RECRUITING WEEKEND #4

Lonn Phillips Sullivan
Jun 25, 2021
5 min read

Updated: Jun 26, 2021

by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

@LonnPhillips

Here we GEAUX...

The final recruiting weekend before the dead period reignites its dread....

LSU have some heavy names coming in, and while some of the Tigers' assistants are finding themselves weary to the bone, it's proving to be time for some of LSU's more hidden gems to take it home....

Introducing JR BELTON, LSU's director of scouting....JEFF GRIGUS, director of operations, and of course, MASON SMITH the phantom recruiting coordinator haunting Saban.

VISITORS:

-DT Anthony Lucas (Chapperal)

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-My man ADIESEL tells me Chapparal High's 2022 DL Anthony Lucas has arrived on campus: the Arizona-located bruiser is a highly sought after DT, the 83rd overall player in the nation and the 14th overall DT according to the 247 composite;

In LSU's pursuit for the Scottsdale DT, recruiting coordinator Mason Smith and DL Coach Andre Carter are teaming up, with Smith surprisingly taking the lead here.

Mason Smith is proving his worth as a recruiting dynamo for LSU, and with the Tigers getting Lucas' family to travel down to Baton Rouge for a visit, you can tell Mason is pulling out all the stops.

Across 17 games as a sophomore & junior, Lucas totaled 13 sacks, 75 total tackles (44 solo), 25.5 TFL, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, a TD as both a runner & receiver, and 1 interception.

Lucas didn't blow the staff away, though there's a strong belief from DL Coach Andre Carter that the Scottsdale DT can develop stronger football IQ, drop some weight and quicken his feet.

-WR Evan Stewart (Liberty)

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247 ranks Evan Stewart as the #1 2022 WR in America, and though we disagree (that's Shazz Preston), Stewart is a remarkable specimen who should garner much attention from the staff this weekend.

But this is a case of:

LSU aren't emptying the coffers or running themselves into the ground...

If Evan wants to join, they'll take him, but they're not willing to bankrupt themselves of energy which could be better served on other WR targets.

-WR Armani Winfield (Lewisville)

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Though he's committed to Texas, LSU were able to pry the Lewisville receiver away from the Longhorns....just long enough to get him in a room with Will Campbell and potential quarterback Walker Howard.

FLIP ALERT:

There's a major chance for a flip here.

Watch LSU break another Longhorn commitment, just as LSU Odyssey presided over when Rueben Owens II interviewed with us a few weeks back.

-RB Tre'vonte Citizen (Lake Charles Prep)

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The "can't miss" back of the class, right???

After Alabama's Pete Golding used the inflamed emotions of a personal tragedy to offload Le'veon Moss from his home state, the next best rusher of the class has to be Tre'vonte Citizen

-CB Jadarian Rhym (Valdosta)

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Unable to visit the last few weeks due to a tragic death in the family, Rhym is on campus for the first time ever this weekend.

We're excited to see exactly what kind of corner Rhym is:

When I look at the film, I see a DB with limitations and a lack of aggression, yet so many have cautioned me on feeling that way about Rhym.

I'm excited to see where he takes his LSU commitment and if he can keep it.

-S Sonny Styles (Pickerington)

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-After the Ohio native visited Alabama the other day, both Styles and his mother had to make a stop at LSU.

The Tigers' Director of Scouting, J.R Belton, convinced Sonny to and his mother to make the stop.

Styles loved his time, but the key is?

His mother had an even better time it seemed, which rubbed off on her son, helped break the ice, and started to create a foundation.

Could Styles join Ohio native Corey Kiner at LSU??? Following in Joe Burrow's "LSU by way of Ohio" footsteps???

UNOFFICIAL VISITORS:

-QB Walker Howard⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

-LT Will Campbell⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

-DL Peter Woods ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

-????

These two have been part of LSU's winning recruiting strategy:

Putting the future face of the program's 2022 class on the scene for every visit, the staff wanting to see how Will & Walker feel about the prospects of playing with some of these guys.

I love the strategy...plus, we keep our two most key 2022 recruits committed as all hell to LSU in the process.

The players can be the biggest recruiters.

SATURDAY NIGHT UPDATE:

-Things are going very well with running back Tre'vonte Citizen, there for his final visit of the summer...and the young man has designs to commit before the season.

I believe this is the moment Kevin Faulk can seal the deal for "Citizen Pain".

He's enjoying his time hanging around the team, campus and I've been told he's seen "LSU create separation" from Jimbo Fisher's A&M....

-LSU are also hosting ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ DL Peter Woods, out of Alabaster in Alabama.

The highly touted DL ripped off back to back 7A state title wins while grinding through injury, and last year Woods exploded for 7 sacks, 15 TFL and 54 tackles, capable of playing at both DE or DT.

The Alabama native stands at a towering 6'5 260 range and is a hell on wheels kinda vicious for any offensive lineman to deal with.

Look for Andre Carter to be in DL Candy Heaven for the 700th time this June when he takes his chances at recruiting the heavily coveted 5 star.

Alabama, Auburn and Clemson are all at him hardest, however his own desire to pursue the Tigers sent a great message our staff will only be too eager to reciprocate.

LET'S GEAUX PETER!!!

UPDATE SATURDAY NIGHT:

Woods' arrival is causing a shockwave at Alabama, freaking out Saban & Golding's recruiting staff to the point they've been "blowing up Peter's phone" since news leaked online of his LSU arrival.

This is only helping LSU as the weekend begins to really get hopping.

-When you've got 2023 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ WR Jalen Hale or 2022's ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sonny Styles (the class's #1 safety according to the 247 Composite) both visiting LSU out of nowhere and from long distances, alongside ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ surprise Peter Woods or Texas' Longhorn committed ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ WR Armani Winfield all going out of their way to check out LSU over the last 36 hours of the recruiting schedule, with the class already based out with a top 5 framework, a myriad of open season 4 and 5 star targets available for each position of need ("2022's Tiers of Talent"), with all of that said... you have to say LSU are in the most advantageous position of any top 5 program in America (Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame for lack of a better answer).

Texas "lock" Winfield, Ohio State legacy / Notre Dame lean Styles, Alabama native Peter Woods, Jalen Hale...these players are all targets LSU shouldn't be able to sign, due to a few factors: location, other priority targets at their position, maybe about their profile even, ...but the fact Orgeron's Tigers are in every battle for these young men's signatures says a lot...not only about what LSU have done, but where they're going.