LSU’s recruiting efforts took a big
hit when Nick Saban announced he was headed to the Miami Dolphins. Now, it will
be interesting to see how the Tigers finish up heading into the month of
January.
A little more than week ago the
Tigers were sitting at 11 commitments and very close to picking up a couple of
more pledges. However, since Saban announced his decision on Christmas Day the
LSU is down to nine verbal commitments and only five of them are solid
commits.
Dajleon Farr, the No. 1 tight end
in the country, de-committed from the Tigers the day after Saban’s press
conference and three days later he committed to Miami. If the new head coach keeps recruiting
coordinator/defensive line coach Travis Jones on his staff then LSU may have a
chance with Farr (6-5, 240, 4.6) but it would be a slim one.
The nation’s seventh rated safety,
Chris Keys (6-2, 205, 4.5) of Stevenson (Ala.)
North Jackson, also withdrew his pledge shortly after the news was out and told
Alabama to
count him in for its 2005 signing class.
"I just got off the phone with
Coach Ball (Alabama) and asked him how his Christmas was
going,” Keys told Andrew Bone of Scout.com. “He told me it was going pretty
good. I said I bet I could make it a little better. I told him I am committing
to Alabama.”
Keys will still take an official
visit to LSU in the next couple of weeks and there is a chance he could end up
signing with the Tigers in February.
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Tiger fans will be keeping a close
eye on four more committed players over the next few weeks because they all say
they are still on board but waiting to see who the new coach is going to be.
St.
Augustine (La.) lineman Al Jones is
rated the seventh top defensive end in the country and he has two official
visits set up with Ole Miss (1/21) and Miami (1/28). He will squeeze one in with LSU
sometime in January and this could come down to an LSU/Miami battle.
“I’m about 80 percent committed to
LSU,” Jones told Scott Kennedy of Scout.com.
The feeling here is that Jones will
end up being a Tiger but he is going to have other options available if he does
not like the new coach.
Ciron Black was a big pickup out of
the Lonestar State but he is now looking at a few schools that are
very interested and Texas is one of them.
“I’m committed but those are just
words,” Black said in an interview with Brandon Cavanaugh. “I’m open right now
to tell you the truth. Right now with him (Saban) leaving it makes me more
skeptical. I’ll have to see what coach comes in.”
Black has an official visit set up
with Oklahoma State, LSU (1/14) and Texas (1/28) before he signs on the dotted
line and the Longhorns probably pose the biggest threat on his front.
Another Texas native, Kyle Anderson of The Woodlands (Texas), is keeping close tabs on the latest developments
in Baton
Rouge.
“He's still committed to LSU," said
Kyle’s dad, Michael Anderson in an interview with Kennedy. "We'll take a wait
and see approach to see who the new coach is. The big factor of course will be
what kind of offensive scheme they will run. We hope it really works out for LSU
and Kyle.”
The schools that are in hot pursuit
of the 6-5, 250-pound tight end are Nebraska,
Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Arkansas. Look for Anderson to honor his
commitment to LSU but after he takes a couple of trips.
USC is making a strong run at Kevin Myers and it would not be a shocker if he decided to stay on the West Coast and
sign with the Trojans.
The remainder of the class are all
from Louisiana
and all are solid with their pledges. Something drastic would have to happen for
Darry Beckwith, Lyle Hitt, Antonio Robinson, Steven Korte and Chris Hawkins to
make them de-commit.
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Out of the top recruits LSU is
still in the hunt for, things are not too good but they are not that bad
either.
The good news is offensive tackle
Chris Scott, the 10th rated lineman in the country, has narrowed his list to two
and LSU is one of his finalists.
“I'm down to LSU and Tennessee,” Scott told
Jeffrey Stewart of Scout.com. “I'm still looking at Georgia and Florida, so they're not out of it. But it's
pretty much LSU and Tennessee right now.”
More good news is with Alexandria (La.) safety prospect Nic Harris (6-3, 207,
4.6). He is a player LSU would love to get and it does not seem like Saban’s
choice had much of an affect on him.
“I am not selecting my school on
the head coaches,” said Harris. “I am making my selection on what school makes
me feel more comfortable. You can’t count on coaches being at a particular
school.”
Harris is trying to decide between
LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Michigan and Nebraska and
the bet here is LSU nudges Michigan in a close race.
Houston (Texas) Westside running back R.J. Jackson did
not take the news too hard and seems like he still has an open mind to
LSU.
"The new coaching situation at LSU
doesn't really affect me,” he told Allen Wallace of Super Prep. “I just want to
see who they're going to bring in after coach (Nick) Saban. They're already a
great program with some players there that have established some great bonds
with each other. It just comes down to who they're going to bring
in."
Texas and Oklahoma State currently lead LSU but the Tigers
are not out of it.
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The nation’s top rated center is
Josh McNeil of Collins (Miss.) and he still has his eye on the Tigers
but it is critical that he gets to know the new coach within the next couple of
weeks. The 6-4, 275-pounder is also considering Tennessee and Mississippi State
and one has to wonder how long he will holdout before making up his
mind.
Now for the bad news.
LSU had a real good shot at landing
the nation’s fifth rated cornerback Bryan Evans (5-11, 177, 4.5) of Jacksonville (Fla.) Ed White but not any more.
“I think this (Saban) will probably
make it easier for me now,” he told Stewart “They were one of my top three but
it’s down to two now. I’ve already visited Tennessee but I don’t visit Georgia until
the 21st of January.”
Evans is going to be a tough sale
and it is unlikely he will sign with the Tigers.
In normal years Saban’s decision
would not have as great of an affect on recruiting but this year is an exception
because of the staff‘s focus on the out-of-state guys.
Look for some of the Louisiana prospects who
were not getting much interest from the Tigers to pop up on the radar to help
fill out the class.
One of those players who did not
get much interest is the exciting playmaker Lucas Taylor of Carencro (La.). For that lack of
attention he has eliminated the Tigers completely.
“It’s too late now,” Taylor said of LSU’s
chances. “I’ve already made up my mind of where I want to go. I’ll announce at
my school sometime in January. I’m keeping it to myself right now but it would
be safe to say it’s between Tennessee and
Auburn.”
As for the latest on Ryan
Perrilloux, he is still considering LSU but one has to think the chances are
smaller now because of the uncertainty of the staff.
A lot of new recruits are going to
start surfacing in the next week or two so next week I will post an updated list
of the Wish List along with the Louisiana players that you will hear about
over the coming days.
LSU Commitments
(9)
Kevin Myers OT 6-6, 360, 5.0
Compton Community College (Calif.)
Ciron Black OG 6-4, 325, 5.4
Tyler (Texas) Lee
Kyle Anderson TE 6-5, 265, 4.75 The
Woodlands (Texas)
Antonio Robinson RB 6-1, 195, 4.5
Winnfield (La.)
Chris Hawkins CB 6-1, 180, 4.5
Walker (La.)
Steven Korte FB 6-2, 230, 4.6
Mandeville (La.) Fontainebleau
Al Jones DE 6-3, 240, 4.75
New Orleans (La.) St.
Augustine
Derry Beckwith LB 6-1, 215, 4.5
Baton Rouge (La.) Parkview Baptist
Lyle Hitt DT 6-3, 275, 4.9
Baton Rouge (La.) Parkview Baptist