Tag: Rickie Collins

Where LSU stands in the 247Sports Composite recruiting rankings after Zalance Heard’s commitment

After landing yet another top-100 prospect, the Tigers are on the rise.

The month of August may not have been as explosive on the recruiting trail for the Tigers as July was, but they were able to maintain a lot of their momentum.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] added three blue-chip commits to his 2023 class: five-star wideout [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], four-star quarterback [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] and four-star athlete [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag] — all Louisiana prospects.

Then, the Tigers kicked off September in a big way by landing offensive tackle [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag], another in-state prospect who is listed as a four-star by 247Sports but is a five-star according to other recruiting services.

With these pickups, here’s where Kelly’s class stands among the rest of the country per the 247Sports Composite.

Where is LSU in the latest recruiting rankings?

The Tigers are approaching a top-five class after its recruiting momentum has continued into August.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the LSU Tigers coaching staff have had a great month of August so far. The Tigers landed four excellent prospects for the class of 2023, [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] and [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag].

So how does that affect the recruiting rankings for the Tigers?

According to the new On3 rankings, LSU has moved up to the sixth position overall and they may not be done landing commitments. [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] and [autotag]Nyckoles Harbor[/autotag] are waiting in the wings.

Harbor doesn’t have a commitment date set yet, but Heard is set to commit on Sept. 1, and he is currently Crystal Balled to go to LSU. His commitment alone could move the Tigers up into the top five of the recruiting rankings.

That would be a nice present for Kelly as the season gets started next Sunday night against the Florida State Seminoles at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

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Four-star athlete Khai Prean commits to LSU

Prean gives the Tigers 21 commits for the 2023 class, which ranks sixth nationally.

The Tigers’ run of success in the state of Louisiana for the 2023 class continued on Tuesday as coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] picked up a commitment from a top in-state talent.

Four-star St. James athlete [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag] chose the Tigers over Auburn, Florida State and Mississippi State. Prean, who plays both receiver and in the secondary at the high school level but will likely stick to offense for LSU, is rated as the No. 259 overall prospect and the 15th-best in Louisiana.

His commitment gives LSU 21 commits in total for the 2023 class. The Tigers’ group remains ranked sixth nationally, but if they could pick up another commitment — such as five-star in-state tackle [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] — they could sneak into the top five.

Despite early concerns about his recruiting acumen in the Pelican State, Kelly has been crushing it on the trail in the Tigers’ backyard. Just in the month of August, he has picked up pledges from five-star receiver [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] and four-star quarterback [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] (both natives of Baton Rouge) and defensive back [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag] (Zachary).

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Let’s Talk About It: How is ‘Recruiting the Boot’ going for LSU?

Coach Brian Kelly has silenced much of the criticism surrounding his in-state recruiting.

For the past few months, there have been many posts on social media and football message boards about how LSU coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was not doing a great job recruiting the best players from Louisiana. So, we’re going to take a look into how well the Tigers are doing when it comes to ‘Recruiting the Boot’.

Of the top 15 recruits in Louisiana for the class of 2023, LSU currently has five commits ([autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag]) and they have  Crystal Ball projections for two more ([autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] and [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag]).

If you go back one more spot, LSU could possibly land eight out of the top 16 players in the state — [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag], another LSU commit, is No. 16 on the list.

Sure, Kelly missed out on some of the top prospects like [autotag]Arch Manning[/autotag], [autotag]Derek Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Eli Holstein[/autotag] and [autotag]Tackett Curtis[/autotag], but this isn’t Pokémon.

You aren’t going to catch them all.

Landing 50% of the top 16 players in the state is a very high clip. It’s also a lot more than anyone else has in your state. Out of the top 16 players, LSU could land eight while Texas has two (Manning and Williams). Alabama ([autotag]Eli Holstein[/autotag]), USC ([autotag]Tackett Curtis[/autotag]), Notre Dame ([autotag]Jaiden Ausberry[/autotag]), Nebraska ([autotag]Omarion Miller[/autotag]), Tennessee ([autotag]Jordan Matthews[/autotag]), and Washington ([autotag]Curley Reed[/autotag]) each have one.

No, it has not been a perfect recruiting cycle, but, in my opinion, it has been pretty successful.

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5-star LSU target sets his commitment date

The Tigers will look to pull yet another elite Louisiana prospect.

[autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] is a 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive tackle from Monroe, Louisiana, where he plays for Neville High School. The Tigers finished last season 11-2 with a loss in the LHSAA Class 4A state semifinals to Warren Easton.

On Monday, he announced a commitment date of Sept. 1, when he will decide between Nebraska, Florida, Houston, Florida State and LSU.

Heard is ranked as a five-star by On3, which lists him as the No. 13 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has been on a roll lately when it comes to recruiting the boot as he has landed commitments from a trio of blue-chip recruits. ([autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag], [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag]).

Those commitments and Kelly’s narrative of ‘Recruit the Boot’ have helped the Tigers land some of the best athletes in what Kelly calls ‘The State of Football‘. The type of offense Kelly likes to use is a pro-style offense where there will be a huge focus on running the football, and being successful in the running games starts in the trenches. Heard is a guy that could help the Tigers a lot in that aspect.

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Tyrann Mathieu helping LSU apply full-court press in elite cornerback’s recruitment

The #toviano2theboot movement now has the NFL star on board.

If National Signing Day were tomorrow, LSU would already have a top-tier recruiting class in the 2023 cycle.

The group currently features 20 commits, 11 of which rank in the top 200 (and three in the top 100). Coach Brian Kelly’s bump class already ranks sixth nationally.

But National Signing Day isn’t tomorrow, and Kelly is not done yet. The Tigers have landed three of their top in-state targets this month — [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] and [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag] — and are in a good position for a fourth in four-star athlete [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag].

Now, the staff is turning its attention to an elite out-of-state prospect whose commitment would certainly vault the class into the top five.

Martin (Arlington, Texas) cornerback [autotag]Javien Toviano[/autotag] is the No. 35 overall player in the country, per the 247Sports Composite, and LSU has started the social media campaign “#toviano2theboot” in hopes of pulling him away from the many top programs that are after him.

As you can see from the above tweet, LSU’s commits in the 2023 cycle are actively recruiting Toviano, but it’s not just current players getting in on his recruitment.

Former standout cornerback and current New Orleans Saint [autotag]Tyrann Mathieu[/autotag] is also taking part in the campaign to bring Toviano to the Bayou.

The Tigers likely have some ground to make up here. Texas received two Crystal Ball projections for Toviano back in April, but Texas A&M is currently a slim favorite on the On3 RPM. Either way, LSU will need a late push to woo him away from the in-state powers.

Kelly is going all hands on deck for this one, and landing Toviano would be one of his biggest recruiting wins since arriving in Baton Rouge.

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Blue-chip target Khai Prean sets commitment date

LSU is a heavy favorite for the in-state athlete.

LSU has a lot of momentum in the recruitment of four-star St. James athlete [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag], and it seems that process is heading toward a conclusion.

On Saturday, Prean announced that he will be making his college decision on Tuesday. He’s down to four finalists, which include Auburn, Florida State, Mississippi State and the Tigers.

In-state LSU is considered the heavy favorite by the On3 RPM. Just two days ago, the Tigers had a 79.3% chance of landing him. After he set his commitment date, their odds rose to 97.8%.

They also hold five Crystal Ball projections for Prean from 247Sports — including one from the director of football recruiting, Steve Wiltfong, who has an accuracy of 97.45% on 314 predictions in this cycle.

Since picking up an offer from the Tigers in March, he has made the 30-mile trip to Baton Rouge a handful of times, including at the end of July.

“When I went up (to Baton Rouge) for the junior day, I got to meet Coach Frank (Wilson) and I really like the type of person he is,” Prean told On3 last month. “He’s real straightforward, doesn’t hold anything back, and I feel like that’s one person I can go to with anything.

“I got to sit down with Coach Kelly and meet him and knowing he’s the coach with the most wins; sitting down with and him talking to him one-on-one, I liked how he carried himself and with the most wins, he kept his composure and was humble. That’s what I like to see in a head coach and I liked his plan to use me across the middle, to create mismatches in the defense and in the passing game. He compared me to [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] and said I had the toughness you can’t teach.”

LSU had a big month on the recruiting trail in July, and that success has carried into August. Since the beginning of the month, it has landed five-star receiver [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], four-star safety [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag] and four-star quarterback [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag].

Prean — who plays running back and safety while also returning kicks for St. James High School — is the nation’s No. 256 player, according to the 247Sports Composite. LSU’s 2023 class currently ranks sixth in the nation, and landing Prean could boost it into the top five.

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BREAKING: Top-200 safety Kylin Jackson commits to LSU

LSU has landed yet another blue-chip prospect from the state of Louisiana

Coach Brian Kelly’s hot streak in the state of Louisiana continued on Saturday, as the Tigers secured the commitment of four-star 2023 safety [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag].

LSU was considered the favorite to land Jackson — the No. 167 player in the country and No. 10 safety — for a while now, but it’s never a done deal. Especially when you are competing with Texas A&M.

Jackson is a 6-foot-1, 195-pound safety from Zachary, Louisiana, where he plays for Zachary High School. The Broncos finished last season 15-0 with a win over Ponchatoula in the LHSAA Class 5A state championship game.

He is a safety that isn’t afraid to come from his position in the backfield and knock your block off. He does a great job in run support as well as in coverage.

After Kelly got commitments from [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag], Kelly was checking all of the boxes for recruiting the Boot.

The other big domino on that board? Jackson.

Prior to Jackson’s commitment, LSU’s 2023 recruiting class was ranked as the No. 6 class in the country according to On3. The Tigers could move into the top five with his commitment.

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LSU is trending to land four-star athlete Khai Prean

The Tigers could be about to add another top prospect from Louisiana.

According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, LSU is trending toward landing 2023 four-star athlete [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag]. Prean is a 6-foot, 180-pound athlete from Saint James, Louisiana, where he plays for St. James High School.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the Tigers have been on fire in the recruiting trail here lately as they landed a commitment from four-star quarterback [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] this past week and are the favorite to land [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag], a four-star safety from Zachary, Louisiana, as well.

LSU also swept in and got a commitment from five-star wide receiver [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] Project ‘Recruit the Boot’ is going according to plan as far as the 2023 class is concerned. As of now, the Tigers recruiting class ranks as the No. 6 class in the country according to 247Sports.

If the Tigers can land Jackson and Prean, they will definitely move into the top five.

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Updated 2023 class rankings following Rickie Collins’ commitment

A look at the top 25 recruiting rankings for the 2023 class following the commitment of Rickie Collins.

The LSU Tigers and head Brian Kelly are making waves on the trails as of late. Most notably by adding five-star WR Shelton Sampson Jr and four-star QB Rickie Collins.

This gave Kelly his No. 18 and No. 19 commits to the 2023 class. Which bumped them up inside the top 10 and knocked on the door of the top five classes. Among the top five, you will find the usual suspects with two SEC squads and a future conference foe.

With the class coming together for the first-year head coach and the 2022 college football season on the horizon, LSU Wire takes a look at the updated rankings in the ’23 class.

Here is how the class rankings break down among the top 25 per 247Sports: