Tag: Zalance Heard

Portal target: LSU transfer OL Zalance Heard visits Oklahoma

The Sooners continue to try to build their offensive line, this time with a visit from a highly-touted offensive lineman.

The biggest question mark going into next season for a lot of people was the offensive line. The Oklahoma Sooners would have to replace the five guys who started a majority of the season.

They have to do that while also entering into the SEC, which makes that task even more daunting. The Sooners have gotten to work, signing a high school class that appears to be underrated. Also, they’ve gotten to work in the portal with commitments from [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag], [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag].

But the Sooners aren’t done there. They hosted former five-star and LSU Tigers transfer, [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag]. Heard was LSU’s highest-ranked recruit in the 2023 class and comes with three years of eligibility. He appeared in 12 games a season ago and made one start.

He would be a massive get for Oklahoma not only for this upcoming season but for the following season as well because it would almost assuredly solidify their left tackle spot for at least those two years. But it won’t be easy for Oklahoma to win his services.

Heard also visited the Tennessee Volunteers over the weekend, and rumors started to swirl about the [autotag]Ole Miss Rebels[/autotag] possibly getting involved as of Monday. But all reports have been positive for Oklahoma. He apparently is high on [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] and his track record of developing guys and getting them into the [autotag]NFL[/autotag].

We also know Oklahoma will play the NIL game. They just won’t overspend for a guy like other schools will. It also could be positive for Oklahoma that Ole Miss got a commitment from a transfer tackle on Monday evening and is hosting another tackle this weekend.

For now, it’s a waiting game, but if Oklahoma can pull it off, it could be a massive win.

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Lance Heard to see some first-team reps against Grambling

Lance Heard could be the next true freshman to make an impact on LSU’s offensive line.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is always looking for ways to improve the team, Especially after a rough game last week. It appears Kelly is looking to shake things up a little against Grambling this weekend.

Lance Heard was a five-star offensive tackle in the 2023 recruiting class that was ranked as the No. 16 overall player in the country, the No. 3 offensive tackle, and the No. 2 player in the state of Louisiana. This Saturday night in Death Valley, Kelly is going to give him a chance to run with the first team at offensive tackle, though it’s unclear if he will make the start.

My assumption is that he will be trying out for right tackle, the spot that is occupied by [autotag]Emery Jones Jr.[/autotag] Jones was a Freshman All-American last season, but it’s possible he could slide over to play guard.

Will Campbell, owner of the No. 7 jersey patch, is cemented in the starting lineup.

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How important is Colin Simmons to LSU’s 2024 class?

Colin Simmons is set to make his commitment in the coming days. What does his choice mean for LSU’s 2024 signing class?

Five-star pass rusher [autotag]Colin Simmons[/autotag] will announce his commitment on Aug. 10. According to On3 and ESPN, he’s the second-best recruit still available with most five-stars already announcing a destination.

Texas and LSU have been the front runners in the Simmons sweepstakes for some time now. Last summer, LSU was seen as the leader before Texas pulled in front earlier this year.

Now, coming off Simmons’ visit to LSU, the battle is heating up. The 247Sports Crystal Ball still has Simmons to LSU while On3’s Prediction Machine reads Texas but has LSU making up ground.

I don’t like to over analyze the impact of a single recruit. Simmons isn’t going to make or break LSU or Texas. But this is an LSU class that needs firepower at the top.

LSU has 21 commits but sits outside the top 10 classes in both the On3 and 247Sports ranking. The class features 14 four-stars, which is good for third in the country. Despite the depth of the class, LSU lacks a five-star.

Georgia, Ohio State, Florida, Alabama, Clemson and Auburn all have two five-star commitments. Tennessee and Texas A&M each have one. Those are the programs LSU needs to compete with at the top.

You’d have to go back to 2012 to find the last LSU class that didn’t include a single five-star.

Things can change. Last year, [autotag]Da’Shawn Womack[/autotag] and [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] weren’t consensus five stars entering the fall. But LSU’s 2024 class doesn’t have a single player who’s top 100 on every recruiting site, so I wouldn’t bank on current commits rocketing up the board.

Simmons changes the outlook on this class. It would give LSU a headliner at the top and if RB [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], Simmons’ Duncanville teammate hops aboard too, then LSU’s class is vaulted into the top five.

It goes from a “just okay” class to what’s expected at LSU.

Simmons isn’t LSU’s last big target. Defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], the top recruit in Louisiana, remains uncommitted and could be winding his recruitment down soon. Right now though, the focus is on Simmons.

Again, Simmons is one recruit. And while he won’t come to define LSU either way, his decision will affect how we talk about Brian Kelly’s 2024 signing class.

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LOOK: Final members of LSU’s 2023 signing class arrive on campus

The Tigers added their remaining 12 signees on Monday.

The LSU football team welcomed the final remaining members of its 2023 signing class to campus on Monday.

Many players who inked their letters of intent during the early signing period were already on campus as the Tigers had 13 early enrollees this spring. However, that still left 12 signees to enroll, including several of the top prospects in the recruiting class.

Now, the rest of those players have matriculated in Baton Rouge.

The official LSU football Twitter account made a video about the players arriving, including top signees like offensive tackle [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] — a five-star prospect who ranks in the top-15 nationally — in addition to receiver [autotag]Shelton Sampson[/autotag], interior offensive lineman [autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Ka’Morreun Pimpton[/autotag] and others.

LSU had one of the nation’s best signing classes in 2023, ranking sixth nationally per 247Sports and fifth according to On3. Many of these players could make an immediate impact, and one thing is certain: The Tigers’ roster got a lot better on Monday.

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Where does LSU’s 2023 recruiting class stand in the final 247Sports Composite Rankings?

The Tigers sit just outside the top five in the final rankings.

Signing day is done and dusted, and LSU’s 2023 recruiting class is officially in the books.

It was a bit anti-climactic for the Tigers — as is the case at many programs since the proliferation of the early signing period. LSU signed 25 high school players back in December while also adding 11 transfers already this offseason, and the program has largely turned its attention to 2024 since then.

It was a great bump class for coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag]. It didn’t quite crack the top five, but it featured a pair of five-stars in offensive tackle [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] — a top 15 overall player — and edge rusher [autotag]DaShawn Womack[/autotag]. LSU also added two top-100 receivers in [autotag]Jalen Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] and a stable of blue-chip players in the secondary.

Here’s where LSU’s promising haul stacks up against the rest of the country, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

OL Kardell Thomas leaving LSU as a graduate transfer

Thomas appeared in 11 games with two starts in four seasons with the Tigers.

The Tigers are set to return four of five starters on the offensive line as things currently stand, but they’re set to lose quite a bit of depth.

That depth situation got even worse on Wednesday as junior offensive lineman [autotag]Kardell Thomas[/autotag] opted to enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. Thomas appeared in 11 games in four seasons with two starts, both of which came in 2021. He appeared in four games this fall.

Thomas is a former consensus top-100 recruit from University Lab High School in Baton Rouge and a five-star recruit per the 247Sports Composite, will have two remaining years of eligibility.

With Thomas gone, LSU will look to players like [autotag]Marlon Martinez[/autotag], as well as true freshmen [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] and [autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag], as depth options for the 2023 season.

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LSU is poised for a strong finish on the recruiting trail in 2023

The Tigers remain in the mix for several top recruits as early signing day approaches.

If national signing day were today, LSU’s haul would be one of the best in the country.

The Tigers’ 2023 recruiting class ranks fifth nationally per 247Sports and seventh per On3, and LSU has one consensus five-star prospect committed in [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag]. But coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] isn’t done yet.

LSU remains in the mix for several other big-time prospects, including five-star cornerback Desmond Ricks, who would be Kelly’s biggest get of the entire cycle, as well as Mississippi safety Isaac Smith. The Tigers are the favorite for both, and getting them would likely give LSU a top-five class across the board.

Kelly’s program was listed by On3’s Keegan Pope as one of several poised for a strong finish as we head into early signing day on Wednesday.

Brian Kelly has clearly proven what he can do on the field in Baton Rouge — and the recruiting trail tells a similar story. The Tigers have a five-star commitment already with Zalance Heard and two more ranked as five-stars by On3 with Shelton Sampson Jr. and Dashawn Womack.

Ricks is a borderline five-star who reclassified from 2024 and is considering LSU, Florida and Alabama. The Tigers are considered the favorites right now, but this is going to be mighty close over the next few days. Smith is one of the country’s most dynamic defensive playmakers who will choose between the Tigers and home-state Mississippi State.

Landing Ricks and Smith would be the icing on the cake for an already fantastic class, but regardless of how things wind up, it’s clear that Kelly is cooking with gas on the recruiting trail for his “bump” class.

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Two 2023 LSU commits pick up fifth star from 247Sports

Zalance Heard and Dashawn Womack are now among the top group of prospects in the 2023 class.

A couple of LSU commits got rankings bumps this week and now reside in the elite tier.

Defensive lineman [autotag]Dashawn Womack[/autotag] and offensive tackle [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] both picked up their fifth star on 247Sports. Heard is now also a five-star in the 247Sports Composite and the On3 Consensus rankings.

Womack now has five stars from 247 and On3, but due to his lower rankings from Rivals and ESPN, he is yet to grab the fifth star on either of the composite or consensus rankings.

I wouldn’t rule out Womack eventually entering the consensus five-star group. While he’s always been a top-300 prospect, his rise into the elite didn’t come until this past summer and fall.

 

ESPN and Rivals might still be catching up, and slight bumps in their rankings could be enough to boost Womack. LSU now has three recruits that have a five-star from one place or another.

[autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] has five stars on On3 but just four stars from the other services. As a whole, LSU’s class ranks fifth according to On3 and seventh per 247.

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LSU now leads country in five-star commits per On3

LSU’s got plenty of talent at the top of its class.

On3 released its latest player rankings for the 2023 cycle and LSU now leads the country with three five-star commits.

Prior to the release, LSU had two five-stars in the class with OL [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] and WR [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag]. They’re now joined by DL [autotag]Dashawn Womack[/autotag], who earned his fifth star and now ranks 22nd overall.

It’s a contrast to the 247Sports Composite and ESPN rankings, where LSU doesn’t have a single five-star. In both the 247 and ESPN rankings, Sampson remains LSU’s top recruit but has yet to pick up a five-star.

Heard is LSU’s top recruit according to the On3 rankings, coming in a little bit above Sampson. Regardless, LSU’s overall class ranks sits in the top five per On3 and 247.

LSU could add another five-star in the coming months, with [autotag]Desmond Ricks[/autotag]’ recruitment heating up and nearing a close.

Outside of Ricks, I wouldn’t bet on LSU picking up any other five stars in this cycle. Many of them are already committed and there’s not much smoke there with anyone else.

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Four-star offensive tackle DJ Chester commits to LSU, bumps 2023 class into top five

The top-150 prospect’s pledge moved the Tigers’ recruiting class up to No. 4 in the nation.

The Tigers aren’t done yet when it comes to adding players to their 2023 recruiting class, and now they boast a group of players that ranks in the top five nationally.

On Thursday morning, LSU picked up an absolutely massive commitment from four-star Eagles Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.) offensive tackle [autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag]. He becomes the fourth offensive line commitment in the class, joining [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag], [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Mubenga[/autotag].

The Tigers had long been seen as the favorite for Chester, who ranks as the No. 13 offensive tackle and No. 138 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class. He’s also a top-10 prospect in the state of Georgia.

Chester’s addition bumps LSU’s 24-man 2023 recruiting class into the No. 4 spot on the 247Sports Composite Rankings behind just Alabama, Georgia and Notre Dame and just ahead of Ohio State and Texas. On3, meanwhile, kept the Tigers at No. 5 following Chester’s pledge.

LSU could see its class rise in the rankings even more as it remains in the running for a couple of five stars in [autotag]Desmond Ricks[/autotag] and [autotag]Nyckoles Harbor[/autotag]. It is also the favorite for [autotag]Javien Toviano[/autotag], a top-100 cornerback from Texas.

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