2022 OL class can be special (long)

During the last three (3) months, I venture to guess almost everyone that follows recruiting has pointed to the glaring omission of LSU’s 2021 recruiting class and asked something along the lines of (myself included):

“Where’s the beef (only 1 of 22 commitments are OL)?”

A couple of points are mentioned almost every time this topic is mentioned on message boards; (i) last year’s class only having 3 HS commitments seemingly to support a theory that insufficient OL recruiting is becoming a trend. And almost without fail, (ii) LSU should be signing 4-5 of the highest-rated OL obtainable each cycle (which I completely agree with).

Before diving into the 2022 class, I offer my two cents on 2020-2021 OL recruiting. Most of the criticism for LSU’s OL recruiting centers around the quantity of commitments (I feel this criticism is fair). Regarding the quality of OL prospects from these classes, however, I believe coach O and Cregg should be commended for signing talented guys (Dumervil, Hill, Dellinger, & hopefully Leigh). The ESP for 2021 is less than a month away, so we should have a more definitive picture of this year’s OL class in short order. For those monitoring the situation closely, however, I recommend adjusting expectations for the quantity of 2021 commitments to three (3) OTs – Dellinger, Leigh and a graduate transfer (hopefully I'm wrong, & we sign a fourth).

2022 Recruiting

Even with LSU landing a number of talented OL recruits in 2020 and 2021, the consensus among fans is that recruiting for this position group needs to improve by annually signing more centers, guards and tackles. Such criticism may seem unjust and/or misplaced based on the top-tier classes (in terms of rank by recruiting services) Orgeron has brought in during his tenure at LSU. However, comparison of OL recruiting for LSU to Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Oregon, and Notre Dame during the previous four (4) seasons reflects a gap in the quality and quantity of OL classes.

That said, I see 2022 as the year for O & company to buck this trend by signing the type of class we are seeking. My optimism stems from a look ahead at OL targets in which I discovered the following:

1) Early commitment from 4* OG,
2) Two (2) in-state OL ranked in top-350, and
3) Interest from other highly-rated OL

Early 2022 commitment
On August 17, 2020, the Tigers received their first OL commitment for 2022 from:
Lucas Taylor, OG, 4*, #300

2022 In-state OL prospects
Two (2) OL recruits for 2022 reside in Louisiana, and they are ranked in the top-350 nationally, as follows:
Will Campbell, OT, 4*, #52
Emery Jones, OG, 3*, #350

Other 2022 OL targets interested in LSU
In addition to the OL recruits listed above, LSU has offered numerous out-of-state targets for the 2022 class and received interest from the following:
Devon Campbell (TX), OG, 5*, #9
Zach Rice (VA), OT, 5*, #19
Kelvin Banks (TX), OT, 4*, #36
Tyler Booker (FL), OT, 4*, #93
Malik Agbo (WA), OT, 4*, #176
Qae'shon Sapp (GA), OT, unranked by 247

Other 2022 OL offered but limited interest so far
Many more out-of-state OL have already been offered by LSU, but I'm unaware of them being significantly interested at this time (not to say they definitively aren't interested, I'm just not aware of it):
Joe Brunner (WI), OT, 4*, #46
Josh Conerly (WA), OT, 4*, #60
Addison Nichols (GA), OT, 4*, #67
Kam Dewberry (TX), OT, 4*, #113
Julian Armella (FL), OT, 4*, #137
PJ Williams (TX), OT, 4*, #158
Tony Livingston (FL), OT, 4*, #165
Earnest Greene (CA), OG, 4*, #42
Carson Hinzman (WI), OG, 4*, #121
Dave Iull (WA), OG, 4*, #209

Potential 2022 OL class
Based on the facts and circumstances provided above, LSU has the potential to land a special OL class for 2022. I'm hopeful we are able to sign at least a four (4) lineman class that could look something like this:
1. Will Campbell (LA), OT, 4*, #52
2. Malik Agbo (WA), OT, 4*, #176
3. Lucas Taylor (AL), OG, 4*, #300
4. Emery Jones (LA), OG, 3*, #350