LSU stayed hot on the recruiting trail with the addition of a three-star corner on Thursday night.
LSU’s hot streak on the recruiting trail continued on Thursday.
[autotag]Jeremiah Hughes[/autotag], a three-star cornerback from Las Vegas announced his commitment to LSU. He chose the Tigers over Arkansas, Utah and TCU.
Hughes is LSU’s third cornerback commit in the 2023 class. He joins four-star [autotag]Daylen Austin[/autotag] and three-star [autotag]Ashton Stamps[/autotag].
He continues LSU’s success on the national trail. Bishop Gorman is a Catholic school that [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] likely had a relationship with from his time at Notre Dame.
The consensus rankings have Hughes as a three-star, but ESPN has him as a four-star. His’ recruitment didn’t take off until recently, and we could see him continue to rise in the rankings in the coming month as he continues to focus more on defense.
šØBREAKINGšØ 3-star CB Jeremiah Hughes has committed to LSUšÆ
This also bodes well for LSU cornerbacks coach [autotag]Robert Steeples[/autotag]’ recruiting ability. Steeples is new to the college ranks and could still be getting his feet under him on the recruiting trail.
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The Tigers landed a pledge from Saint Louis, Missouri, tight end Mac Markway on Thursday.
Mac Markway, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound four-star tight end from Saint Louis, Missouri, announced his commitment to play for the LSU Tigers on Thursday. Markway is the first commitment of the Brian Kelly era at LSU and just the second player to join the Tigers’ 2023 class.
There are a lot of ties on this staff that connects LSU to Markway. Cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples actually coached Markway at De Smet Jesuit High School before he joined the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff.Ā Special Teams/Recruiting Coordinator Brian Polian recruited Markway while he was working at Notre Dame, and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock had recruited Markway in the past as well.
Markway and his family were in Baton Rouge for an unofficial visit earlier this month. Denbrock and Kelly both impressed his family on the visit with their plan for him and the program.
āHe (Denbrock) is a great guy! We talked about what their goal is and how they are going to achieve it. Iām really excited to see,āĀ Markway told On3. āHe (Kelly) was also first class. We talked about everything that he wants to do with the program and how they will use me. The tight end will definitely be the heart and soul of that team.ā
Markway was a former commit to play for the Florida Gators before they made their coaching change to Billy Napier. According to On3, Markway is the No. 9 tight end in the country, the No. 4 tight end in Missouri and the No. 117 player overall for the class of 2023.
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The new era of LSU Tigers football begins now. The disastrous two-year run following the national title run is now in the rearview mirror. A team that won 16-straight games from the 2018 Fiesta Bowl through the 2019 CFP national championship game, only managed 11 wins combined in 2020 and 2021.
Then head coach Ed Orgeron was given his separation papers following the win over Florida. The wheels were already in motion the week prior when LSU fell to Kentucky 42-21 in Lexington. Athletic director Scott Woodward had seen enough and it was time to make a change. The brass opted to go the route of Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The hire raised eyebrows but now it is time for Kelly to get the Tigers back on track. After being a middling team for two years, LSU is hungry for a competitive team again. We will soon see if the staff compiled by the new head coach will pay dividends.
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According to Brandon Marcello of 247Sports, the staff under Brian Kelly at LSU gets a grade of A. They finished behind the Florida Gators in the SEC with a grade of A+. Their annual rivals hired Billy Napier right out of the Tigers’ backyard in Lafayette. These hires will be under the microscope to see which team made the better hire.
What Marcello Says…
Brian Bahr/Getty Images
Kelly had the Irish in College Football Playoff contention once again in 2021 and it appeared his 2022 and 2023 units were the best equipped to finally win the programās first title since 1989. He can probably push LSU into contention in 2023 with a couple of Top 5 signing classes and a half dozen instant-impact stars out of the transfer portal. He certainly built a tremendous staff to get those type of players on campus and develop them into superstars. Perhaps the biggest hire in assistant coaching circles was Frank Wilson, the McNeese State head coach who resigned from his post to become the Tigersā running backs coach for a second time. Reviews among those in the industry are mixed with Cincinnati offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock as a game-day coach but, again, time will tell. This is a solid staff with SEC connections and a shared championship mentality.
Underrated hiring might be his addition of Matt House as the defensive coordinator coupled with Jamar Cain as the defensive line coach. Only time will tell as to whether Robert Steeples is the right choice as the secondary coach. His first time as a position coach. He comes from the Minnesota Vikings where he was a special teams assistant.
House spent time in the SEC as the defensive coordinator of the Kentucky Wildcats in 2017 and 2018. In his final season with UK, House’s defense finished as a top-six scoring defense with just 16.8 points per game allowed. That season Josh Allen punished quarterbacks with 88 total tackles, 21.5 TFLs, and 17 sacks. That might be how they view edge rusher BJ Ojulari, who led the team in quarterback pressures with 54 in 2021.
Cain is expected to elevate a pass rush that was lacking for the Tigers in 2021. The Oklahoma Sooners had Nik Bonitto, who finished with 52 quarterback pressures last year. He was the highest-graded pass rusher for the Sooners. They also had Isaiah Thomas, who finished with 34 pressures. It could be the future for Ojulari and returning senior Ali Gaye.
Mike Denbrock looks to bring an offensive identity back to LSU that was lacking in 2021. After losing Kayshon Boutte to an injury, the offense lacked an identity. They couldn’t run the ball in the manner they had in recent years. That is why Brad Davis needs to figure out who will be on his starting offensive line. They could have five new starters in 2022. Cam Wire is the only returning starter from last year’s team. However, the team added top transfers Miles Frazier and Tre’Mond Shorts as well as five-star signee Will Campbell.
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Overall it feels like the grade of “A” is fitting with the No. 4 staff in 247Sports’ rankings of coaching staff hires.
After a freshman season that saw him earn an ALL-SEC freshman nod, DL Mekhi Wingo entered the transfer portal is being pursued by OU.
Todd Bates has hit the ground running since he landed in Norman. He’s offering guys from the 2024 class, receiving calls from 2023 kids, and is now in pursuit of a very talented and productive freshmen defensive lineman from the SEC.
Missouri’s Mekhi Wingo entered his name into the transfer portal earlier this week and just days later has connected with Oklahoma and their new defensive tackles coach.
Wingo played a lot on the interior of Missouri’s defensive line in his first and only year in Eli Drinkwitz’s program. He was a three-star recruit out of high school and is Missouri raised. Considering he was part of the 2021 freshman class, he’ll have three more years of eligibility.
His first year was about as good as you can expect for a freshman playing in a conference oozing with the defensive line talent.
Wingo playedĀ in all 13 games for Missour in 2021 as a true freshman with four starts. He recorded 27 tackles and one sack and returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown. While the numbers weren’t particularly gaudy it’s clear he was very disruptive to garner such an honor.
While Todd Bates plans to pursue Wingo, it’s important to note that according to those linked more closely with the Missouri football program believe he could be heading further south to LSU. Wingo’s former high school coach, former Missouri defensive back Robert Steeples was just hired at LSU. LSU, like Oklahoma, is in a transition with a new head coach and could use an infusion of talent from someone like Wingo.
Other teams that are in pursuit of Mekhi Wingo include USC, Nebraska, UNC, and West Virginia. The first step will be getting Wingo in for a visit and with Todd Bates recruiting prowess and the need for more bodies, you have to like Oklahoma’s chances.
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