Tag: Louisiana Recruiting

BREAKING: LSU lands top-10 offensive tackle in 2023 class

LSU’s 2023 class is back in the top 10 after adding New Orleans prospect Tyree Adams.

LSU had a bit of a slow start when it came to recruiting along the offensive line this offseason, but it now has two blue-chip prospects in the 2023 class as four-star New Orleans offensive tackle [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] committed to LSU on Friday.

He chose the Tigers over Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss and others, and he joins three-star Buford, Georgia, offensive tackle [autotag]Paul Mubenga[/autotag] in the class.

Adams attends St. Augustine High School in New Orleans which also produced former LSU stars [autotag]Tyrann Mathieu[/autotag] and [autotag]Leonard Fournette[/autotag]. He the No. 196 overall prospect on the 247Sports Composite, and On3’s rankings list him as the No. 10 offensive tackle prospect in the class.

At 6-foot-5, 285 pounds, Adams has great size right out of the gate and could potentially compete for early playing time when he gets to campus. He mostly played right tackle as a junior last fall but could play on the left side as well.

Adams becomes the 17th member of LSU’s 2023 recruiting class, which now ranks No. 10 in the country on the 247Sports Composite. The Tigers have landed 11 commits for this cycle so far in July, and it doesn’t look like coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is slowing down with the team in a good position for other blue-chip Louisiana prospects like five-star Baton Rouge receiver [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag]

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Which uncommitted players are likely coming to LSU?

LSU is having a great start to July on the trail, and the month could be about to get even better.

LSU has been red hot on the recruiting trail to start July.

This is a big-time of year for commitments. Players have wrapped up their visits for the summer and may want to have their recruitment concluded before their high school season begins in the fall.

Despite the recent wave of decisions, there are still plenty of big targets on the board. LSU has positioned itself well with quite a few. A few of these decisions could come in the next few weeks, with [autotag]Jalen Brown[/autotag] even poised to decide on Friday.

Let’s take a look at some of the guys you can expect to see put pen to paper for the Tigers when signing day rolls around.

LSU flips in-state 2024 linebacker from Missouri

Three-star Xavier Atkins chose to leave one Tigers team for another.

The dominoes continue to fall for [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and his coaching staff. The Tigers landed three prospects on July 4th (all class of 2023), and on July 5th, three-star in-state linebacker [autotag]Xavier Atkins[/autotag] announced his commitment to play for LSU at the next level.

Atkins is a 6-foot-1, 200-pound linebacker from Jonesboro, Louisiana, where he plays for Jonesboro-Hodge High School. The Jonesboro-Hodge Tigers finished last season 10-4 with a loss to Amite in the Louisiana Class 2A semifinals.

He becomes the second commit in the 2024 class and the first linebacker. [autotag]Maurice Williams[/autotag] is his only cohort in that class, but things could change quickly as LSU is expected to be in contention for many players as they announce their commitments this month.

Atkins was committed to playing for Missouri until he committed from one Tiger team yesterday to join another one, one that felt more like home. It’s been a great past few days if you are a Tigers fan.

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LSU target Derek Williams commits to Texas

One of the top recruits in Louisiana will be leaving the state.

LSU got some bad news on Monday when one of the top players in the state of Louisiana and the best defensive backs in the country committed to play elsewhere.

[autotag]Derek Williams[/autotag], a safety from New Iberia, announced that he would be heading to Texas.

According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Williams is a five-star and the third-best safety in the class of 2023. He’s rated as the third-best player in the state of Louisiana, as well.

It never felt like LSU was in the lead with Williams, but there was hope the staff could make up some ground as they got their feet under them. He took an official visit to Texas just a few days ago, and it appears it was enough to seal the deal.

This has raised some concerns among LSU fans who think [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is not doing enough to lock down Louisiana. Right now, it’s not clear if those criticisms are fair, but the Tigers are now in a position where it needs to prove themselves and land some big names in the coming weeks.

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On3 prediction entered in favor of Texas for four-star safety Derek Williams

On3 has Williams as the No. 2 safety in the country and 247Sports rates him a five-star prospect.

On3’s Gerry Hamilton entered a new prediction in favor of Texas this afternoon. Continue reading “On3 prediction entered in favor of Texas for four-star safety Derek Williams”

BREAKING: No. 1 prospect Arch Manning has made his college decision

Manning committed to the Texas Longhorns on Thursday.

The [autotag]Arch Manning[/autotag] sweepstakes has finally come to an end.

On Thursday, the No. 1 prospect in the 2023 recruiting class announced his commitment to Texas over Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Florida and others. Manning — the grandson of Archie Manning, son of Cooper and nephew of recently retired stars Eli and Peyton — is one of the best quarterback prospects of all time, earning the highest possible rating on the 247Sports Composite.

The Tigers were one of many teams very actively involved in Manning’s recruitment, and they hoped to contend for the product of the Isidore Newman School in New Orleans. However, it became clear in recent months that LSU was behind a number of teams on his list, and coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] began looking elsewhere for a 2023 signal-caller.

He’ll be joining a quarterback room in Austin that suddenly looks very crowded. The Longhorns landed 2021’s top quarterback and No. 1 prospect, Quinn Ewers, in the transfer portal from Ohio State. The two could be set for a showdown next offseason, depending on how Ewers performs this season.

After his father, grandfather and uncles all committed to and played for SEC programs, Manning has bucked that trend. That is until Texas joins the conference, which will happen at some point while he’s in Austin.

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Could LSU be close to landing 5-star receiver Shelton Sampson Jr.?

The Baton Rouge prospect remains LSU’s top priority in 2023.

LSU is still waiting for several dominoes to fall with in-state recruits in the class of 2023. Most of the top targets remain on the board as the staff looks to build momentum heading into the season.

Five-star wideout [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] may be on the top of that list.

Yes, I know [autotag]Arch Manning[/autotag] is technically from the state of Louisiana, but I don’t think we’ll ever see the day where someone with the last name ‘Manning’ is an LSU Tiger.

Sampson is a Baton Rouge native and has visited campus plenty of times. The only 247Sports Crystal Ball projection has him as a Tiger, as does On3’s prediction system.

It seems like LSU has done a good job putting itself in a solid position with the No. 30 overall prospect on the 247Sports Composite, which could pay off soon.

While other schools might remain in the mix, this race is between LSU, Alabama and Florida State.

Sampson has an official visit lined up with Alabama this weekend. Last weekend, he took an official at Florida State.

He still has official visits left to take in the fall, but we have seen players commit before every visit is used. It’s possible that after the Alabama visit, he has enough information to commit.

LSU could be a bit worried about the trip to Alabama. Nick Saban’s staff is the only one that has been consistently able to come in and land Louisiana’s top players. When it comes to Sampson, only time will tell.

Either way, I’m sure LSU would like to get a commitment from Sampson soon as he’s the type of player that can set off a chain of commits, especially in state.

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LSU gaining momentum for 2023 5-star receiver, Baton Rouge native

Shelton Sampson Jr. is one of LSU’s top targets still on the board, and it seems to be in a good position to land him.

Aside from the quarterbacks, there is one clear top target remaining for LSU in the 2023 recruiting class: five-star receiver [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag]

Sampson is a Baton Rouge native who plays for Catholic High School — the same school former star running back [autotag]Clyde Edwards-Helaire[/autotag] attended — and the 6-foot-4 pass-catcher is a must-get for coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the Tigers.

He was on campus this past weekend for an unofficial visit, and according to On3’s Sam Spiegelman, he feels “very comfortable” with the coaching staff. As a result of this new intel, Spiegelman updated his confidence projection for LSU on the On3 RPM to 75%.

Sampson is rated as the No. 30 overall player and No. 5 receiver in the 2023 class by the 247Sports Composite. His lone crystal ball projection on 247Sports is also in favor of the Tigers, which was made back in June.

He will be heading to Florida State for an official visit this weekend with a trip scheduled to Alabama the following weekend. LSU, Texas A&M and Oregon are also in the mix for official visits, per Spiegelman, but some of those may come next winter after the conclusion of his senior season.

It’s absolutely imperative that this coaching staff does not let elite in-state talent leave the Boot, and that is all the more important when talking about a player right in the Tigers’ backyard.

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No. 2 safety in 2023, in-state prospect lists LSU among top 8

The Tigers will look to keep Derek Williams in the state of Louisiana.

Any time there’s an elite prospect in the state of Louisiana, you can bet that the Tigers are going to be a player in their recruitment.

This is currently holding true for Westgate (New Iberia, Louisiana) four-star defensive back [autotag]Derek Williams[/autotag], the No. 2 safety in the 2023 class and third-best prospect in Louisiana according to the 247Sports Composite. Williams released his top eight schools on Saturday, including the Tigers in that mix.

Also included are Clemson, Miami, Texas, Alabama, Michigan, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. There are currently no crystal ball projections for the rising senior, but he is listed as a heavy favorite (88.8%) to the Crimson Tide according to the On3 RPM.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound prospect currently only has one official visit set — a trip to see the Longhorns on June 24 — and the Tigers will hope they can snag one of the other four visits for the nation’s No. 38 player.

He received an offer back in August 2020 under the previous coaching staff, and he took an unofficial visit to Baton Rouge last June. He’s also taken a trip to campus to meet with the new staff, which occurred in March.

LSU’s class currently features just five commits and ranks 23rd nationally, but adding a player like Williams could boost that ranking quite a bit, as it currently doesn’t have a commitment from a prospect ranked in the top 130.

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Top 2023 quarterback Arch Manning sets a trio of June official visits

Manning will be taking trips to the three schools that many analysts view as his top choices.

The recruitment process for the most anticipated player in the 2023 recruiting class continues to draw closer to its conclusion.

Five-star quarterback [autotag]Arch Manning[/autotag], the No. 1 recruit in the country and nephew of former NFL greats Peyton and Eli (as well as the grandson of Archie), has set three of his five official visits, all of which will take place during the month of June.

Manning will be heading to Athens to visit Georgia during the first weekend of June, and he’ll go to Alabama and Texas the following two weekends. He’s taken several unofficial visits to each of those schools, and they seem to be emerging as the frontrunners.

However, LSU is among a litany of teams hoping to secure one of the final two visits. Manning plays high school ball right in the Tigers’ backyard at the Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, and coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has been heavily involved in his recruiting process.

Still, it seems that LSU is starting to fall behind in the race for Manning and has understandably turned its attention elsewhere. The Tigers have recently picked up steam with a pair of five-star prospects in [autotag]Dante Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag], making the top 7 for the latter.

LSU legacy and in-state prospect [autotag]Eli Holstein[/autotag], a four-star, also remains a possibility, though the Crimson Tide seems to have the momentum right now — a dynamic that could obviously change depending on what Manning chooses to do.

For now, there seems to be a clear line between Manning’s top-three and the rest of the schools competing for him. LSU is on the wrong side of that line, and it’s likely going to continue to focus on its numerous backup plans.

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