TX is Now Our Biggest Threat to Louisiana Recruits - True or False

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FACT or FICTION-Texas is LSU's biggest threat to recruiting elite talent inside the state of Louisiana.

Suchomel: FACT. It feels like over the past decade or so, Alabama and Nick Saban were usually the ones going head-to-head with LSU for elite talent in the state of Louisiana. With a coaching change in Tuscaloosa, it’s starting to feel more and more that LSU and Texas have been and will be battling it out for some top talent, both in Louisiana and in Texas.

Other SEC programs will certainly continue to recruit Louisiana heavily since it’s a state loaded with talent, but Steve Sarkisian has openly stated that the Longhorns would like to try to dip into the Pelican State for players due to some staff connections to the state from guys such as Terry Joseph and Brandon Harris. I expect that will only increase with Texas officially joining the SEC and it should shape up for some interesting recruiting battles in the coming years.

Spiegelman: FACT. LSU coaches have always had a massive upper hand recruiting in their backyard. The biggest obstacle was when former LSU and Alabama head coach Nick Saban entered the fray, which paved the way for some historic recruiting battles for the likes of Leonard Fournette, Landon Collins, Dylan Moses, Sage Ryan and more. The Alabama offer still carries a ton of weight, and national offers from Georgia, Ohio State and others often move the needle in Louisiana, too. However, since Steve Sarkisian's arrival in Austin, there is no doubt the Longhorns have become the biggest thorn in LSU's side.

This Texas staff has evaluated prospects at a very high clip and recruited them even better. GM Brandon Harris has ties to Louisiana and DB coach Terry Joseph has consistently given them a foot in the door. Compound that by Sarkisian's personal touch in recruiting from the head coaching position, a change of conference and one of the country's best up-and-coming rosters, and the Longhorns are a program geared to continue to recruit Louisiana and nationally at an elite level.

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