Tag: Florida recruiting

LSU makes the final cut for 5-star receiver Jaime Ffrench

Jaime Ffrench is set to commit on Aug. 30, and he trimmed his list of finalists down to four teams.

LSU has the chance to add an elite receiver to its 2025 recruiting class when five-star Jacksonville wideout [autotag]Jaime Ffrench[/autotag] announces his commitment on Aug. 30.

Competition is stiff for Ffrench, but the Tigers remain in the mix and made his final four schools on Friday. They’re joined by Texas, Miami and Tennessee.

It may be a bit of an uphill battle for LSU to land Ffrench, who ranks as the No. 18 player nationally per both the 247Sports composite and On3 industry rankings. Texas received a 247Sports crystal ball in June, and the Longhorns are a 57% favorite for Ffrench, per On3.

LSU already has commitments from receivers [autotag]Derek Meadows[/autotag], a five-star depending on which service you look at, and four-star [autotag]TaRon Francis[/autotag]. Now, the Tigers will hope to add a consensus five-star after No. 1 overall receiver [autotag]Dakorien Moore[/autotag] decommitted earlier this summer and later flipped to Oregon.

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Can LSU add a consensus 5-star receiver to its 2025 class?

LSU is looking to add a five-star receiver to its class with Jaime Ffrench taking another visit to Baton Rouge.

LSU’s 2025 recruiting class is loaded at the top. According to the On3 industry rankings, LSU has three five-star commits with QB [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag], CB [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag] and RB [autotag]Harlem Berry[/autotag] in the fold.

The Tigers lost a five-star earlier this cycle when receiver [autotag]Dakorien Moore[/autotag] backed off his pledge and later committed to Oregon. LSU did a fine job recovering, landing four-star [autotag]Derek Meadows[/autotag], but LSU could take its receiver class to another level with the addition of composite five-star [autotag]Jaime Ffrench[/autotag].

Ffrench is visiting LSU this weekend and the Tigers will hope to make a strong final impression with French’s commitment date approaching next month.

ESPN is the highest on Ffrench, ranking him as the No. 2 receiver in the class. 247Sports and Rivals also consider Ffrench a top-25 overall prospect.

LSU isn’t the favorite by any means. The On3 recruiting prediction machine gives Texas the best shot while the most recent 247Sports crystal ball favors Texas too. Miami is also a factor in the Florida prospect’s recruitment.

At one point, Ohio State’s chances looked pretty good. Earlier this year, three crystal balls were entered for the Buckeyes.

If LSU wants a shot at the No. 1 class in the country, it needs to land Ffrench. The addition would tie LSU with Alabama’s leading mark of four five-stars and increase LSU’s average recruit rating, which leads the country.

Ffrench would also give LSU three blue-chip receivers in 2025, joining Meadows along with Louisiana four-star [autotag]Taron Francis[/autotag].

Texas might be feeling good about this one, but LSU is certainly making a run for Ffrench’s services. He’s scheduled to commit on Aug. 30.

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Nation’s No. 1 cornerback DJ Pickett commits to LSU over Oregon, Miami in stunner

All the predictions indicated DJ Pickett was heading to Oregon, but LSU instead added a gem to its already strong 2025 class.

LSU managed to close things out with the top remaining uncommitted player on its board.

On Wednesday, [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag] — a five-star cornerback from Zephyrhills (Fla.) and the No. 6 overall player in America — committed to LSU over Oregon and Miami. The Ducks were seen as the favorite, landing a hefty number of projections in recent days after making a strong NIL push.

But LSU was all-in for Pickett and even enlisted the help of former star [autotag]Patrick Peterson[/autotag] during Pickett’s official visit earlier this summer. It worked out, and now the Tigers added an elite piece to a class that is already in or nearing the top five, depending on the service.

While On3 and 247Sports rank him as the No. 2 cornerback in the country in their industry rankings, On3’s own rankings are the highest on him, ranking him No. 3 overall and as the No. 1 cornerback in the nation.

Pickett becomes the second highest-ranked member of LSU’s 2025 class behind quarterback [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag], the No. 1 overall player in America, and is the third five-star LSU has landed in the cycle so far.

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Where LSU stands with nation’s top cornerback DJ Pickett on commitment day

DJ Pickett could take LSU’s class from great to elite, but Oregon has the momentum down the home stretch.

LSU already has a top-10 (or top-five, depending on the service) recruiting class in the 2025 cycle. Now, it has the chance to land a player who could help take that group from great to elite.

On Wednesday night, five-star cornerback [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag] will announce his college decision between his finalists of LSU, Oregon and Miami at 6 p.m. CT. Pickett ranks as the No. 6 player nationally and No. 2 cornerback according to On3’s industry rankings and the 247Sports composite.

However, On3’s own rankings tab him as the No. 3 player in America and the top cornerback.

Pickett is the top uncommitted player on LSU’s board as the Tigers have put on a full-court press to land him. However, they will likely need a last-minute change to do so.

Oregon has been heavily trending for Pickett in recent days behind a reportedly strong NIL push. The Ducks hold three crystal ball projections from 247Sports, all placed in the last week, as well as multiple predictions from On3’s experts.

The Zephyrhills (Fla.) prospect is one of the highest-rated uncommitted players in the nation, and he would almost certainly push LSU’s class into the top five if it can pull off a mild surprise and land him.

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Top LSU target DJ Pickett narrows decision to 3 schools, Tigers in the mix

Top LSU cornerback target DJ Pickett trimmed his list to three schools, keeping the Tigers in the mix.

Few prospects are higher on LSU’s board than five-star cornerback [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag]. LSU hired [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] to land prospects of Pickett’s caliber and rebuild a secondary that’s experienced volatility since [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] arrived at LSU.

According to On3, Pickett has trimmed his list to three schools, removing Georgia from the equation.

That’s not necessarily good or bad news, but it’s one less top school LSU has to compete with for Pickett’s services. The race is now between LSU, Oregon and Miami.

Last week, On3’s Steve Wiltfong said “If the decision was today, I’d ride with the Ducks.”

That comes as no surprise given Oregon’s heater on the recruiting trail. Dan Lanning and company recently secured a commitment from [autotag]Dakorien Moore[/autotag], the top wide receiver in the class and a former LSU commit. LSU losing another five-star to Oregon would sting, but it’s better than a conference rival.

Still, LSU is in need of a superstar corner. It’s been a while since the Tigers landed a five-star at the position. You’d have to go back to [autotag]Eli Ricks[/autotag] in 2020.

That’s rare for a program that became accustomed to landing some of the top defensive backs in the country year after year.

LSU won a national title in 2019 behind a historic offense, but that defense had a five-star corner duo with [autotag]Derek Stingley Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Kristian Fulton[/autotag]. That’s the level of talent LSU needs on the backend if it wants to compete for titles again.

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LSU flips 4-star Texas DL commit Brandon Brown

Brian Kelly gave Texas a “Welcome to the SEC” present on Friday.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] gave Texas a “Welcome to the SEC” present as he and his recruiting staff have flipped a four-star defensive line commit for the 2025 recruiting class.

[autotag]Brandon Brown[/autotag] is a 6-foot-1, 286-pound, four-star defensive lineman from Melbourne, Florida, where he plays for Eau Gallie High School. Brown committed to the Texas Longhorns on December 19, 2023, and has been locked in with them until he decided to de-commit today and flip his commitment to LSU.

Brown becomes the 14th commitment of the 2025 class and the second defensive lineman commitment as he joins [autotag]Zion Williams[/autotag] who committed to LSU yesterday. LSU’s 2025 class is ranked as the No. 8 overall class in the country according to 247Sports but ranks fifth per On3.

Kelly has done a great job recruiting during his first two seasons at LSU as he has signed a top-ten class every season. The Tigers are still in the running for a lot of recruits so the class could get even better before it’s all said and done.

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LSU flip target Brandon Brown to shut down recruitment on Friday

Brandon Brown is committed to Texas, but he’s received several recent predictions to flip to LSU.

LSU has been laying the groundwork for a potential flip from new SEC rival Texas, and it will find out if its efforts were successful on Friday.

[autotag]Brandon Brown[/autotag], a four-star 2025 defensive lineman from Melbourne, Florida, who is committed to the Longhorns, announced that he will shut down his recruitment and make a final decision at 2 p.m. CT. Brown is set to choose between an all-SEC final four of Texas, LSU, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

The No. 324 overall player in the 2025 class, Brown holds no crystal ball projections but has recently received multiple predictions from On3 to flip to the Tigers.

Brown is one of two defensive players near the top of LSU’s board who are committing on Friday as he will be joined later in the day by top-100 Indianapolis EDGE [autotag]Damien Shanklin[/autotag].

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LSU hosting a pair of top 2026 quarterbacks for visits this week

The Tigers have a commitment from the top passer in the 2025 class, and they’re now looking for a 2026 quarterback.

LSU already holds a commitment from Bryce Underwood, the top quarterback and No. 1 overall player in the 2025 cycle. But offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan and the rest of the staff are looking to lock up a signal-caller in 2026 as well.

The Tigers are set to host a pair of blue-chip quarterbacks in that class that both rank in the top 10 at the position: Dia Bell and Brady Hart.

Bell is a five-star prospect and the No. 10 player in the 2026 cycle (as well as No. 2 quarterback), per the 247Sports composite. The Fort Lauderdale (American Heritage) prospect has camped with Florida State and Texas so far this month and took an unofficial visit to Penn State in May.

He also visited Baton Rouge for a game last fall.

Hart, meanwhile, ranks as the No. 7 quarterback and a top-100 prospect overall. The Cocoa, Florida, signal-caller most recently received an offer from Clemson, and the Tigers hold a crystal ball prediction to land him.

There’s still quite a bit of time before either sign on the dotted line, and LSU will hope to make an impact with these visits and get a 2026 passer on board early in the process.

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Nation’s top safety DJ Pickett sets official visit this weekend with LSU

LSU will play host to one of the top players on its 2025 board this weekend.

The LSU football team is currently assembling what could be the best high school recruiting class yet under coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] in the 2025 cycle, and it could be close to making some inroads with the top safety in the country.

On Wednesday, [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag] announced that he will be taking an official visit to Baton Rouge this weekend, which will begin on Friday. Pickett, a Zephyrhills (Tampa) prospect, ranks as a five-star recruit and the No. 7 player in the country by the 247Sports composite rankings, which list him as a cornerback.

There are no crystal ball projections for Pickett, but Miami is a slim favorite per On3 followed by LSU and Georgia.

[autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] has had some nice early returns since returning to LSU this offseason as the defensive backs coach. The Tigers currently hold just one defensive back commitment in four-star, top-150 cornerback [autotag]Jaboree Antoine[/autotag], but they find themselves in the mix for several more, including Pickett.

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Coveted IOL Kayden Strayhorn breaks down LSU, other top contenders

Kayden Strayhorn is a legacy at Michigan State, but a recent LSU offer seems to have grabbed his attention.

LSU got in the game a bit late for [autotag]Kayden Strayhorn[/autotag], a three-star interior lineman in the 2025 class. The Tigers offered him just a few weeks ago, but they seem to have made a strong impression early on as they’re one of three schools that has secured an official visit from him.

Strayhorn will visit LSU on June 14, as well as Ohio State and Michigan, which appear to be his top three schools at the moment.

A product of IMG Academy who is originally from Detroit and a legacy at Michigan State, Strayhorn recently spoke with Isaiah Hole of Wolverines Wire about his top contenders, including the Tigers.

Strayhorn said that LSU offensive line coach [autotag]Brad Davis[/autotag] flew specifically to meet with him and his father. After two hours, Davis made a scholarship offer to Strayhorn.

“For them I’ve never been there before,” he said. “They came on the Monday we had an A-day practice and the offensive line coach is super close with my offensive line coach. And, he came and he actually only flew just to see me and he talked with me and my dad for like two hours and offered me and told me, ‘We want to do this thing and get you here.’”

Strayhorn added that LSU has pitched him on its lack of center depth. After [autotag]Charles Turner III[/autotag] departed for the draft — in a move that surprised the Tigers, according to Strayhorn — guard [autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag] is expected to start at center in 2024.

“They think, based off what happened with their center — so they had they had a center Charles Turner from IMG actually, and they wanted him to come back,” Strayhorn said. “And so he told him he was going to come back. So the guy that they already had moved behind him into the portal. And then a few weeks later, Charles decided to enter the draft. So they literally don’t have a true center. They have a guard playing center right now for this upcoming year. So the coach sees the position they’re in and sees me as the fix.

“So that’s what interests me in them and then also just — if you see they have the No. 1 offensive line in college football this year. Two first-round tackles. And it’s just the pedigree of what they’ve had before. And, you know, it’s Louisiana State University – it’s a big deal. So I think that’s definitely what drives me to be interested in taking the official visit and I’m looking forward to that one for sure.”

Strayhorn ranks as the No. 426 recruit in the country per the 247Sports composite rankings. He holds no crystal ball predictions at the moment, but the Spartans are the favorite for the son of former MSU defensive tackle and current broadcaster Jason Strayhorn according to the On3 prediction machine.

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