Tag: Isaac Smith

Where LSU’s recruiting class stands in the 247Sports Composite Rankings after the early signing period

The Tigers are just outside the top five nationally following the early signing period.

The three-day early signing period is officially in the books as LSU turns its attention to a Citrus Bowl contest against Purdue on Jan. 2 and welcoming its early enrollees to campus.

Early signing day was a bit anti-climactic for Tigers fans. Coach Brian Kelly’s staff lost out on the sweepstakes for [autotag]Desmond Ricks[/autotag], a five-star IMG Academy cornerback who picked Alabama. It also failed to land uncommitted four-star Mississippi defensive back [autotag]Isaac Smith[/autotag], who pledged to Mississippi State, and it lost one commit in cornerback [autotag]Daylen Austin[/autotag], who flipped to Oregon.

However, it wasn’t all bad. LSU pulled a flip of their own, bringing in Vanderbilt tight end commit [autotag]Ka’Morreun Pimpton[/autotag], and it signed all 25 of its commits, excluding Austin.

The Tigers aren’t necessarily done yet as the normal signing period opens in February. They will have at least one target committing then in five-star athlete [autotag]Nyckoles Harbor[/autotag].

But the Tigers are mostly done in 2023, and we have a good idea of what this class is going to look like when it’s all said and done. Here’s where it ranks in the 247Sports Composite Rankings after the early signing period.

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LSU is deemed a winner on national signing day by On3

It was about as good an early signing day as the Tigers could ask for as they signed 25 commits.

LSU had a near-flawless national signing day as it entered the day with 25 commitments and ended it with 25 signees.

The only hiccup the Tigers had was [autotag]Daylen Austin[/autotag] flipping his commitment to Oregon, but LSU filled that spot after they flipped four-star tight end [autotag]Ka’Morreun Pimpton[/autotag] from Vanderbilt.

Other than that, the only miss the Tigers coaching staff had was that they weren’t able to pry [autotag]Isaac Smith[/autotag] away from Mississippi State.

They were named one of the winners from national signing day by On3.

Much like Texas, nearly all of LSU’s work was done prior to Wednesday. But Brian Kelly and Co. finished strong by holding off a late charge from Auburn for offensive lineman DJ Chester and beat out Texas to flip four-star tight end Ka’Morreun Pimpton from Vanderbilt.

The Tigers still have a few names left to keep an eye on between now and February, with five-star cornerback Desmond Ricks announcing tomorrow and five-star athlete Nyckoles Harbor set to go in January.

LSU entered the day needed to address depth issues at tight end, at the defensive line, and in the secondary. The Tigers signed three tight ends (Markway, McGohan, and Pimpton) three defensive linemen (Womack, Howard, and Carpenter), and six defensive backs (Toviano, Jackson, Yaites, Daugherty, Hughes, and Stamps).

Plus they added four offensive linemen (Mubenga, Adams, Chester, and Heard) to help that group as well. I’d say it was a great day to be a fan of LSU.

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BREAKING: LSU defensive back target commits to Mississippi State

The Tigers missed on the top uncommitted safety on their board in Isaac Smith.

It’s been a great early signing day for the Tigers so far, but they missed one of the top remaining uncommitted prospects on their board when [autotag]Isaac Smith[/autotag] signed with Mississippi State.

The safety from Itawamba Agricultural (Fulton, Mississippi) received several Crystal Balls from 247Sports for the Tigers, but he had been trending toward Mississippi State in recent days and picked up a prediction for MSU from Steve Wiltfong Wednesday morning. His commitment to the Bulldogs doesn’t come as a major surprise.

Smith is rated as the No. 162 player in the country, per the 247Sports Composite, and he would have been the third-highest-rated defensive back in LSU’s class.

Still, the Tigers have a fantastic secondary class that includes top-100 safety [autotag]Javien Toviano[/autotag]. They also have commitments from safeties Ryan Yaites, [autotag]Michael Daugherty[/autotag] and [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag].

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Five LSU recruiting targets to keep an eye on as the early signing period nears

The Tigers are looking for a strong close to an already good recruiting class.

We are only a few days away from the beginning of the early signing period on Wednesday, and the 2023 class is shaping up to be a phenomenal one for LSU.

The class was already ranked as the No. 5 class in the country before [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] committed, and now the Alabama wideout transfer has added a former five-star to the mix. The Tigers have a chance to land a few more guys as well.

A couple of them will be signing on Thursday in cornerback [autotag]Desmond Ricks[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Jordan Hall[/autotag] — two really talented guys on the defensive side of the ball. LSU is considered the favorite for Ricks while Georgia seems to lead for Hall, but anything can happen.

Here are five prospects for Tigers fans to watch as the 2023 class winds to a close.

LSU is one of several programs looking for a strong close on signing day

The Tigers could end up with the best defensive back class in the country.

Though the official national signing day doesn’t come until February, a lot of that event’s fanfare has been replaced by early signing day in December, when the vast majority of prospects ink their letters of intent.

That’s coming up on Wednesday, and with the Tigers already having a top-five class in 2023 and pushing for more, the next week will be crucial. Coach Brian Kelly’s team was listed by On3’s Keegan Pope as one of four programs looking to close out strong as we approach the early signing period.

Here’s Pope’s breakdown of the recruiting situation for LSU as things currently stand in December.

On3 Consensus Team Ranking: No. 5
Commitments: 24
Avg. Rating Per Commit: 91.34

The number of targets still on the board for LSU continues to shrink, but Brian Kelly and Co. have a chance over the next few days to lock in LSU’s best class in half a decade. Four-star Arlington (Texas) Martin safety Javien Toviano is set to commit tomorrow with LSU still trending in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM). Texas, Texas A&M and other schools are still making a run at him, though. Elsewhere in the defensive backfield, LSU has its eyes on four-star cornerback Desmond Ricks (deciding on Dec. 22) and Itawamba (Miss.) four-star safety Isaac Smith.

Much like Toviano, the Tigers are trending for Ricks and Smith, but they’ll have to fight off some tough challengers over the next week. If Kelly and Co. can close all three, it just might solidify the best defensive back class in the country.

One of those dominoes already fell on Thursday as Toviano announced his commitment to the Tigers. They also remain the heavy favorite for Ricks, one of the top players in the class after reclassifying from 2024. If the Tigers can land Ricks and Smith, this will likely end up as a top-three class.

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Where Wisconsin football transfers will call home this upcoming season

Here are where each of the Wisconsin football transfers will be playing next season:

College athletics have changed forever with the implementation of the transfer portal and their ability to change schools one time without having to sit out a season.

All schools have fallen victim to offseason transfer portal attrition, and the University of Wisconsin is no different. Players leave a program for a multitude of reasons, whether that be in search of more playing time or simply to get closer to home.

Thankfully for UW, they’ve largely been able to keep their core pieces intact, while using their available scholarships to pursue immediate impact players to plug holes on the roster.

However, Wisconsin saw several players enter the transfer portal in hopes of finding a new home they deemed to be a better fit.

Here, in no particular order, are where Wisconsin football transfers will call home this upcoming season:

Former Badgers WR Isaac Smith finds a new home in the transfer portal

The former Badgers WR has found a new home for 2022:

After entering the transfer portal back in February, former Badgers wide receiver Isaac Smith has finally found a new home for the upcoming season. 

Per an announcement on his twitter account, Smith has decided to transfer to Eastern Michigan University to continue his playing career. 

Per the 247sports composite, Smith was the No. 1253 overall prospect in the 2020 recruiting class, the No. 183 WR in the country, and the No. 36 player in the state of Tennessee. 

The former three-star recruit was part of a three WR recruiting class in 2020 that also featured Chimere Dike and Devin Chandler. Smith never made an appearance in a game during his two seasons at Wisconsin, and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

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Vaunted 4-star safety seeks Florida visit after receiving offer

This big-time safety prospect really wants to visit Florida.

The recruiting trail is getting red hot in Gainesville as Florida football’s new head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his army of staffers burn the midnight oil in their efforts to bring the best prospects into the fold. The month of March featured a flurry of visits from potential players that has continued as the calendar flipped to April.

Among the many making the trek down I-75 this month is four-star safety Isaac Smith out of Fulton (Mississippi) Itawamba Agricultural, who received an offer from co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] last week. The 6-foot, 200-pound high school junior has since voiced his desire to get better acclimated with the staff and the campus via a visit, according to Swamp247.

While his contact with the team has been funneled primarily through Toney and cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag], he has also been connected with others on the staff.

“Things have been building up for a little while with Florida,” Smith said. “Me and coach [Jamar] Chaney have been in contact since he was at Mississippi State. I have been talking to him for about two years now. When he went to Florida, we stayed in contact. We kept getting close, but I was also starting to talk with Coach [Corey] Raymond a little bit too. I talked to him last week and he also put the defensive coordinator the phone. We chopped it up a little bit and then he offered me.”

An in-person visit would certainly help improve these relationships by helping to put a face to the name as well as allowing both parties to nurture more intimate relationships than those that are developed over a distance. Smith also mentioned that he knows little about the school’s history, which makes bringing him to Hogtown that much more important, but did note that he “can see they are going to be building something big in the future.”

While a specific date for his visit has not yet been arranged, Smith says, “I will for sure try and get out there to visit them. If I can’t get out there to visit them in the spring I will in the summer.”

The safety prospect is ranked No. 169 overall and No. 13 at his position nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite, while the On3 Consensus ranks him at No. 153 and No. 9, respectively. The Ole Miss Rebels are currently listed in the lead for his services by both publications.

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Wide receiver Isaac Smith enters the transfer portal

Former three-star recruit Isaac Smith has entered the transfer portal.

To the surprise of nobody, Badgers wide receiver Isaac Smith entered the transfer portal on Tuesday. 

Smith was a member of Wisconsin’s 2020 recruiting class that also featured WR’s Chimere Dike and Devin Chandler. 

The former three-star recruit never appeared in a game during his two seasons at Wisconsin.

The program is currently overhauling their receiver room, having brought in three wideouts in the 2022 class, moved Dean Engram over from the defense, and added one (Keontez Lewis) in the transfer portal.

The redshirt-freshman will now look for a better opportunity to see the field. 

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Vols offer 2023 safety Isaac Smith

Highlights of 2023 safety and Vols’ target Isaac Smith.

Second-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and his coaching staff continue to recruit future Vols.

Tennessee has offered a scholarship to 2023 safety prospect Isaac Smith.

“Beyond blessed to have received an offer from the University of Tennessee,” Smith announced.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Smith is from Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, Mississippi.

Smith has Power Five offers from Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Virginia and West Virginia.

Below are highlights of Smith.

Tennessee’s 2023 football commitment tracker

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