Tag: Rickie Collins

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:

BREAKING: Rickie Collins commits to LSU

Brian Kelly adds local quarterback to 2023 recruiting class

Rickie Collins, a six-foot-two, 190-pound quarterback from Woodlawn high school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana has announced his commitment to LSU on ‘The Jordy Culotta Show’.

This is the first signal-caller Brian Kelly has landed in the 2023 class. Collins was formerly committed to Purdue but recently de-committed as Kelly started going all-in to try and get him. Collins is rated as a four-star quarterback by 247Sports and he is listed as the No. 13 quarterback in the country.

As I have said many times, Kelly made it a point to ‘Recruit the Boot’ when he got to LSU and although he hasn’t landed every great player in the state, he has landed a few. Especially when you think about the recent commitment of Shelton Sampson Jr.

LSU landed a prep quarterback from Louisiana last year in Walker Howard. That competition will be a fun one to watch going forward. There is nothing wrong with having a little competition in the quarterback room.

Opinion: Brian Kelly’s Louisiana recruiting earns stamp of approval

With Shelton Sampson Jr. on board, Kelly has eased concerns about in-state recruiting.

I have never been Brian Kelly’s biggest defender nor his biggest critic.

I’ve always said he is a competent coach who will win a handful of football games wherever he is. He isn’t Nick Saban, but then again, who is?

I think too much was made about how Kelly fit at LSU. Lincoln Riley is from Lubbock, Texas, and nobody made a fuss when he ended up in Southern California.

We also watched Saban and Les Miles win championships at LSU. Neither one of those guys screams Louisiana. If you win football games, people don’t really care about where you’re from, and Kelly has won a lot of football games.

There were questions on how he’d fare recruiting Louisiana. Some of that was because there was all that noise about the culture fit, and some of it was because he’s never been seen as an ace recruiter.

The first few months were iffy. It was a challenge to gain momentum with recruits during the transition. LSU watched as other schools made progress with top recruits like [autotag]Derek Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Tackett Curtis[/autotag]. Longtime commit [autotag]Omarion Miller[/autotag] flipped and followed [autotag]Mickey Joseph[/autotag] to Nebraska.

LSU was having success nationally, but I wanted to see more success in Louisiana. Over the last month or so, Kelly has eased any criticism I had on that front.

LSU pulled in commitments from Louisiana prospects OT [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] and RB [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag].

The big one came on Saturday when WR [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] gave his pledge and LSU got one of it’s biggest targets.

Sampson was a guy LSU could not miss on. A five-star receiver from Baton Rouge. If Kelly couldn’t seal the deal here, his critics were going to have a field day.

LSU has been building steam with OT [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag]. A big-time prospect from Monroe, Louisiana, who On3 has as a five-star.

Baton Rouge quarterback [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] recently decommitted from Purdue and looks destined to end up a Tiger. Safety [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag] received a 247Sports Crystal Ball to LSU earlier this month.

When it’s all said and done, LSU is going to have a solid class of Louisiana recruits. The Tigers still need to show improvement on the field, but Kelly has done a lot with less talent than he has now.

A decent season should have LSU in a good position to run the state in 2024.

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4-star Baton Rouge quarterback decommits from Purdue, considered LSU lean

The Tigers have quickly become the favorite to land Ricky Collins since he backed off his pledge on Monday night.

The wait for a quarterback in the 2023 class has been drawn out for the LSU Tigers, but it may be coming to an end sooner rather than later.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] got some good news late Monday night as four-star Woodlawn (Baton Rouge) quarterback [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] decommitted from Purdue after spending nearly a year pledged to the Boilermakers.

After missing on several of the class’ top targets like [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag], [autotag]Dante Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]Arch Manning[/autotag], Collins quickly rose up LSU’s board. It is one of several schools that has been ramping up efforts with him in recent weeks.

Shortly following his decommitment, 247Sports Director of Football Recruiting Steve Wiltfong placed a Crystal Ball in the Tigers’ favor for Collins, and he was shortly joined by five other predictions for LSU.

On3 also gives LSU a 97.8% chance of landing him.

Collins is the No. 177 overall prospect and No. 13 quarterback, according to the 247Sports Composite. While the Tigers have enough depth to go without a quarterback this cycle, that’s not necessarily the safest approach in the transfer portal era.

It seems that may not be the case, though, and some more good news with Collins will likely be coming down the pipeline shortly.

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