Tiger Rag prides itself on
giving its subscribers the most up to date news and information on LSU
recruiting.
We are proud to introduce a new
weekly segment for all of our readers called “The Tiger Wrap” that will recap
the week’s events and give you a little inside information and observations that
you will not find in all of the network’s stories.
In addition to the recruiting
news and editorial comments, I will also post my recruiting board with the top
prospects at each position that I think are worth keeping a close eye on.
- Sonny
*****
This past week the Tigers picked up
their 10th commitment from Tyler (Texas) Lee offensive tackle Ciron Black. He is
the first offensive lineman to give Nick Saban a pledge and the third prospect
from the Lonestar State. Black said he had been leaning to LSU for a while and
wanted to put an end to recruiting before his senior season.
He spoke highly of the Tigers and
sounded real upbeat about his commitment but there is a chance he will still
take some official visits during the season. His parents want him to see some
other places to make sure LSU is the best place for him but Tiger fans should
not be too concerned. They were happy with his choice and are just doing what
all parents would do in that situation and that is make sure their son is doing
the right thing. One thing that concerns me, though, is that Black has never
been to LSU but committed anyway.
*****
Mandeville (La.) Fontainebleau
lineman Rudy Odum may be getting some mixed signals from the Tigers’ coaching
staff. He has had a verbal offer for more than two months but has not received
anything in writing to make it official. He said the Tigers want him to play on
the offensive line and that is fine with him but when he went to Saban’s final
summer camp session he worked exclusively with the defensive linemen. That kind
of threw him for a loop but it has not changed how he feels about the defending
BCS National Champs. I think Odum would make a good defensive tackle but who am
I to question Nick Saban’s eye for placing a player in the right position. Odum
has proclaimed that he does not have a leader but I feel like he will commit to
LSU when he gets something in writing.
*****
Another player who has a verbal
offer but not one in writing is the nation’s No. 1 safety Kenneth Phillips. At
6-2, 185 pounds and with 4.4-speed, the Miami (Fla.) Carol City native would
make a great free safety prospect. He likes LSU and lists the Tigers in his top
five along with the three Florida schools and North Carolina State. The
interesting thing here is that LSU is the only school he mentions that has not
given him an official offer. Both he and his teammate, Ricky Jean-Francois, list
LSU in their top five and what a great steal it would be if the Tigers could
land both of those recruits.
*****
LSU already has two safety
commitments in Clarence Ward and Chris Keys so one has to wonder how many more
safeties Saban is going to take.
Speaking of Clarence Ward he told
James Hale of OUInsiders.com that he will probably take official visits to
Oklahoma and UCLA. He told me the same thing about six weeks ago but he is
saying he is still committed to the Tigers. Ward bleeds purple and gold and he
told me he is keeping his options open because you never know what will happen
but he is committed to the Tigers. Take that for what it is worth but I think he
will be a part of the Tigers’ Class of 2005.
Ward could be keeping an eye one
Alexandria (La.) free safety Nic Harris because Harris said he is leaning to LSU
and could commit any day. TheInsiders.com projects him to play linebacker at the
next level but Harris is adamant about staying at free safety. If Harris does in
fact have an official offer then that could mean one of two things. Either Saban
feels like he will grow into a linebacker and Harris will realize that too down
the road or the Tigers’ head man saw enough of him at summer camps and the Nike
Camp to push him over the top.
Harris (6-3, 203) would have to get
a lot more physical to move to linebacker but his speed, which is closer to the
4.6-4.7 range than the 4.5 he reports, would also have to come down a bit. He is
definitely a good talent waiting to be developed but at which position? I say
linebacker.
*****
Proof that Saban is being very
picky about taking commitments for the safety spot lies in Ishie Oduegwu.
Oduegwu told Texas analyst Stacey Dean that he wants to commit to the Tigers but
he does not know if he still has an offer. Well, his coach confirmed on a report
within the network that Oduegwu does not have an offer any longer and he is
looking at other schools. If some of the other safeties fall off the board and
commit elsewhere then Saban could have a chance with the Denton (Texas) product
down the road because he really wants to be a Tiger.
Alonzo Horton, the top linebacker
in Louisiana, told Scott Kennedy LSU and Auburn are his two leaders. I figured
LSU would have offered him by now but nothing to report on that front. Horton is
very athletic but he is kind of caught in a numbers game because the Tigers are
in good shape with several of the top linebackers in America. Horton told me
several times that when LSU offers he will likely commit so maybe the coaching
staff knows he will be there so it will wait on some of the out-of-state
guys.
LSU is in very good shape with some
of the country’s top safeties and it also leads for two of the top corners in
America in Avery Atkins and Bryan Evans. Both have said LSU is at the top of
their list and they could very well end up being a package deal. Atkins went to
the LSU camp in July as a Florida commitment but by the time the camp ended he
said he loved LSU and was no longer a Florida Gator pledge.
Atkins loves the idea of having
Saban teach him the ropes in the secondary and when it is all said and done I
say he will be wearing the purple and gold. I feel better about Atkins than I do
with Evans but that is only because Avery seems to light up whenever he talks
about LSU.
*****
The Tigers have an excellent shot
at landing the nation’s second rated defensive tackle because DeMarcus Granger
has told more than one recruiting analyst that LSU is in his top three and he is
not even mentioning Texas in those three.
A little tidbit on Granger that
Tiger fans may like is that when I interviewed him last he was playing Sony
Playstation’s College Football 2005. He said he had the game for about two days
and we talked extensively about it. He said he used LSU when he played his
seasons and said that was the team he played with 95% of the time.
He talked about how Tiger Stadium
was the loudest stadium on the game and how realistic it was compared to the
actual Death Valley. Granger was naming LSU players on the game and how good
they were with an emphasis on the D-line.
What does all of that mean? It may
not mean much but anyone who played or still plays those games and has a
favorite team in real life knows that they use that team more than any others
and for reasons other than they are good teams on the game itself. I’m not
saying Granger will be a Tiger just because he uses LSU in a video game but when
you factor in everything else like he was born in Louisiana, he wanted to play
for the Tigers when he was younger and LSU has always been mentioned whenever he
lists his top choices then you have to like Saban’s chances at getting him back
to the Bayou State.
*****
Saban has announced that two of his
signees from the 2004 class, Harry Coleman and Max Holmes, will be “greyshirts”
and enroll in January 2005 so they could count towards the current class.
While we are on the subject of
“greyshirts”, Zachary (La.) Northeast athlete Trindon Holliday (5-6, 175, 4.3)
said Saban told his coach he has an offer but they want him to wait until
January 06’ to enroll.
“I did not think a big school like
that would offer because of my height,” Holliday told Tiger Rag. “When my coach
told me I could not say anything. I was shocked. Speechless. I plan to make a
commitment to them after the football season.”
Holliday has blazing speed and is
projected to play a slot receiver and return specialist. Skyler Green will have
graduated by then so Holliday could fill that void in the return game. That
would be a fun race to watch between those two.
*****
A receiver that has not gotten a
lot of press is Holliday’s teammate Aaron Brown (6-3, 195, 4.4). He claims to
have offers from Michigan, Auburn, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Louisville but
it is unclear at this time as to how much LSU is recruiting him. He is a good
looking receiver with size, good hands and speed. Expect a full update on Brown
as soon as I can catch up with him.
We all wish we could be inside Nick
Saban’s office and see his Wish List for the Class of 2005. Unfortunately none
of us have that privilege but I have compiled a list of players at each position
that are worth keeping a close eye on leading up to National Signing
Day.
This board will be updated between
now and February but lets take a look at the offensive players getting the most
interest from the LSU coaching staff.
Next week I will do the defensive
players and then the following week I will post my complete recruiting board for
both sides of the ball.
*****
Quarterback
Commits: 0; Needs: 1
Top
Targets
Ryan Perrilloux 6-2, 207, 4.6 Committed to
Texas
Brandis Dew 6-5, 248, 4.7
Middle of the Pack
Chris Turner 6-4, 200,
4.8
Tony Hobson 6-3, 200, 4.6
On the Back Burner
Tim Wheeler 6-3, 187,
4.8
John Hundley 6-3, 215, 4.7
Brian Babin 6-4, 210,
4.9
Marcus Jackson
6-1, 195, 4.6
Running Backs
Commits: 2 (Antonio Robinson 6-1,
195, 4.5; Steven Korte 6-2, 220, 4.6)
Needs: 2-3
Top
Targets
Marlon Lucky 5-11, 200, 4.5
R.J. Jackson 5-11, 197,
4.5
James Davis 5-11, 185,
4.5
Middle of the Pack
Kendrick Perry 6-1, 215,
4.5
Briceton Wilson
6-1, 200, 4.5
On the Back Burner
Mark Pettaway 6-0, 190,
4.59
Clifford Harris 5-10, 205, 4.4
Terez Jackson 6-1, 215, 4.4
Glenn Coffee 6-0, 195, 4.5
Roy Upchurch 6-0, 195, 4.5
Wide Receiver
Commits: 0; Needs: 1-2
Top
Targets
Fred Rouse 6-3, 187,
4.4
Malcolm Kelly 6-3, 190, 4.5 Committed to
Oklahoma
Patrick Turner 6-5, 210, 4.5
DeSean Jackson
5-11, 170, 4.4
D.J. Hord
6-1, 190, 4.4
Middle of the Pack
Selwyn Lymon 6-3, 190, 4.38
Slick Shelley 6-4, 180,
4.6
Nick Kyles 6-2, 190,
4.6
David Gettis 6-3, 185,
4.4
Lucas Taylor 6-0, 185, 4.4
Aaron Brown 6-3, 195, 4.4
Laterryal Savoy
6-3, 195, 4.6
Committed to Michigan
Travis Sanford
6-4, 195, 4.5
On the Back Burner
Rasheed Ward 5-10, 160,
4.6
Juamorris Stewart
6-3, 195, 4.5
Brian Jackson 6-3, 190, 4.5
Darren Taylor 6-4, 200, 4.6
Tight End
Commits: 1 (Kyle Anderson 6-5, 255,
4.65)
Needs 1-2
Top
Targets
Dajleon Farr 6-5, 40,
4.62
Tommy Trott 6-4, 240, 4.8
Gabe McKenzie
6-3, 215, 4.7
Edward Dickson
6-5, 225, 4.6
Middle of the Pack
Brian Ellis
6-3, 235, 4.6
Sabree Thomas
6-5, 265, 4.8
Courtney Harris
6-3, 230, 4.7
On the Back Burner
Selvish Capers 6-5, 249, 4.75
Bud Chapman 6-5, 235, 4.6
Offensive Line
Commits: 1 (Ciron Black 6-4 ½, 325,
5.3)
Needs 4-5
Top
Targets
Reginald Youngblood 6-5, 285, 5.36
Michael Oher 6-5, 330, 5.2
Matt Hardrick 6-5, 335, 5.2
Marques Slocum 6-5, 330,
5.2
Chris Scott 6-4, 315,
5.3
Josh McNeil 6-4, 275,
5.2
Paul Duncan 6-6, 288,
5.38
Middle of the Pack
Ronnie Wilson 6-4, 340, 5.4
Calvin Wilson 6-5, 335, 5.5
Rodney Brisbon
6-4, 300, 5.4
Gage Crews 6-3, 280,
5.4
Quintin Johnson
6-5, 312, 5.44
On the Back Burner
Anthony Dunning
6-3, 325, 5.5
Bradley Guillory
6-3, 300, 5.1
Larry Shappley 6-5, 280,
5.2
Ernest Jones 6-5, 337,
5.5
Glenn Gibson 6-7, 285, 5.0
Marcus Washington 6-5, 295,
5.2
William Russ 6-4, 300,
5.3
Troy Phan 6-5,
310, 5.2
Eric Block 6-3,
275, 5.1
Check back next Friday as I give
you another edition of “The Tiger Wrap” which will include a look at the
prospects on the defensive side of the ball.
When I post my complete list of
prospects in two weeks I will include an outlook on each position and the latest
on LSU’s Top Targets for 2005
Questions or comments should be
directed to Tiger Rag Recruiting Analyst Sonny Shipp at sonnyshipp@bellsouth.net