Title bout headlines wrestling event
August 7, 2012
End of summer means sports on the horizon in the Tri-parishes
August 7, 2012
The voters have spoken – LSU is the preseason No. 1 team in the country in college football.
Long story short, the present is pretty sunny in Baton Rouge.
Recruiting analysts tout the future isn’t shaping up to be so bad, either.
With more than 20 commitments already in place for the 2013 recruiting class, LSU seems to be pushing toward another Top 10 class nationally.
Headlined by several top-tier talents, the experts say the well-oiled locomotive that is LSU football continues to chug under coach Les Miles, who will begin his eighth season with the Tigers in September.
“It surely seems like everything is operating pretty smoothly at LSU,” said 24/7 Recruiting Analyst Shea Dixon. “Les Miles and the whole staff have a real good system in place to manage depth and the outgoing players each year. … Each class you can look back and there have been a good number of players who were able to come in and contribute.”
“LSU really had a little bit of an immediate hangover in recruiting following the loss in the championship game to Alabama, but they have really recovered lately and have put that behind them,” said FoxSportsNext analyst Mike Coppage. “They have really put the pedal to the metal with this 2013 recruiting class and they are already off to a fast start in 2014, as well. They have really put that loss to Alabama in the rear-view mirror.”
The way the Tigers have shifted past 2012’s runner-up finish is through dominant in-state recruiting.
Twelve of LSU’s 22 current commitments are from the Pelican State.
Dominating Louisiana was a scheme first set into action by former Tigers coach Nick Saban. Once proven to be fruitful, Miles and his staff have kept it alive and have worked diligently to keep the state’s best players in Baton Rouge.
Some of the highly touted prospects among this year’s catch included Barbe High School tight end DeSean Smith, Neville receiver John Diarse, Destrehan athlete Rickey Jefferson and Green Oaks athlete Tre’Davious White.
Coppage said Diarse, a 6-foot, 202-pound senior who hauled in 17 touchdowns last season, will be one of the best in the newest crop of future Tigers.
“I like Diarse as my best player in the state,” Coppage said. “The knock on Diarse has been that he doesn’t run a really fast 40, but he has game speed. He just gets the job done on the field. I’m really excited about his playing ability and also his leadership qualities.”
Dixon said he currently lists White as Louisiana’s best.
“He reminds me a lot of a guy like Morris Claiborne,” Dixon said. “He comes out of Shreveport and could end up being a college cornerback. But in my opinion, if he plays cornerback, he’s the best cornerback in this class. If he plays wide receiver, he’s the best wide receiver in the class. Like Mo did, he has that rare ability to just go wherever the depth needs him.”
Both experts also tout that Jefferson could be a sleeper as a defensive back prospect.
For those wondering, he is the younger brother of former LSU and much maligned quarterback Jordan Jefferson.
He missed almost all of this past season after tearing his ACL.
“I saw him in March at Destrehan and he looked to be 100 percent then,” Coppage said. “And he’s one of those guys who is bigger than you expect. Most of the time, when you see these kids in person out of pads, they end up not being as big as you might expect. He was the rare exception to that rule. He is very physically impressive.”
“I think he’ll be a pretty good one,” Dixon agreed. “He projected to be one of the best cornerbacks in Louisiana last year regardless of age, but he ended up getting hurt. … After probably redshirting for a year in Baton Rouge, I think he will end up being a very nice defensive back.”
In-state success is nice, but LSU has also taken its efforts national.
The Tigers have two commitments from Georgia, Florida and Mississippi and also one each from California, Illinois, North Carolina and Tennessee.
That catch has landed players like Los Angeles quarterback Hayden Rettig, Memphis defensive end Frank Herron and also Lemont, Ill. offensive lineman Ethan Pocic.
Hauling in players from coast-to-coast is not something usually in LSU’s repertoire, but their success in the past 12 months has allowed them to flex their muscles across the map.
“A lot of that is just simply the effects of this last national championship push,” Dixon said. “If you look at it, LSU received a whole lot of national exposure last year. You start off with the opening game against Oregon that was played in Dallas and you go all the way to the SEC Championship Game and the BCS National Championship.
“A lot of kids now are seeing that and are growing more and more interested in what LSU has to say.”
Despite their successes, there’s still plenty of work to be done.
The analysts said because LSU has so many out of state commitments, they will need to work overtime to make sure that all of the players honor their verbal pledges and actually enroll in Baton Rouge.
“That will be interesting to see,” Coppage said. “Just how many of those players stick with LSU throughout it all remains to be seen.”
They also have to close the deal with a few in-state talents still on the board like University High defensive end Tim Williams and also East Feliciana athlete Kendell Beckwith.
But having more than 20 ducks already in a row helps them to do just that.
“Now, they’ll be able to dedicate almost all of their time and efforts in recruiting during the season to getting those last few targets,” Dixon said. “When LSU wants players from Louisiana, they have proven awfully hard to beat.”
LSU defensive back Ron Brooks celebrates during the 2011 SEC Championship Game. The Tigers are using powerful recruiting to stay atop the Southeast.
