I think I'm the only one not panicking

I just have a feeling that LSU knows what they're doing. They finished too strong at the end of the 2022 recruiting cycle for me to think they don't have a firm understanding of things with NIL and overall team needs. They are playing the long game and allocating resources where the biggest team needs are moving forward, not necessarily looking to blow it all on one or two recruits for the short term.

I don't think they are going to panic at QB because they have Daniels, Nuss, and Howard for the short term. No need to go crazy at that position right now with NIL dollars.

At RB, they've got Holly committed and Kaleb Jackson looks like a real possibility as well. You pull those two, that's a fantastic haul.

WR they are pursuing Shelton Sampson hard and Kyle Parker is a burner already committed. You pull those two and add another player or two like a Khai Prean, Harvey Broussard, or another out of state guy and that's a nice complimentary group. Sampson will be one of the priority recruits in this class.

TE you've got Mac Markway committed and he's a stud. A true TE who can block, not just a glorified WR. You can bet they'll probably grab another guy in the portal and double up at that position if they can't find a second prospect. Markway isn't flashy, but he's one of those glue pieces that compliments both the run game and the pass game, and might be the most physical TE recruit in the nation.

OL is where I think the real focus is going to be offensively other than Sampson at WR. I think LSU is going to go hard after Lance Heard, Tyree Adams, and Caden Jones in-state. Then, they're going to go hard after Cole Dellinger, Markee Anderson, and some of the other big names at OL. They probably won't get any of the big fish like Cayden Green or Chase Bisontis, but if they can pull the big 3 from Louisiana (Heard, Adams, and Jones) plus reel in Dellinger at center and another OOS guard like Anderson or Kelton Smith, or a tackle like Shamurad Umarov, that's going to be the foundational unit for the offense moving forward.

DL is going to sort itself out soon, Cain will get at least two or three good ones out of Dashawn Womack, A'mauri Washington, Xzavier McLeod, Darron Reed, or they'll find someone else. That position will be fine in the short term.

Edge position is the one where LSU is going to have to work/spend to get some good ones. Jayden Wayne, Tausili Akana, Jaxon Howard, and Joshua Mickens are big targets. There's also in-state, under the radar recruits in Ashley Williams and TaDerius Collins (who may be more of a tweener) if they strike out on the national recruits.

LB we can just give up and move on. No, but it stinks losing out on Ausberry and Curtis. Just have to regroup and find something at that position. Don't think you need to panic with the 2022 haul LSU had (Perkins, Tolan, Fields, Weeks) but you need at least one stud there, maybe a transfer player is the most likely result.

DB will be quantity over quality this cycle, as LSU needs numbers there in a bad way. Still, they've already got 3 really good commits at S/CB in Daylen Austin, Michael Daugherty, and Ryan Yaites. Kylin Jackson and Ashton Stamps are two obvious priorities, and they'll also be after Christian Grey and a few others. I'd expect at least 6 DB's this cycle with the majority being 4* players, maybe a 3* or two sprinkled in.

Overall, LSU isn't in as bad a position as many here believe. Still likely to finish top 10 with recruiting and the portal, it's just not going to be the top 3 class that everyone wants.


Just to further clarify, this isn't necessarily a "LSU is going to get whoever they want!" post. I mentioned a lot of names but those aren't predictions as much as they are possibilities. The real point of all this, and I know it probably wasn't very clear, is that I believe the NIL stuff is somewhat overblown right now. Yes it looks bad when Derek Williams is going to Texas, but the safety position is not where you want to blow your wad of cash this early, you want to get those elite pass rushers. QB is the leader of the team, but when you've got Nuss and Howard already on campus, your attention needs to be getting that elite OL group and a stud WR.

Shelton Sampson
Lance Heard
Tyree Adams
Caden Jones
Kylin Jackson
Kaleb Jackson

These are the in-state guys you focus on. Big, physical, hard nosed players who will grind hard and can play complimentary football. Sampson can block and catch, Kylin can hit and cover, Kaleb has speed and power. Get those big OL, get that big TE, get those tough runners and that big WR and let the offense cook on the ground and through the air. Let the staff rebuild the program piece by piece and eventually you'll get the desired product. NIL is a mess but trust that these guys know what they're doing and can build the roster back up.

Gut feeling, LSU finishes somewhere around 8th-9th in recruiting/portal rankings, but those 6th-10th place teams will all be close when final rankings are totaled up.