Tag: Florida recruiting

LSU offers 2025 cornerback from Hollywood, Florida

Brian Kelly thinks he has found a sleeper recruit in the Sunshine State.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] thinks he has found a sleeper recruit in the Sunshine State. He and his recruiting staff have ventured down to Hollywood, Florida, and found a player that not many schools are aware of yet but they may be soon.

[autotag]Shmar Akande[/autotag] is a 6-foot-3, 180-pound cornerback who plays for South Broward High School. The South Broward Bulldogs finished the 2023 season 8-3 with a loss to Belen Jesuit in the first round of the 3 M state playoffs.

There are currently no Crystal Ball projections for Akande and there are no favorites to land him per On3.

Film Analysis: Akande is a guy with great size who has incredible ball and cover skills.

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LSU offers 4-star tight end from Jacksonville

There are currently no Crystal Ball projections at this time for Corbyn Fordham but NC State is a 58% favorite to land him per On3.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is working on bolstering his recruiting class for 2026. That search has led him to Jacksonville, Florida, where he has found a very talented tight end.

[autotag]Corbyn Fordham[/autotag] is a 6-foot-4, 205-pound, four-star tight end who plays for The Bolles School. The Bolles Bulldogs finished the 2023 season 8-6 with a loss to Norland in the 2M state semifinals.

There are currently no Crystal Ball projections at this time for Fordham but NC State is a 58% favorite to land him per On3.

Film Analysis: Fordham is a player that can do it all. There are a lot of tight ends that can either catch well or block well but can’t do both. Fordham can do both with ease.

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LSU offers 5-star safety from Fort Lauderdale

The Tigers have already identified one of the top targets in the 2026 class.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is working on recruiting for the 2026 class. That search has led his coaching staff to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where they found a five-star safety at one of the top high school football programs in the country.

[autotag]Justice Fitzpatrick[/autotag] is a 6-foot-1, 175-pound, five-star safety in the 2026 recruiting class. He is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he plays for St. Thomas Aquinas High School. The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders are 13-1 this season and are preparing for a state championship game against Homestead.

There are currently no Crystal Ball projections for Fitzpatrick at this time but Miami is a 43% favorite to land him per On3.

Film Analysis: Fitzpatrick plays cornerback for the Raiders but he is projected to be a safety at the next level.

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Top-100 point guard raves about visit to LSU

The Tigers are in a good position for one of the top prospects in the 2025 class.

While LSU’s men’s basketball team could be in the midst of another difficult campaign as it sits at 4-3 to start the season, it’s trying to add talent for the future.

Four-star point guard [autotag]Jalen Reece[/autotag] ranks as the No. 77 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings, and the Tigers may have the inside track with the 2025 prospect. The Oak Ridge (Orlando) recruit took an unofficial visit to Baton Rouge back in October, and he had a lot of positive things to say about that trip.

“It was a cool visit. Just knowing that players like Antonio Blakeney and Ben Simmons went there, those are people I look up to,” he said, per On3’s Joe Tipton. “Knowing that it’s my turn to go and put the jersey on and just having the ability to go over there and play. (Antonio Blakeney) means a lot to me personally. That’s like my big brother. I remember last year he told me to always be the last one out of the gym. He’s given me a lot of tricks and tips and I work out with him in the summer. I love our relationship.”

LSU is currently a slim favorite to land Reese per the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. Coach Matt McMahon is still looking for his first commitment in the 2025 class.

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LSU offers 2025 cornerback from Plantation, Florida

Brian Kelly and his LSU recruiting staff are still hard at work recruiting for the 2025 recruiting class.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and his LSU recruiting staff are still hard at work recruiting for the 2025 recruiting class. Recently, the staff took a trip to Plantation, Florida to check out one of the top cornerbacks in the country.

[autotag]Gregory Xavier Thomas[/autotag] is a three-star, 6-foot-2, 190-pound cornerback from Plantation, Florida, where he plays for American Heritage High School. The American Heritage Patriots are currently 9-1 this season and they are getting ready for a third-round playoff game against Cardinal Gibbons in the Class 2 M playoffs.

There are currently no Crystal Ball projections at this time and there are no favorites per On3.

Film Analysis: Thomas is a defensive back who thrives in man coverage.

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BREAKING: Four-star cornerback Cai Bates decommits from LSU

The Tigers lost a key piece in the 2024 class on Monday night.

After some nice recent wins on the recruiting trail, LSU suffered a pretty substantive loss on Monday night as four-star Edgewater (Orlando) cornerback [autotag]Cai Bates[/autotag] decommitted.

Bates ranks within the top 100 nationally, per the 247Sports Composite, and he was the second-highest-rated committed player in LSU’s 2024 class prior to his decommitment. Bates committed to LSU on June 26 following an official visit days earlier.

With Bates’ departure from the class, LSU’s group of 2024 commits now ranks 14th nationally per 247Sports and 12th nationally per On3. Between Bates and [autotag]Ondre Evans[/autotag], LSU has lost both of their top 160 cornerback commits in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

LSU still has a trio of cornerback commits in four-star [autotag]Ju’Juan Johnson[/autotag] and three-stars [autotag]Wallace Foster[/autotag] and [autotag]Bernard Causey[/autotag]. There is no clear favorite to land Bates now, though Florida State, Alabama, Tennessee and others remain in the mix.

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LJ McCray, one of top DLs in 2024, commits to Florida

The Florida Gators football team got the commitment of LJ McCray, ranked by most recruiting sites as a top-25 DL in the class of 2024.

The Florida Gators added to the defensive depth of its 2024 recruiting class with its newest recruit, a player who risen to star level in the eyes of many analysts.

LJ McCray, ranked as a four-star player on the 247Sports Composite but No. 6 overall on the 247Sports’ own rankings, announced his commitment to Florida on Saturday. on the recruiting outlet’s YouTube show. He chose Florida over Auburn, Georgia, Miami and Florida State.

While the program got a player ranked four stars, the Gators are hopeful McCray will live up to the expectations of some industry leaders who rank him even higher than that. In addition to 247Sports’ lofty top-10 ranking, On3 ranked him as the No. 8 player in the country and No. 1 defensive lineman.

ESPN has been bullish on McCray, raising him from No. 293 to No. 23 overall in its most recent update for the 2024 cycle.

The only major outlet to have McCray outside the top-25 is Rivals, which has him at No. 249. We will see if he makes a jump in the next update to these rankings.

By getting the commitment of the in-state defensive lineman, Florida got the win not only by nabbing the Mainland High School (Daytona Beach, Fla.) but by keeping him away from the rest of his top five, which consisted of two other programs in Florida and two SEC foes.

other two Florida schools in his top five and two SEC foes.

McCray is the Gators’ 22nd commit in the class of 2024 and third five-tar player, joining quarterback DJ Lagway (ranked No. 16 overall by 247Sports) and cornerback Xavier Filsaime (No. 32 overall). The recruiting class is absolutely stacked on the defensive end, with other four-stay players including linemen Amaris Williams and Nasir Johnson, edge rusher Jamonta Waller, linebackers Myles Graham, Aaron Chiles and Adarius Hayes, and cornerback Wardell Mack.

LSU offers 2025 four-star wide receiver from Homestead, Florida

Brian Kelly and his recruiting staff made a trip to Florida to check out one of the best receivers in the 2025 recruiting class.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and his recruiting staff made a trip to Florida to check out one of the best receivers in the 2025 recruiting class and to extend an offer to him. The Tigers will have to steal him away from the Miami Hurricanes if they want him.

[autotag]Cortez Mills[/autotag] is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound, four-star wide receiver from Homestead, Florida, where he plays for Homestead High School. The Homestead Broncos are 3-1 this season and they have a big game against the undefeated Columbus Explorers this Saturday.

There are no Crystal Ball projections for Mills at the moment but Miami is a 47% favorite to land him per On3.

Film Analysis: Mills is a great route runner who does a great job creating separation at the line of scrimmage.

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Top 50 LSU point guard target sets commitment date

Curtis Givens will decide between his five finalists on Oct. 7.

LSU’s men’s basketball team picked up its first commitment in the 2024 recruiting cycle last month in four-star power forward [autotag]Robert Miller[/autotag], and it’s now looking to add another top-50 prospect in [autotag]Curtis Givens[/autotag].

Givens will make his college decision on Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. CT, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. He’ll choose between a group of five finalists that includes Memphis, Indiana, Texas and Georgia Tech, in addition to the Tigers.

The four-star point guard is originally from Memphis where he plays for national basketball powerhouse Montverde Academy. He ranks just outside the top 50 in industry composite rankings, but On3 has him as the No. 33 player in the nation.

“Coach Matt (McMahon) has a history of developing great guards,” Givens said per On3. “When he was at Murray State, they had Ja Morant, and they had Cameron Payne. He’s a point guard coach who puts the ball in his point guard’s hands and lets them control the tempo.”

Memphis is the heavy favorite to land the local prospect. The Tigers recently picked up a pair of Crystal Ball predictions from 247Sports, and they’re an 86.4% favorite, per On3.

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LSU makes the top 10 for 2025 4-star receiver

One of the best wide receivers in the 2025 recruiting class has trimmed his list of top schools down to 10.

One of the best wide receivers in the 2025 recruiting class has trimmed his list of top schools down to 10. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the LSU Tigers made the list.

[autotag]Naeshaun Montgomery[/autotag] is a 6-foot, 160-pound, four-star wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting class. He is from West Palm Beach, Florida, where he plays for Cardinal Newman High School. The Cardinal Newman Crusaders are off to a 4-0 start to the 2023 season after beating Atlantic last Friday night.

Montgomery has trimmed his list of schools down to LSU, Miami, Florida, Michigan, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida State, Oregon, Penn State and Ohio State.

There are currently no Crystal Ball projections to land him but Miami is currently a 28% favorite to land him per On3. LSU currently has four commitments for the 2025 class. The headlining name so far is wide receiver [autotag]Dakorien Moore[/autotag], a five-star from Duncanville, Texas. The Tigers’ class currently ranks as the No. 6 class in the country according to 247Sports.

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