Tag: Dominick McKinley

Where LSU’s 2024 class stands in final 247Sports composite recruiting rankings

After an uneventful signing day, here’s how things stand for the Tigers in the final recruiting rankings.

National Signing Day is in the books, and it was fairly uneventful for the Tigers.

The one player they were looking to add, five-star athlete [autotag]Terry Bussey[/autotag], held firm to his commitment to Texas A&M. After [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] — LSU’s only commit who didn’t sign during the early signing period — made things official, that was officially a wrap on the Tigers’ 2024 class.

Though it had the chance to move up into the top five with a flip of Bussey, LSU still finishes with one of the nation’s stronger classes. Here’s how it all shakes out in the final 247Sports composite rankings.

5 takeaways from LSU’s final 2024 signing class

Here are five takeaways from LSU’s 2024 class.

LSU’s 2024 high school signing class is complete.

With [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] making it official and delivering his letter of intent, LSU sits at 29 signees.

It was a good year to recruit Louisiana, with 66% of LSU’s class coming from inside the state.

National Signing Day came without much drama. LSU was hoping to flip [autotag]Terry Bussey[/autotag] from Texas A&M, but the five-star athlete remained with the Aggies.

There wasn’t much drama for anyone on Wednesday. Most recruitments get wrapped up during the early signing period these days, leaving little to be determined when February rolls around.

Here are five takeaways from LSU’s 2024 signing class.

Brian Kelly hints that LSU could still add a defensive tackle after signing day

Defensive tackle remains a major area of need with National Signing Day in the books.

National signing day is in the books for LSU.

It wasn’t a particularly eventful day: 28 of its 29 commits were signed in December. The lone unsigned player, five-star defensive tackle [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], made everything official. However, LSU missed on the only other player it was in the mix for. Five-star athlete [autotag]Terry Bussey[/autotag] held true to his commitment to Texas A&M.

While we may have far more roster clarity heading into 2024, the Tigers may not be done yet. Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said the team still has some needs that could be addressed during the signing period, mentioning the defensive tackle depth, specifically.

“We still have some needs,” Kelly said. “The defensive tackle position is one that we’re still vetting that we have some needs that we’ll continue to look at moving forward going into the spring. But again, excited about Dominick McKinley and his addition today. … We could have some other movement here.”

It’s certainly an area of concern for the Tigers. LSU returns only one player with significant experience at the spot: veteran [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag]. It wouldn’t be surprising to see LSU make another move in the transfer portal this week.

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SIGNED: 5-star DL commit Dominick McKinley makes it official with LSU

The top commit in LSU’s 2024 class made things official on National Signing Day.

It wasn’t the national signing day LSU fans hoped for as five-star athlete Terry Bussey upheld his commitment to Texas A&M, signing with the Aggies over the Tigers on Wednesday morning.

However, LSU received one major piece of good news. Five-star defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], who had been committed to Texas A&M but flipped to the Tigers on New Year’s Eve, made his pledge official. He signed his national letter of intent with LSU.

McKinley is the No. 1 player in the state of Louisiana and the highest-rated member of the Tigers’ 29-man signing class. He could be an instant impact player at a major position of need on LSU’s roster.

With McKinley official on board, that should be a wrap on the 2024 cycle for LSU. The Tigers’ class finished ninth overall per 247Sports and seventh per On3.

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5-star athlete Terry Bussey signs with Texas A&M after push from LSU

The Tigers couldn’t pull off the signing day flip of elite athlete Terry Bussey.

LSU looked like it may have had one more surprise in store on national signing day, but it wasn’t in the cards.

The Tigers made a strong push for five-star 2024 athlete [autotag]Terry Bussey[/autotag], who was committed to Texas A&M. They hosted him for a visit last week ahead of signing day.

However, the effort wasn’t enough. Bussey reaffirmed his commitment to the Aggies on Wednesday and signed his national letter of intent with Mike Elko’s team.

It’s a disappointing result for LSU, which would have moved into the top five of the recruiting rankings if it had secured Bussey’s signature.

Without Bussey, LSU still has 29 commits in a class that ranks ninth nationally per 247Sports and seventh per On3. All but one of those players have signed. The lone holdout is five-star defensive tackle [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], who the Tigers flipped from Texas A&M.

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LSU football’s top remaining 2024 target Terry Bussey announces signing day decision time

Terry Bussey is LSU’s top remaining target in the 2024 class. We now have a decision date and time.

LSU’s top remaining target, five-star athlete [autotag]Terry Bussey[/autotag], has announced his decision time.

He’ll make his final commitment Wednesday at 9 a.m. CT.

Bussey remains committed to Texas A&M, but his recruitment has remained open heading to the finish line. LSU and Georgia are pushing to flip him, but this one appears to be a race between the Aggies and Tigers.

Bussey is a Texas recruit and committed to A&M in September when Jimbo Fisher was at the helm. Since that time, he has continued to visit LSU.

If LSU can pull this off, Bussey would join a crew of other 2024 signees that were originally committed to Texas A&M. Most notably, five-stars [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] and [autotag]Weston Davis[/autotag].

Bussey is a consensus five-star, ranked in the top 20 by all four major recruiting sites.

He’s listed as an athlete, but the current assumption is he will be a defensive back. That’s big for LSU, given it remains a major position of need.

A commitment from Bussey would go a long way toward reaffirming the job [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] can do in his return to Baton Rouge.

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LSU signee finishes as a top 10 safety in 2024 class, per On3

Dashawn McBryde is the highest-ranked player who has signed with LSU so far in the 2024 cycle.

LSU is still trying to put the finishing touches on the 2024 cycle as it aims to flip five-star athlete [autotag]Terry Bussey[/autotag] from Texas A&M, but the Tigers already have a top 10 class with all but one commit currently signed.

The highest-rated of those players — and second-highest in the class behind unsigned five-star defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] — is safety [autotag]Dashawn McBryde[/autotag].

The in-state Denham Springs prospect is a top-100 player nationally, and he finished as a top-10 safety in On3’s final rankings, coming in at No. 9.

Here’s On3’s scouting breakdown of McBryde, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound defensive back who is the No. 3 player in the state of Louisiana.

“Dashawn McBryde is a ballhawking safety who is one of the more physically-gifted prospects at the position in the 2024 cycle. Has a college-ready physique, checking in at a shade under 6-foot-3 and close to 200 pounds prior to his senior season. Has plus length with a 33-inch arm. Shined on the track prior to his senior season running 11.09 in the 100m and jumping over 23-feet in the long jump. A big game hunter who came down with nine interceptions as a junior. An imposing physical presence in the secondary. Smooth in his movements.

“Naturally coordinated and easily tracking and high-pointing the ball. Flashes glimpses of physicality. Can improve overall consistency and reliability as a tackler. Takes inconsistent angles. Will benefit from continued experience as he does not always play as fast as he tests athletically. Has one of the highest upsides among safeties in the 2024 cycle, but will need development to approach his high ceiling.”

On3 currently ranks LSU’s 2024 class seventh, but it would likely jump into the top five if it manages to flip Bussey from the Aggies.

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LSU’s Frank Wilson ranked as a top five recruiter in 2024 cycle

LSU’s Frank Wilson was one of the top recruiters in the country this cycle.

When [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was hired at LSU, one of the first things he did was bring back running backs coach [autotag]Frank Wilson[/autotag].

Wilson was at LSU from 2010-15. During that time, he was one of the top running backs coaches and recruiters in the country.

Wilson is doing more of the same in his second tenure, ranking as the fourth-best recruiter in the country, according to 247Sports.

Some of LSU’s top recruits can be attributed to Wilson, including five-star defensive tackle [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] and four-star running back [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag].

Wilson is credited as the primary recruiter on nine of LSU’s commits, with five of them ranking as blue-chips.

Quarterbacks coach [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag] is also looking to finish off a strong cycle, currently ranking as the 10th best recruiter in the country.

Looking ahead to the 2025 class, Wilson is off to another hot start and currently ranks as the top recruiter in the country next cycle.

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Elite five-star athlete, Texas A&M commit Terry Bussey visiting LSU on Wednesday

Can LSU pull off one more coup from Texas A&M in the 2024 cycle?

There are only a few days left before National Signing Day on Feb. 7, and the Tigers have a top-10 class in the 2024 cycle. But they may have one more coup up their sleeve involving a prized Texas A&M recruit.

LSU is hosting five-star athlete [autotag]Terry Bussey[/autotag], who is committed to the Aggies, for one final visit on Wednesday. Bussey has taken numerous trips to Baton Rouge, including an official visit in September and an unofficial trip the following month.

Now, the Tigers will get one last shot to sway the Timpson, Texas, prospect after he took a trip to Georgia this weekend. After visiting LSU, he will take one final stop to see Texas A&M next weekend ahead of signing day.

LSU has already flipped a trio of blue-chip prospects from Texas A&M including five-star defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], who switched up his commitment on New Year’s Eve and will sign on Feb. 7 along with Bussey.

The No. 11 prospect nationally per On3, Bussey plays all over the field at the high school level, but the consensus opinion is that he projects as a defensive back at the next level.

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LSU finishes with a top-three class in 2024 according to On3

Despite a slow start, LSU ultimately finished with one of the best classes in America.

While it looked like the Tigers may struggle to land a top 10 class in the 2024 cycle, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the staff closed things out nicely.

Some moves late in the cycle, including some Texas A&M flips headlined by five-star defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], changed the class’ trajectory. Now, as things are set to wrap up next week, On3 has released its final recruiting rankings.

That included a boost for tight end signee [autotag]Trey’Dez Green[/autotag], who became a five-star recruit, and that gave LSU the No. 3 class in 2024, according to On3. The On3 industry rankings are currently not as high as the site’s own rankings, putting the Tigers at seventh.

LSU’s class currently sits behind just Georgia and Alabama.

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