in the coming months when most prospects begin to take their official visits in the summer, but for now, here’s how things stand in the latest On3 industry recruiting rankings.

After impressive showings at OU Camp, Sooners send offers to multiple recruits from Texas

While hosting his first camp as head coach, Brent Venables and his staff offered multiple players that performed well.

While the 2023 recruiting class is garnering the most attention as they heading into their senior year, the future high school football stars of tomorrow are on the grind working hard trying to earn their offers.

Brent Venables has been a camp advocate for years and his first wave of camps as the head man at Oklahoma allowed him and his staff the opportunity to take a look at some of the best young talent the region has to offer.

Some of Texas’ best-rising sophomores were in attendance and those same players received an offer from the Oklahoma Sooners. While Venables has been selective about Oklahoma and its 2025 offers it seems that with the summer coming and the 2025 class flipping the page into sophomores, Venables and his staff feel much more comfortable extending offers.

One of the offers went out to wide receiver Andrew Marsh of Katy Jordan High School in Fulshear, Texas.

Marsh like his other 2025 counterparts has yet to be ranked on any major databases but Marsh’s high school film shows an explosive vertical threat at wide receiver and a dynamic return man as well.

His ability to make guys miss and high point the ball at its apex is special for someone so young. At six feet as a rising sophomore, it’s entirely possible Marsh can grow even more over the next few years as well.

While Marsh stood out on the offensive side of the ball, Kelvion Riggins of South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas, Texas went to work and earned himself an offer from the Oklahoma defensive staff.

Listed as a linebacker on 247Sports, Riggins stands at six-foot-one and 200 pounds. His high school team is fresh off a state championship and his recruitment looks destined to take off.

He’s fast, decisive, and hits with bad intentions for such a young player. He’s a Texas product and it seems all but a formality that the major schools in Texas will also get involved. The notable offers he has so far are Oregon, Miami, Oklahoma State, and Arkansas.

Kelvion Riggins wasn’t the only defensive standout to earn an offer. Davhon Keys of Aledo High School also earned an Oklahoma offer at the camp.

Keys, like Riggins, is listed as a linebacker right now on 247Sports. His offer list is quite impressive early on and looks like he could be very much in line to be a top 100 recruit when the class of 2024 is ranked. He has notable offers from Oklahoma State, Penn State, Clemson, and Texas already. Keys will be a rising junior this fall and should see his recruitment take off if he keeps playing at the level he has been especially considering the level of competition he sees while playing at one of Texas’ notable high school programs at Aledo.

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