Tag: Dominick McKinley

5-star LSU true freshman Dominick McKinley shows off impressive transformation since arriving on campus

Dominick McKinley was listed at 280 pounds as a high school senior. Now, he’s bulked up all the way to 316 pounds.

LSU had a solid number of freshman signees opt to early enroll this offseason, but the biggest prize of the 2024 class just recently arrived on campus as a summer enrollee.

At long last, five-star true freshman defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] has arrived in Baton Rouge, and he’s quickly turning heads. McKinley, who hails from Acadiana High School in Lafayette and was the top prospect in the state of Louisiana, was listed at 280 pounds as a high school senior.

Now, as he makes his debut on LSU’s official 2024 roster, McKinley checks in at a stunning 6-foot-6, 316 pounds after he clearly spent the spring working hard in the weight room.

According to LSU Country’s Zack Nagy, McKinley has impressed the staff despite only being on campus briefly and should push for early playing time as a true freshman on a defensive line that lacks depth at the interior.

The Tigers return just two defensive tackles with game experience in [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Lee[/autotag]. They also added transfer [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag] and [autotag]Jay’Viar Suggs[/autotag], but they could also turn to McKinley to see early action now that he’s bulked up closer to the typical size of an SEC defensive lineman.

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LSU football’s star signee Trey’Dez Green set to play basketball for Tigers

LSU’s five-star tight end will also play basketball for coach Matt McMahon.

LSU basketball announced its official 2024-25 roster on Tuesday afternoon, and with the announcement came the news that five-star LSU tight end [autotag]Trey’Dez Green[/autotag] will take his talents to the court, too.

Green was one of the top recruits in LSU football’s 2024 class. According to the On3 industry rankings, he was a five-star while earning the top ranking at his position.

All four major recruiting services ranked Green as the No. 2 player in Louisiana, just behind his current LSU teammate [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag].

If you’ve seen Green’s football highlights, the fact that he’s a basketball standout too comes as no surprise. He’s listed at 6-7 and 237 pounds and showed some of the best jump ball skills in his class. That’s the type of talent and ability that translates to the basketball court.

Green was a star on the AAU circuit in Louisiana, playing for the Broncos Basketball Club in Zachary, LA. According to On3, Green averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds during his junior basketball campaign.

Green, who wears No. 14 on the football field, will don the No. 8 jersey for the basketball program.

LSU’s tight end room is crowded with the return of [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], but with some development as a blocker, Green could factor into the rotation as soon as this fall.

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Cornerback PJ Woodland named a potential true freshman star for LSU in 2024

PJ Woodland is already turning heads at LSU based on early reports out of spring ball.

[autotag]PJ Woodland[/autotag] was far from the most highly regarded player in LSU’s 2024 signing class.

A three-star prospect from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, who ranked outside the top 500 coming out of high school, Woodland seemed like a prime candidate for a redshirt year.

But the early enrollee turned heads in spring ball, and now it seems that he will not only be pushing for playing time on Day 1 but could even make a push for a spot with the first team, based on promising reports out of camp.

CBS Sports broke down the true freshman most likely to make an impact for each top-10 team, and while LSU’s signing class featured a five-star at a major position of need in defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], it’s Woodland that got the nod.

Woodland had a strong spring for the Tigers to the point he’s at least in the mix as a potential starter this fall. Sources have indicated he’s very advanced for a freshman and has quickly put on weight in the strength and conditioning program after arriving at 160 pounds; Top247 Rank : 88 rating, No. 46 CB

Woodland emerging would be huge for an LSU secondary that has a lot of questions and will be relying heavily on freshmen and sophomores for depth. The path to the field is there, and it seems like he’s well on his way to earning the right to play as a true freshman.

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LSU gets final visit from priority transfer target

LSU is looking to bolster its defensive tackle room in the transfer portal.

LSU will get the final visit from transfer portal defensive tackle [autotag]Jay’viar Suggs[/autotag] on Sunday.

As the Tigers continue their search for a defensive tackle, LSU’s focus has narrowed on the Grand Valley State transfer. Suggs recently included LSU in his top four along with Michigan, Wisconsin and Kentucky.

Suggs posted five sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss with Grand Valley State in 2023. After making that impact at the Division II level, he’s ready to try his hand at FBS football.

LSU getting Suggs’ final visit could be a good sign after the Tigers swung and missed on a few of the top defensive tackles in the portal. Prior to the transfer portal opening, head coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said defensive tackle is the only position LSU would chase in the second portal window.

Along with the final visit, LSU could have another advantage in this recruitment with Grand Valley State being the school where Kelly rose to prominence. Kelly coached there for 13 years and won two national titles.

LSU returns just two scholarship defensive tackles that were with the program last year. LSU added [autotag]Shone Washington[/autotag] from the junior college ranks along with Wisconsin transfer [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag]. The Tigers signed a solid group of defensive tackles from the high school level too, headlined by five-star Louisiana native [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag].

Suggs is unproven at the Power Four level, but he would add more upside to a room that needs it.

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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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