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Good morning, Tiger Fans,
As I do on most Friday mornings, yesterday I made it out to
the coffee shop to talk LSU sports with a group of friends, and
naturally the hot topic of discussion was recruiting. The general consensus among the group was that
this LSU class
is absolutely loaded at several key positions and should finished
highly ranked, but in order for it to really meet team needs in every
regard the Tigers desperately need to add at least one more defensive
end and linebacker, and another quarterback would be nice, too.
As for the defensive end position, things are looking up
since LSU target Arden Key cancelled his visit to Auburn yesterday after
meeting with Coaches Miles and Orgeron. Key is expected to
make his announcement Monday evening and I like where LSU stands. Also,
two other big-time defensive end prospects are still in play for LSU in
CeCe Jefferson (visiting LSU this weekend), and Prince Tega Wanogho,
although Wanogho’s decision will likely come well after Signing Day. At
this point, I feel very confident about LSU landing at least one of
those three, and that will put LSU in good shape at the position.
As for the quarterback position, LSU made an in-home visit
with Ohio State commit Torrence Gibson and it was said to have gone very
well. I would love to see LSU flip Gibson, and I think the
chances are good, but if they don’t it won’t be the end of the world.
LSU already had one elite QB commit for 2016 (Feliepe Franks) and is hot
on the trail of another, Louisiana’s own Shea Patterson of Calvary
Baptist who will be very highly rated on my list of Top Louisiana
Football Prospects for 2016.
The linebacker position is the one that gives me most concern in this year’s class, as LSU currently has no LB commitments. As
one of our group members astutely pointed out, LSU will be okay at
linebacker this season, but without any linebackers in this year’s class
the Tigers could find themselves very thin at the position when they
open the 2016 season in Lambeau Field against a run-heavy Wisconsin
team, especially if Kendell Beckwith bypasses his senior year for the
draft. As for who might fill the need at linebacker in this year’s
signing class, LSU’s top target is Leo Lewis and things are looking up
for him as well. Ole Miss was unsuccessful in deterring him from
visiting LSU, and late last night news broke that Lewis actually
de-committed from Ole Miss. That is certainly great news for the
Tigers!
Along with Jefferson and Lewis, LSU is hosting four other prospects this weekend. They
include WR Brandon Martin, TE Foster Moreau, S Justin Reid, and a new
target whose name surfaced yesterday, punter Josh Growden. Hailing from
Australia, Growden could give keep LSU’s Aussi pipeline of punters alive
and well for years to come. One prospect who did not make it in to
Baton Rouge for this weekend’s visit is safety Jamal Peters (Miss State
commitment), but that doesn’t come as a shock. Peters was a long-shot at
best, and I would be very pleased to see LSU meet its safety needs by
extending an offer to Justin Reid, the brother of former Tiger great
Eric Reid.
The bottom line: Things are looking very good for LSU to once again finish very strong in recruiting. As one of my readers put it,
“I’ve
learned that Miles always finishes strong, but his recruiting is very
similar to his games - Rolaids moment! He should actually be a sponsor
for them.”
Before moving on to other topics, it’s time for me to
continue revealing our list of Top Louisiana Prospects for 2016 by
posting numbers 21-30.
21. Cameron Lewis (ATH), 6'2", 190, Wossman
22. Tre Turner (RB), 5'10", 187, Holy Cross
23. Willie Baker (DE), 6'4", 225, Livonia
24. Tre Regas (RB), 5'11", 200, Archbishop Shaw
25. Cole Kelly (QB), 6'7", 230, Teurlings Catholic of Lafayette
26. Collin Fountain (OL), 6'3", 335, Barbe
27. Clifford Chattman (S), 6'4", 175, McDonogh 35
28. Andre Anthony (DE), 6'3", 215, Miller-McCoy
29. Joshua Perry (S), 6'2", 185, Amite
30. Jon Randall Belton (QB), 6'3", 200, West Monroe
Click here to view the entire list-in-progress, which now contains numbers 21-60.
In other football related news, contracts
for LSU defensive coordinator Kevin Steele and defensive line coach Ed
Orgeron, as well as four other assistants, were approved yesterday by
the Board of Supervisors. As stated in
this article by nola.com,
Steel and Orgeron each got two-year deals. Steele will make $1 million
per year while Orgeron will make $445,000 in his first season and
$450,000 in his second. For more info on all the contract agreements,
including salaries for Cam Cameron, Adam Henry, Corey Raymond, Steve
Ensminger, Jeff Grimes and Bradley Dale Peveto, see the article
referenced above.
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By
By ANDREW TAYLOR
