LSU’s open date before facing Alabama was a good time to reflect on the status of the program.
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Things may not be going quite as well as LSU fans would have hoped to see in 2020, but the Tigers are still rolling in the recruiting game.
The most recent addition of four-star safety Derrick Davis Jr. continued to prove LSU’s on-field struggles are not nearly enough to counterbalance the result son the field this season.
Davis offered his verbal commitment to LSU on Saturday, during LSU’s bye week. The Pennsylvania safety chose the Tigers over offers from Big Ten stalwarts Ohio State (the Buckeyes improved to 3-0 with a win over Rutgers) and Penn State (who fell to 0-3 this weekend with a dreadful home loss to Maryland).
Georgia and Pitt were also reported to be in the top five for Davis. As of now, LSU is ranked No. 3 in the Class of 2021 according to 247 Sports, trailing No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Ohio State. ESPN also ranks LSU third in its updated recruiting rankings.
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LSU’s latest gain draws more of a critical eye to Penn State with another top in-state recruit opting to leave the state rather than play for James Franklin and the Nittany Lions. As noted by ESPN, none of the seven Pennsylvania recruits residing in the ESPN 300 have committed to play at Penn State.
A bye week for LSU also gave time to reflect on the difficult season that has been played to this point. In a featured interview with The Advocate, LSU Athletics Director Scott Woodward confirmed his belief in head coach Ed Orgeron and the coach’s ability to work through the multiple struggles facing the program this season.
“[I’m] very confident coach Orgeron can right the ship and get it going,” Woodward said to The Advocate. “Less than a year ago we had something pretty magical, and I believe we can get back to it.”
The immense struggles of the defense have recently thrown the microscope on defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, who is making $2.3 million in his role with the LSU program. Woodward denied to comment specifically on Pelini’s future with the Tigers but did tell the Advocate LSU is” always prepared for personnel changes” but also stressed it is far too early to really evaluate what will happen as this current season plays out or what happens after the season.
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Pelini’s defense will be up for a tall challenge next weekend as the Tigers take on the newly-appointed No. 1 team in the latest Amway Coaches Poll. Alabama took over the top spot in this week’s coaches poll following Notre Dame’s double-overtime upset of previously top-ranked Clemson in South Bend on Saturday night. Alabama’s offense is once again loaded with quarterback Mac Jones rising to the top of the Heisman Trophy boards and the offense firing on all cylinders while LSU’s offense has sputtered.
This is the 13th consecutive season Alabama has climbed as high as No. 1 in the AP Top 25, as noted by Matt Brown of The Athletic. It is the longest active streak of seasons with at least one No. 1 ranking. LSU has faced Alabama with a top-two ranking in the AP Top 25 eight times since 2011.
This will mark the first time LSU has entered the Alabama game outside the top 25 of the polls since 2001, when LSU topped the Tide 35-21 in Tuscaloosa. It will be LSU’s first time being unranked against a ranked Alabama since 1999. Alabama topped LSU 23-17 that season.
Depsite what looks on paper to be one of the more lopsided decisions in the Alabama-LSU series this weekend, Alabama head coach Nick Saban is not about to take the Tigers lightly.
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“They’ve got good young players. They’ve got a lot of good players. They’re capable of beating anybody in the country, there’s no doubt about that,” Saban said to reporters on Sunday, according to Sports Illustrated. They’ve got a good offensive line, good tight end, good receivers. But they’re all young players. I think they’ve had some growing pains but they’re all very talented and very capable.”
LSU hosts Alabama on Saturday, Nov 14 at 5 p.m. CT.
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