All LSU all the time on ESPN recruiting page

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All LSU all the time

National TV exposure pays off for LSU on the recruiting trail

LSU football doesn't need bonus media coverage.

But it's getting it and do not underestimate what it means for the Tigers on the recruiting trail.

From the Cowboys Classic, when LSU beat Oregon in the season opener, to Saturday night's prime time 47-21 win over West Virginia with an appearance from College GameDay in Morgantown, it's all but been a Les Miles and LSU reality TV series.

"We've been on national television three of the first four games," Miles said shortly after the Tigers beat the Mountaineers. "We were certainly the biggest game [the week of the] Oregon-LSU matchup. And then out-of-conference, GameDay being here, arguably we played three of the most noteworthy games ... to this point of any school in the country, and won obviously.

"I think it makes a big difference. Our team, our logo is being flashed across millions of television sets across the country."

For LSU recruiting coordinator Frank Wilson the coverage is a recruiting sales tool with no equal. It lets prospects all over the country get to know what LSU football is all about, even if they've never stepped foot in the Bayou and couldn't tell the difference between etoufee and gumbo.

"It helps us tremendously," Wilson said. "It puts us in the national spotlight against quality opponents. You play an Oregon team, you play a Mississippi State team, you get back on the road and you play a fine team like West Virginia in a hostile environment and you do so with a team effort, it validates our sales points when we're trying to recruit kids."

One of the sales points is playing time, even on a deep, talented team.

"We're telling them why they should come to LSU," Wilson said. "You're somebody when you're here. You'll be involved and we'll find a role for you. We play so many kids, freshmen through seniors with no discrimination. It's big for us."

It's hard to find a program any hotter than LSU. The Tigers are 4-0 and secured the No. 1 spot in the AP poll. They have the No. 13 class in the county with 19 commitments, a ranking will likely rise as national signing day draws closer when the Tigers, still in the mix for many of the nation's top prospects, are expected to sign about 24 prospects.

While LSU can cherry pick prospects from across the country thanks to the constant exposure, the Tigers' base, however, will always be in Louisiana. LSU is well-positioned there. The hiring of Wilson after the 2009 season looks like one of the best recruiting hires in recent memory. The former high school coach from New Orleans was having success at Tennessee before Miles nabbed him to head up the recruiting effort at LSU. This year, Wilson has been heavily involved in at least 10 of LSU's 19 pledges.

"There's always been a comfort," Wilson said of LSU and the state of Louisiana. "It's the place where I lay my head. It's home. The university has an awful lot to sell, the program, the facilities, but I know what LSU is. The potential has always been there.

"It's always been the school I've desired to be at."

LSU's 2011 class finished eighth in the nation in Wilson's first season. Seven signees were ranked in the ESPN150. Yet Miles doesn't dwell on high rankings or wide-ranging recruiting relationships when he discusses Wilson; he describes the man.

"He's a guy that has great ties to the state but more than that, he represents the school so well," Miles said. "He's truly a quality man. He has great character. Frankly, our players enjoy him. They enjoy being around him. He has an infectious personality. He's well liked.

"There's a reason why a guy does a great job in recruiting. He's got a great personality and the ability to represent himself in a comfortable, honest, straight-forward fashion. He's just a fine man."

That comes across when Wilson is asked what message he hopes all this media exposure tells prospects. Unlike the high-definition cameras and the satellites it takes to convey it, it's simple.

"To get a great degree and play for championships is our motto," Wilson said.

That motto has been broadcast loud and clear all month.

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