KEEP CHECKING BACK HERE OVER THE COMING DAY AS WE CONTINUE TO UPLOAD ANY & ALL INFORMATION FROM THIS PAST WEEKEND
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
LSU's paramount recruiting weekend went smoothly for Brian Kelly and his new staff, welcoming nearly 30 members of the 2023 and 2024 classes, as well as a single player from the 2025 cycle.....would his recruiting staff be up to the task?
Strategized by Recruiting Coordinators Frank Wilson and Brian Polian, the Tigers' Recruiting Staff, consisting of Corey Phillips, Destiny Wilson, Will Redmond, Sherman Wilson, Bobby Barnham, Gordon Thomas Jr among others, took control of the reins for Saturday and Sunday.
The young recruits were sent through a magical mystery tour of all that is LSU....from Brian Kelly's opening talk inside the team's meeting room, one one one discussions with position coaches, taking photos wearing some of LSU's most iconic and rare uniform combinations, taking a tour of Death Valley, the trophy room and the Tigers' state of the art locker room amenities, or getting to know everyone over a crawfish boil, both recruits and families eating large platters of crawfish and corn alongside LSU's coaching staff.
Later on, the fun didn't end, as staff and parents grew tighter over dinner and drinks, while the recruits played mini golf and became more comfortable with one another.
There were already some established connections between this past weekend's visitors, LSU hosting 5 players from Georgia's Grayson High alone, as well as 6 recruits out of Texas, and 4 local Louisiana targets, headlined by Shelton Sampson Jr and Booker T. Washington running back Arnold "Duda" Barnes.
Some serious headway was made this weekend, specifically in regards to a few of LSU's most "in demand" prospects, Shelton Sampson Jr, Trey Holly, Tayvion Galloway and Dante Moore were all emphatic about how much they enjoyed their visit on campus.
Who wouldn't enjoy their time in Baton Rouge?
The question is: Will these players want to play for this coaching staff?
Will these players want to play alongside each other?
So far, I'm hearing really positive reactions, though there are a few recruitments which will take until the final day, no matter what expectations are fulfilled right now.......
March 5th was a fantastic opportunity to win over first impressions, a chance Kelly & Co. were taking full advantage.
Following this weekend, it's safe to say LSU just hit a major home run early on in the 2023 cycle & sprung a massive head start for 2024.
More than anything, with each recruiting weekend that passes, Kelly continues to drill home a simple, yet devastating message for all of college football:
This Is a New LSU.....an ambitious (some may say 'dangerous') version of LSU....
ARNOLD "DUDA" BARNES (RB, Booker T. Washington)
DUDA: "The atmosphere felt like home, not too far away from where I stay, it was an elite campus and one of the best I seen so far. What stands out to me is that everything is not too far apart from each other, to school to the football faculties.... it's a perfect fit for me."
DUDA ON HOW RELATABLE THE COACHES ARE:
"It was a great conversation, we was discussing our childhoods, where we from and touched bases on where we was before we came in this position we at now."
JO JO STONE (WR, Grayson)
MICHAEL DAUGHERTY(SAFETY, Grayson)
COLE DELLINGER (OL, Clarkston)
CHRISTIAN GRAY (CB, De Smet High)
ZION FERGUSON (CB, Grayson)
TREY HOLLY (RB, Union Parish)
Trey tells me he "isn't committed anywhere yet".
JONTAY COOK (WR, De Soto)
JAYLEN "HOLLYWOOD" BELL (CB, Grayson)
OMARION MILLER (WR, North Caddo)
SCENES FROM LSU's WEEKEND:
2024 WILLIS HIGH QB D.J LAGWAY ON HIS VISIT:
"It was amazing! They let me visit the baseball facilities as well and they showed a tremendous amount of love!"
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
Copyright 2022 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
SHOUTOUTS: Chelsea, My Dad, Rivers, Auri and JOSH GUILLORY for his never-ending advice & friendship. Love this guy!
