Lonn Phillips Sullivan
Nov 3, 20214 min
Updated: Nov 9, 2021
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
-EVERYTHING IN BLUE HAS A RELATED LINK OF AMAZING CONTENT FOR THAT PLAYER, COACH OR THINGAMICKJAGGER
While there has been plenty of speculation & uncertainty surrounding LSU's 2022 class, especially due to the dark clouds around Coach Orgeron's departure, talk of a rotten culture, WR Aaron Anderson's decommitment to Alabama this past Friday, or the University's highly publicized Title IX cases, there have been some strong developments for the Tigers' class:
Over the past two weeks, I was told there would be the "biggest LSU Tigers recruiting push of the last 5 years", the kind that "Coach O would've been bragging about for years", all in an attempt to keep the Tigers' biggest future pieces in place. All hands are on deck, right now....anyone and everyone who cares about LSU, whether they have a future here or not, are out there recruiting harder than any college football staff in America.
Despite some assistants being on their way out the door, there are big time leaders on staff who can still command the weather and beckon hellhounds on the recruiting trail; OL Coach Brad Davis, WRs Coach Mickey Joseph, Recruiting Coordinator Mason Smith, GM Austin Thomas (2017's #10 overall recruiter) DL Coach Andre Carter, and of course DBU boss Corey Raymond are all out in force, making sure 2022 recruits understand the message from Scott Woodward.
Woodward himself has also been in discussions with Walker & Jamie Howard as well as Will Campbell's parents, hoping to keep hold of the twin pillars of their 2022 class, a historic bunch stemming from Louisiana alone.
Even LSUODYSSEY.COM have stayed hungry ourselves on the trail, talking up the 2022 OL to Will Campbell, Emery Jones & Bo Bordelon in hopes of keeping this potentially amazing unit together.
Well, after the last two days....it seems like something is working:
Regardless of uncertainty around the identity of their future Head Coach, 5 star OL Emery Jones, 4 star OG Bo Bordelon, and now near 5 star RB Tre'Vonte Citizen have all gone out of their way, at this time, to "re-commit" publicly through Twitter, posting that they are "solid Tigers".....and it's a perfect move that's generating some momentum for what was once a top 2 nationally ranked class with aims for the #1 overall spot.
LSU have fallen to 12th nationally and 4th in the SEC, well below the program's reality or expectations, with a recent decommitment hit from Edna Karr WR Aaron Anderson hurting some.....the truth is, LSU can ride this storm out.
Yes, there have been some decommitments that have stung this class, 5 star Ponchatoula safety Jacoby Matthews specifically, though if you were reading LSUODYSSEY.COM, you already knew we were going to lose both A.J Johnson and Aaron Anderson, as well as Marcus Scott II, Lucas Taylor, and Bryce Anderson........
Screw national rankings.....there was something more serious here for the Tigers to fight for:
QB Walker Howard, LT Will Campbell, LB Harold Perkins, Safety Jacoby Matthews, Safety/CB/RB/WR Kendrick Law, OT/OG Emery Jones, WR DeColdest Crawford, and OG Bo Bordelon are all players LSU cannot afford to lose during a cycle where it seems we have no control over who's coming or geauxing....
But hearing a "re-commitment" from one of the nation's top running backs and two of the top 10 ranked OL, is a huge step in the right direction.....because where there's blood in the water....there are sharks waiting....where there's smoke, there's a roomful of Tigers hitting cigars after winning another title.
The highest possible priorities from here on out?
Securing QB Walker Howard & LT Will Campbell is our #1 priority, & we can hope the duo's "re-commitment" shouldn't be far behind Jones, Citizen & Bordelon's public declarations.
Next would be a tie between both Madison Prep DE Quency Wiggins (18 sacks over the past 17 games) & Cy Park's #1 overall athlete of the 2022 class, the do-it-all wrecking ball Harold Perkins.
Doing everything to sign LB/RB Harold Perkins out of Cy Park is a must, not only due to LSU's major need at the LB position, but because Perkins would greatly help to restore the Tigers' former swagger on defense.
Perkins would be the next in line after Devin White, Patrick Queen and now Butkus semi-finalist Damone Clark, though I feel Perkins' coverage abilities are stronger than Damone's and may be as good as circa 2019 Patrick Queen.
Then, you simply must do everything to grab Kendrick Law out of Captain Shreve; the 3 phase megalodon is an absolute entertainment-feast, jumping over defenders vs Byrd this past week, scoring 6 TDs on the season from two different positions, and showing out equally at RB, WR and CB.
Then, why not finish off the class with another great OL, St Thomas Aquinas' OT Julian Armella, capable of playing right tackle or left; although his father's decades-long relationship alongside Coach O could put a dent in LSU's chances, Julian would also relish the opportunity to play alongside 2022 classmate Mason Taylor, as well as a pair of 2020 OL freshmen out of Aquinas, the highly-prized Marcus Dumervil & the recent high impact starter Marlon Martinez.
UPDATE 7PM MTN TIME: Will Campbell publicly reaffirms his commitment to LSU on Twitter. Solid 🐅is becoming a theme here.
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
Copyright 2021 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
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