Defensive
End
Needs: 2-3
Committed:
0
Top
Targets
Luther Davis…..West Monroe (LA)…..6’4, 250, 4.8
Jason Peters…..Baton Rouge (LA) Catholic…..6’3 ½,255,
4.78
Rae Sykes Alcoa
(TN) …..6’4, 240, 4.7
Eric Thomas Cleveland (OH)
Benedictine…..6’5, 240, 4.75
Cortez Myles…..Madison (MS) Madison
Central…..6’3 ½, 255, 4.8
Richetti Jones…..Dallas (TX)
Lincoln…..6’3,
225, 4.85
D.J. Stafford…..LaGrange (GA) …..6’3 ½, 240, 4.8
Tidbits: LSU fans, and plenty of others
for that matter, have been up in arms over Luther Davis and the drama
surrounding his recruitment.
First, it was Notre Dame that was
close to picking up his commitment. Then it was Florida State, and now it is USC. In the time that
it took to write this and by the time it is actually published, there will
probably be a story on the network contradicting what I am about to write but
LSU is still the team to beat for Davis. I’ve written two stories on the young
man, only because a story seems to pop up somewhere else once a week, but I’ve
spoken to him probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 times over the past
four months.
I have been told so many things off
the record to support the way that I feel about this and in the end I strongly
feel that LSU will come out on top. If Davis does commit to a school other than LSU on
Aug. 26, I will not be shocked to say the least. I’ve done this long enough to
know that some kids play the recruiting game and love the attention but
regardless of what you hear and read, Davis loves LSU. Don’t get me wrong, he loves
the idea of playing for USC too, and who wouldn’t at this point? But, in the
end, Los Angeles
is too far from home. So is South Bend and so is
Tallahassee.
There are some fans out there that
do not understand why a kid would go back and forth with schools the way he has
in interviews but what I can tell you is that he is a good kid, is very
respectful and polite, and has a good head on his shoulders. With that said,
though, he is still a 16 year-old kid who loves talking to people. You have to
put yourself in his situation and imagine what it is like to have all of these
coaches and reporters calling you trying to get any inside angle they can get to
help or promote their school or website. Now, with that said, there is a chance
that Davis may
move inside to tackle at the next level so if that happens who would be the guys
in this class coming off the edge?
When everyone was celebrating the
2006 class on National Signing Day, the LSU coaches were already hard at work on
2007. A few of the top players in Louisiana were offered by LSU on that day and
Jason Peters was one of
them.
You haven’t heard as much of
Peters as you have on some of the
other top defensive ends in this class and that is out of respect for Catholic
head coach Dale Weiner, who does not want things to get out of hand on the
recruiting front too soon. You will start hearing plenty on Peters over the next few months and the feeling here
is that LSU will come out on top. I’d be surprised if he does not commit before
the beginning of his senior campaign so recruiting does not interfere with his
final year of high school. A few unofficial visits for camps may be all he needs
to see before making his decision.
Looking out-of-state, Rae Sykes and
Cortez Myles have both spoken highly of the Tigers. One has to figure that
Tennessee will be tough to beat for Sykes as
the Vols have the home field advantage and Florida State signed one of his good friends in
2006 in Brandon Warren.
As for Myles, nearly every year LSU
goes into Mississippi and swipes at least one
of the state’s top prospects that both Ole Miss and Mississippi State want. It’s been tough to gauge how
strong his interest is but over the next couple of months we will have a better
idea.
Defensive
Tackle
Needs:
3
Committed: 1 (Kantravis Aubrey, Bastrop
(LA), 6’3, 285, 5.0)
Top
Targets
Will Blackwell…..West Monroe (LA) …..6’4, 290, 4.9
Rolando Melancon…..Lutcher (LA)
…..6’2, 270, 4.85
Ahmad Jones…..Silsbee (TX)…..6’2,
320, 5.2
Torrey Davis…..Seffner (FL)
Armwood…..6’5, 283, 4.8
Cameron Heyward…..Suwanee (GA)
Peachtree Ridge.....6’5, 270, 4.9
Ben Bass…..Plano (TX) West…..6’4,
260, 4.8
Drake Nevis…..Marrero (LA) John Ehret…..6’1, 285,
4.8
Tidbits: With Kantravis Aubrey already
on board, the Tigers will likely sign another couple of tackles in this class
and they could get an outstanding pair without leaving the
state.
I’ve already touched on Davis and how he could move inside but there are two more
guys who are highly sought after by schools all over the country in West Monroe’s Will Blackwell and Lutcher’s Rolando
Melancon, and one on the rise in John Ehret’s Drake Nevis.
In the past 10 years, LSU has
gotten everyone that they wanted out of West
Monroe and there is a good chance that trend will continue this
year. Auburn, Ole Miss and Notre Dame will give LSU a run for its money with
Blackwell and based on my talks with him and others close to his situation I get
the feeling that it will all come down to how the Tigers fare during the ’06
season.
Much like with Joe McKnight, a 9 or
10-win season and I like the Tigers’ chances, however, an 8-4 or 7-5 record may
not do the trick. He stated a couple of times that going to a winning program is
big in his mind and that will be a big factor he considers. If you’re asking why
he is considering Ole Miss with some of the difficulties the Rebels have had in
the past two years it boils down two things. His family has a good relationship
with Ed Orgeron and the Rebels are bringing in more talent than they have in the
past. Whether or not that talent translates into more victories remains to be
seen but it is a selling point.
Melancon currently favors LSU over
Tennessee, Florida, Nebraska,
Miami, and Florida State, and if can get academically
qualified then he could be the next coming of Anthony “Booger” McFarland. His
first step is as quick as they come and he plays sideline to sideline like most
linebackers. If Miami offers then the Hurricanes
could cause some concern since they were his favorite growing up, but not to
sound like a broken record or anything, the LSU campus is a little more than a
30 minute drive from his home, while Miami is a two hour plane
ride.
Nevis committed to Ole Miss early in the game, and
although he remains committed to the Rebels, he is checking out other schools.
LSU has not offered yet but an offer is reportedly in the works. The coaches
have stepped up their efforts after his showing at the Nike Combine but there
still may be a few questions that they hope can get answered over the
summer.
LSU also leads for one of the top
tackles in Texas in Silsbee’s Ahmad Jones so if
things fall through on one of the Louisiana boys then he could ease the
pain.
Read more about The Defense on our
Tiger Rag message boards:
http://mb16.scout.com/flsu55929frm1.showMessage?topicID=9358.topic