LSU adds slew of LBs, DBs

LSU coach Les Miles’ recruiting strategy is simple n keep Louisiana’s best players in state.

This year, that didn’t necessarily happen as arguably three of Louisiana’s top players committed to other programs.

But that doesn’t mean the Tigers’ class wasn’t a success.

Loaded thick with defensive talent, Miles unveiled the Tigers’ 22-player class n a group the coach believes will keep LSU in the thick of things for years to come.

“Any time that you get involved in a recruiting effort, the most important thing is to answer the needs your team has and I think this class meets our needs,” Miles said. “They fit the need and this is a great class. This is the style of class that will continue to allow us to do what we have done here in the past, and that is winning championships.”

The needs Miles referenced are linebacker and defensive back n the only two positions on LSU’s roster where multiple starters graduated.

The Tigers inked six linebackers, including top-level talents like four-star prospects Lamar Louis and Kwon Alexander.

The coach also sang the praise of LSU’s lone Tri-parish signees, Thibodaux linebacker Trey Granier and Patterson’s Lorenzo Phillips, saying both are vital to the team’s future success on defense.

The coach added that he believes Phillips could see the field in his true freshman season.

“I just think that this class of linebackers are talented, have great foot speed and, to me, can step to the field,” Miles said.

In the defensive backfield, LSU nabbed five prospects, headlined by O. Perry Walker standout and four-star prospect Dwayne Thomas.

Also in the Tigers’ catch are East Jefferson product Derrick Raymond, Hahnville’s Jerquinick Sandolph and Texas standouts Jalen Mills and Corey Thompson.

Miles said each of the five players would provide depth in the future.

He added that Thompson, who committed to LSU this week after previously being a Texas A&M verbal commitment, was a huge get.

“We lost two great corners and we lost two safeties, so we had to replenish that,” Miles said. “The first need would have to be at safety and Corey Thompson out of Elken … We had to have him, and he made a last minute decision to come with the Tigers, and it was exactly what we needed.”

With linebackers and the defensive backfield secured, Miles turned his attention to quarterback, where he landed a big catch n literally n Oxford, Miss., quarterback Jeremy Liggins.

Standing 6-feet, 3-inches and weighing close to 300 pounds, the quarterback completed 81-of-134 passes for 1,678 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions as a senior at Lafayette High School.

He also rushed for 953 yards and 18 touchdowns, establishing himself as a winner, accumulating 32-straight wins in high school and two-straight state championships.

LSU recruited Liggins early in the season and were considered the early leaders for his services.

But the Tigers had seemingly fallen off the quarterback’s radar with its recruitment of five-star quarterback Gunner Kiel, who committed to LSU, but has since signed with Notre Dame.

Miles said Liggins would have been a huge get for LSU, regardless of Kiel’s decision.

“We really stayed on him the entire way,” Miles said. “At no time did we stop recruiting Jeremy Liggins. [He] was a priority for us.”

Miles said he loves the quarterback’s size, comparing him to Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He was quick to add he doesn’t expect Liggins to be as pudgy during any rep he takes in Tiger Stadium.

“Right now he’s probably closer to 280 than 270, and that would mean that if a defensive lineman was rushing the passer and came lose, he might as well bring a friend because he might not get it done just by himself,” Miles said “He might be a little lighter next time he takes the field.”

To complement Liggins, LSU also hauled in a talented group of playmakers.

Breaux Bridge standouts Kavahra Holmes and Travin Dural join Pompano Beach, Fla., blue-chipper Avery Johnson as the team’s 2012 receivers.

Holmes boasts elite speed, with a recorded 4.4 time in the 40-yard dash, while Dural enrolls as a more polished route runner.

Arguably the biggest get of the bunch is Johnson, who is the younger brother of former LSU great Patrick Peterson.

Miles said he is excited to see what little brother can do in his four years as a Tiger.

If he ever gets out of trouble for a signing day prank, that is.

“Sometime this morning, [LSU quarterbacks coach Steve] Kragthorpe called to check if his letter was faxed in, and Avery said, ‘Well Steve, I just wanted you to know that I had a change of heart and I’m going to a team that wears red and has red helmets.’” Miles said with a laugh. “And ‘Steve said, ‘I just can’t handle this,’ and he says, ‘Frank [Wilson] you take it.’ And Frank was thinking, ‘He never even visited there. How in the hell?’ And it was there that Avery Johnson’s fax arrived, and he is a Tiger.

“We will punish him severely when he get him on campus,” Miles added with a smile.

Also inked on the offensive side is elite halfback Jeremy Hill.

A graduate in 2011, Hill committed to LSU following his senior season, but was unable to sign a scholarship last year because of a criminal charge for alleged oral sexual battery.

But the prospect’s criminal situation has since been cleared and Miles said the team had committed to sticking with Hill throughout the legal process.

On the field, the coach said he expects the prospect to have a similar impact to that of former Patterson halfback Kenny Hilliard, who had a solid true freshman season.

“He will certainly be involved in spring practice right away,” Miles said. “I know that he’s looking forward to it… I think he’s very talented, and we thought he was maybe the more talented running back in the [2011] class when he recruited him first.”

No matter how many solid players the Tigers inked in 2012, the class will still be a disappointment to some.

That’s because elite Louisiana talents like defensive back Landon Collins, defensive end Torshiro Davis and linebacker Denzel Devall all opted to continue their careers elsewhere.

Collins and Devall inked with Alabama, while Davis, a year-long LSU commitment, spurned the Tigers on signing day and pledged to Texas.

Miles said he is aware of the prospects the Tigers were unable to sign, adding that in-state defections are inevitable within any program.

The coach added that he and his staff did everything they could to keep those players in Louisiana, but were beaten out by “third party influences.”

“There was no stone left unturned in any way,” Miles said. “I think our school, our community and this state really speaks for itself. … Frankly [for those young men], you’d have to argue differently that this wasn’t the best opportunity in football over time.

“When somebody else goes in another direction, frankly, there’s some things that we can’t control. … I can tell you this is a great class. And we’re very excited.”

Below are the Tigers’ 2012 recruiting class:

Kwon Alexander, linebacker, 6’2, 212, Oxford High School (Alabama)

Vadal Alexander, offensive line, 6’6, 310, Buford High School (Georgia)

Travin Dural, wide receiver, 6’2, 170, Breaux Bridge High School

Derek Edinburgh, offensive line, 6’8, 320, Edna Karr High School

Ronnie Feist, linebacker, 6’2, 214, West St. John High School

Reid Ferguson, long snapper, 6’2, 235, Buford High School (Georgia)

Dillon Gordon, tight end, 6’5, 245, John Curtis Christian Academy

Trey Granier, linebacker, 6’1, 225, Thibodaux High School

Jerald Hawkins, offensive line, 6’7, 285, West St. Mary High School

Kavahra Holmes, wide receiver, 6’1, 180, Breaux Bridge High School

Danielle Hunter, defensive end, 6’5, 235, Morton Ranch High School (Texas)

Avery Johnson, wide receiver, 6’2, 180, Blanche Ely High School (Florida)

Deion Jones, linebacker, 6’2, 200, Jesuit High School

Jeremy Liggins, quarterback, 6’3, 270, Lafayette High School (Mississippi)

Lamar Louis, linebacker, 6’0, 220, Breaux Bridge High School

Jalen Mills, defensive back, 6’0, 180, DeSoto High School (Texas)

Lorenzo Phillips, linebacker, 6’1, 200, Patterson High School

Derrick Raymond, defensive back, 6’2, 175, East Jefferson High School

Jerquinick Saldolph, defensive back, 6’1, 180, Hahnville High School

Dwayne Thomas, defensive back, 6’1, 170, O. Perry Walker

Corey Thompson, defensive back defensive back, 6’2, 205, Elkins High School (Texas)

LSU coach Les Miles hauled in two players from the Tri-parish area on National Signing Day. LSU received signed National Letters of Intent from Thibodaux linebacker Trey Granier and Patterson linebacker Lorenzo Phillips. CATHERINE THRELKELD