re: Shea says to not be surprised if Cai Bates doesn't end up in this class

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I get it, but just because we know it’s likely doesn’t mean it’s not an issue that they’re in this position. Bussey would be a must at that point.

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No idea why this is getting downvoted. Everyone wants to clown on Matt House because this secondary has been so bad but the fact is that its things like this that are the root cause, not anything pertaining to scheme - dude can scheme his absolute arse off when he's got the players to do it. When you have to fill an entire secondary from the portal two years in a row, the odds that you're gonna hit both times are slim to none.


Yes, it's a good thing that the staff consistently has backup plans in place for when kids decommit like this--but at the end of the day, when you have an absolute EXTREME weakness, you're simply NOT going to fix it (at least not to the extent necessary to achieve the types of goals a program like LSU is shooting for) by bringing in class after class of 3*s. Even last year when we landed Toviano, there's a good chance we're losing ground on the problem rather than making it up. That's ONE bluechip corner; if he doesn't live up to every bit of his ranking, then all of a sudden you're looking a situation where you need *multiple* big hits from 3* guys. That's NOT a good spot to be in, even before factoring in how horrendously bad the secondary currently is. If you follow that up with a class that doesn't have a single blue chip corner, you're in danger of major long-term problems.


Now, none of this means that LSU is fricked. This past transfer class included a lot of underclassmen/guys with multiple years of eligibility, so you may still get progress from that group. Toviano COULD live up to his ranking. And Cai Bates isn't gone yet. So it's not as if that position group is DOA for the foreseeable future - the point, though, is that the margin for error is getting thinner and thinner, and we can't afford for that trend to continue much longer.

Wasn't everyone on here quoting Shea when he said not to worry?

I hope they replace him with a similar recruit

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Bro this what I been saying. Both those corner commits were close to Steeples. I think the writing is on the wall that BK told him he’s being replaced lol. Maybe they told the recruits that as well and they started to look around.

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Seriously doubt this.

Makes zero sense. They just flipped.

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Or that there’s been Tennessee smoke for a month and he’s visit them with their side believing he flips?

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In fairness, they thought he was committing to them literally up until the moment he put the LSU hat on.

You've been following recruiting for a long time it seems, Cap. This is an honest question.

Why does it feel like BK is having a harder time recruiting here than coaches who had way less proof of concept on the field?

I know NIL has changed things dramatically. But you'd think that a coach who's already shown a winning culture at a place like LSU would have a much, much easier time pulling top tier guys.

Money aside, why do you think there's been this struggle?

Caveat - I know recruiting hasn't been bad but I think there was some real expectations that we'd land in the top 5 year consistently once we got BK.

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Why does it feel like BK is having a harder time recruiting here than coaches who had way less proof of concept on the field?

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My personal opinion is I think he's doing some things great like the offensive line which LSU hasn't had to me any elite lineman since La'El Collins. So I have to give him credit for that first.

But the roster was dogshit in numbers and depleted so it's taking the 2-4 years to get the depth. People want wholesale changes in a year with the portal but that's just not really attainable. New staff in the secondary trying to get their footing.

I do 100% agree about how he believes building depth in the secondary with high school players is the key if LSU wants to get the DBU moniker back.

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I know recruiting hasn't been bad but I think there was some real expectations that we'd land in the top 5 year consistently once we got BK.

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Realistically they could finish top 3 next year. Hate to say it and get our hopes up but damnit 2025 is loaded and could be special starting January 6th.

Get Kerry Cooks and Steeples TF out of this program man.

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Why does it feel like BK is having a harder time recruiting here than coaches who had way less proof of concept on the field?

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I don't accept your premise.

LSU has always been heavy on in-state recruiting. This is not a strong year for Louisiana, yet LSU will still likely be Top 10-ish. LSU looks to have a Top 3 class in 2025 and 2026.

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He doesn’t fit the bill.

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Bates??

Sevyn Banks made a huge mistake leaving LSU and declaring for the draft. He went undrafted and is no longer in football.

Assuming he was going to be recovered from his injuries, he would've played a lot and likely started this year.