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A total of 10 LSU underclassmen will now head to April’s NFL Draft.
The Tigers announced this week that defensive linemen Barkevious Mingo, Sam Montgomery and Bennie Logan, as well halfback Michael Ford and offensive tackle Chris Faulk, will all forego their final seasons of eligibility and head to the professional level.
Those players will join Eric Reid, Kevin Minter, Spencer Ware, Tharold Simon and Brad Wing, who all declared last week.
The 10 underclassmen departures is the most in LSU history for one season.
“We are fortunate at LSU to be able to recruit the style of high school player that can develop very quickly into an NFL caliber athlete,” LSU coach Les Miles said when announcing the departures. “The good fortune is that we invest in them, coach them and prepare them for the next step of their career.”
Mingo and Montgomery were virtual locks to head to the pros because of the high grades laid unto them by talent evaluators across the country.
Mingo is the No. 5 player overall on Scout’s Inc.’s list of the top players in America. That makes him the No. 2 defensive end in the draft behind Texas A&M’s Damontre Moore.
Montgomery isn’t far behind and is graded as Scout’s Inc.’s No. 18 player.
Both players are projected to go in the first round of the draft.
The reason for the duo’s high grades are because of the impact it had in the Tigers’ top-notch defense.
Mingo, a 6-foot, 5-inch, 240-pound rush end, recorded 38 tackles and 4.5 sacks this past season as a junior.
Montgomery was equally impressive, posting 37 tackles, 8 sacks and 13 tackles for a loss.
The Greenwood, S.C., native was a First-Team All-American in 2011. He earned a spot on the second team this season.
While Mingo and Montgomery’s departures were expected, the other three players’ losses were somewhat surprising to most in the LSU community.
Logan will head to the professional ranks after posting 45 tackles and 2 sacks last season as a junior – his second season as a starter on LSU’s defense.
For his career, Logan posted 105 career tackles and 5 sacks.
A Coushatta native, Logan is the No. 5-ranked underclassman defensive tackle, according to ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s draft rankings.
Analysts expect him to be a second or third round pick depending on how well he performs at workouts before the draft.
Ford will enter the professional ranks after splitting time at halfback in LSU’s powerful rushing attack.
The 5-foot, 10-inch Leesville native rushed for 392 yards and three touchdowns this season.
He fell out of the Tigers’ rotation in the second half of 2012 with the emergence of freshman Jeremy Hill.
Ford received just eight carries in the final four games of the season for LSU. He toted the football twice in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Clemson.
Ford’s best season as a Tiger came in 2011 when he pushed forward for 756 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore.
Scouts expect Ford to be either a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent pickup.
The last of the Tigers’ departures is Faulk, who missed almost all of the 2012 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in early September.
When healthy, Faulk was one of the most agile and nimble offensive tackles in the country.
He was a Second-Team All-SEC selection in 2011 as a sophomore, starting 13 games as the Tigers’ left tackle.
In his only game of the 2012 season, Faulk played 67 snaps and recorded 4.5 knockdowns in LSU’s blowout win against North Texas.
Analysts project Faulk as a mid-to-late round pick. If he proves healthy during workouts, his stock could rise higher.
Miles confirmed that he met with all 10 of LSU’s departing players before they made their decisions, providing each with as much information as he could regarding the NFL.
He said that all of the departing players are “in position” to graduate during this offseason.
Minter already has earned a degree.
“We recruit very talented players with the understanding that there’s a choice that they may have to make following their junior year,” Miles said. “It’s an individual decision and one that has to do with them and their family. I met with each player and provided them with as much information as I have so that they can make a quality decision in regards to their future.
“We wish these guys great fortune as they pursue this next step.”
Beckwith commits to LSU
Not all the headlines were bad for the LSU football team this week.
The Tigers received a verbal pledge from East Feliciana linebacker Kendall Beckwith.
Beckwith, is a 6-foot, 3-inch, 228 pound 4-star standout, according to recruiting guru www.rivals.com.
Beckwith chose the Tigers over Alabama, whom he admitted held the lead for his services until the final weeks of the recruiting process.
“I really came to realize that there wasn’t any place like home,” Beckwith told Tigerbait.com last week. “Alabama led toward the beginning and then midway through I started having problems with who my leader was.
“Then at the end, LSU took the lead.”
Beckwith is the Tigers’ 25th commitment.
LSU’s class is widely touted as one of the best in America – almost unanimously holding a Top 10 ranking among recruiting services.
Rivals.com currently has the Tigers listed as the No. 5 class in America behind just Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Alabama.
LSU currently has 26 commitments.
LSU junior defensive end Barkevious Mingo makes a tackle during the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The Tigers are reeling after losing 10 juniors to the NFL draft. Mingo, Michael Ford, Bennie Logan, Chris Faulk and Sam Montgomery all opted to join the next level.
