by Lonn Phillips Sullivan
@LonnPhillips
I've received word that a few more 2022 class studs are beginning to lean towards the Tigers, Coach Orgeron and his staff looking to get up on the local talent early this cycle, a marked improvement from 2021's hesitation & indecision.
For example, Texas A&M offered Brian Thomas Jr a few months prior to us, something which obviously was not overlooked by the Thomas family, LSU battling Fisher's Aggies clear until the final day. Alabama, A&M & Georgia all offered Chris Hilton Jr a few months before the Tigers...
While LSU let these recruits know their intense investment and interest all along, Coach O realizes what recruiting is all about now....big statements of intent: confidence...success...swagger... intangibles any top program must possess due to that magnetism, but you have to be able to sell it....and to sell it, the recruits & their families need to see it...they can smell bullshit from a mile away.
If you're really interested in those guys, then give 'em an offer first...nothing says more.
Coach O has responded in breathtaking kind, mobilizing his staff to the point they're beginning to resemble a purple polo-wearing army.
Forget about a "fence" around Louisiana, Orgeron is constructing a fire-capped moat...
When LSU grabbed a January 30th commitment from Will Campbell, securing the best O-line talent out of the state of Louisiana since La'el Collins, they gained a major foothold and a fantastic establishment for the 2022 class.
The biggest need was at offensive line....
So, the under-fire James Cregg answered the disappointment of the 2021 Tristan Leigh pursuit by making sure a generational local talent commits to the Tigers straight out of the gate. Campbell's talents lie in the same tier as former Tigers like the aforementioned Collins, Andrew Whitworth, or newly minted NFL Hall of Fame recipient Alan Faneca...and Cregg recruited him as such.
At the same time Cregg was preserving the most talented O-lineman of the 2022 class in Will Campbell (offering before everyone except ULM, La Tech and the Ragin' Cajuns), the Super Bowl winner also went and earned the commitment of one of its most underrated, another local offensive tackle named Bo Bordelon, son of LSU's 1996 O-line captain Ben Bordelon.
Then out of Alabama, standing 6 foot 3 inches and weighing 314 lbs, Lucas Taylor has already defected to the Tigers since August of last year, another massive, deceptively athletic target Saban will be angry to miss out on....especially when you lose a guy like Taylor to the Tigers & their development team.
These three offensive line commitments are titanic for a program starving for offensive line help...frankly, without all 5 O-line starters from 2020 staying on for the coming season, our Tigers would've been massively depleted in the talent and (most importantly) chemistry department at these critical positions.
Now, with such decorated, National Champion upperclassmen all staying on headed into the 2021 season, their future chemistry appears promising & LSU's O-line depth looks solid: beyond the 5 starters of Rosenthal, Ingram, Shanahan, Hines, Deculus, Cregg's group boasts gems like Anthony Bradford, Thomas Perry (his father was also a former Tiger great), 5 Star former Southern Lab OG Kardell Thomas (another transcendental local O-line talent poised to break out), highly prized tackle Marcus Dumervil & his St. Thomas Aquinas teammate Marlon Martinez among others... however, after this year, there will be a huge vacancy at the O-line position in terms of experience, proven on-field talent & learned instincts.
It's an offensive line renaissance in Baton Rouge, good vibes are in the air, led by title-winning, NFL-ready leaders like Ed Ingram or Austin Deculus surrounded by a litany of talent, character, iron will and smart O-line play.
So, not only must Cregg continue his recruiting spree, but LSU's 2020 freshmen and 2021 stars like Garrett Dellinger & Kimo Makeonole need to play minutes over the course of the season....their experience will prove invaluable to 2022's Will Campell, Lucas Taylor & Ben Bordelon....but most of all, this 2021 O-line need to show these young stunners how it's done....how a Joe Moore Award is won...
And it appears Campbell, Bordelon & Taylor will soon be joined by...
After having some brief interactions with this young man, seeing his own reactions and comments about LSU, hearing about James Cregg's strident chase for this out of state talent, watching the aggression, swagger & intensity he displays on the field, I believe 2022's Malik Agbo (out of Washington state's Todd Beamer High) will be joining the Tigers.
We'll see when that announcement comes, however I have a solid feeling about Agbo's standing concerning the Tigers.
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Moving on to other positions, I know LSU will be pursuing St. James' WR Shazz Preston with their all, making him among the highest priority captures right now on their board.
Preston already has teammate ties on roster (fellow St. James' state champion DE Saivion Jones), while WRs Coach Mickey Joseph beat every single program (except for the ultra desperate Bob Saget-esque Texas A&M) to get an offer to the playmaking / history-taking / star-in-the-making prodigy.
We're also hearing Monsignor Pace's DE Shemar Stewart is all but committed to Coach Orgeron's Tigers, with Christian LaCatoure doing a fantastic job over the past transitional few months, upping LSU's push for the highly prized Florida-native (after Bill Johnson left the D-line job for an analyst role).
The breathtaking pass-rusher loves the attention from LSU and has kept them near his top schools, of course next to others like Clemson, UGA and Miami (Alabama in the running but far off the mark for Stewart right now);
I feel Stewart is entranced by the D-Line factory of greatness the Tigers are building. This year's potential #1 overall unit, alongside the hiring of NFL Legend Andre Carter has turned the heads of many top talented defensive linemen...look for Stewart to be next in line.
2022 UNDER THE RADAR PROSPECT TO WATCH:
DARYL SEARCY JR
Running Back / Linebacker
(Robinson High, Little Rock Arkansas)
@DarylSearcyJR
He's due for a BIG 2021 senior year. Reminds me of Patrick Queen's profile.
The coolest thing? Searcy Jr LOVES LSU & wants to be a Tiger. He's a strong-willed, high character young man who I feel is going to be a star one day.
Keep it tuned & glued to LSUODYSSEY.COM for plenty more updates on LSU's 2021 offseason, 2022 recruiting, overall LSU news, exclusive interviews, intense features, no holds barred analysis & far more.
AS FAR AS 2022 GEAUXS...LET'S GEAUX!!!!
by Lonn Phillips Sullivan
@LonnPhillips
Copyright 2021 Uninterrupted Writings Inc LLC
SHOUTOUTS: THANK YOU CLAYETH!!!! love ya brotha!!!
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