THE RECRUITING IMPORTANCE OF LSU'S NEW HIRE MASON SMITH

Updated: May 9, 2021

by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

@LonnPhillips

3 hours ago, now former Miss St recruiting specialist Mason Smith announced he's joined the LSU Tigers...and it was a move that had traction for some time.

Mason Smith has proven to be among the country's most effective young recruiting minds, helping Mississippi State's drastic improvement in the transfer portal & on the trail, hauling in top transfers such as QB K.J Costello & WR Tyrell Shavers, & pulling together a trio of dynamic 4 star players, including the flip of 2021 RB Ke'Vontre Hargrove (a Tiger target for some time).

Since Smith has joined the staff, the unit have climbed the national rankings from 28th to 26th and starting out 2022 hot at 18th in the entire country, good for 7th in the SEC...the first time Miss State had entered the SEC's top 10 since 2018.

Now, only hours after one of the country's most popular young recruiters is hired by General Manager Austin Thomas, Athletic Director Scott Woodward and Head Coach Ed Orgeron, the young stunners of the 2022 class are gravitating towards LSU:

Immediately, 5 star Ponchatoula QB / Safety JACOBY MATHEWS posted a tweet saying he'd be announcing his commitment at today at 4pm central time, though who's to know if he has yet another joke up his sleeve.

But in reality, I know Mathews is tight with Smith and there's a big chance Jacoby finally makes it official today, only 22 days after his bizarre April Fool's day prank.

My favorite cornerback of the 2022 class, high octane LaTerrance Welch also retweeted Mason's announcement post saying "you just made my day"....

Due to Smith's close tightness with a bevy of top Louisiana recruits (thanks to his managerial role with the 7 on 7 dynamo Louisiana Bootleggers and close proximity to the recruiting world), I expect to see a massive amount of gains for LSU's historic 2022 class.

2021 was a powerhouse that missed on the needs in the trenches, but 2022 will massively improve on the class before, sealing the local talent, bringing in out of state kingmakers & powerfully addressing their roster's every need.

Hiring Mason Smith is a huge power play for the soul of the SEC's future, with this move making it obvious LSU have had enough of Alabama's recruiting dominance.

And right now, with Austin Thomas rejoining the staff led by the greatest recruiter in the country, Coach O, a frenzy of hungry new coaches who've already proven successful on the trail (Jones, Peetz, Carter, Baker), a top 5 recruiter in the country already there (DBU Miyagi Corey Raymond) and now.....

.....in the wake of Smith's hiring, LSU will also have the best supporting staff in the country, with gems such as Collin D'Angelo, Olivia Ohlsen, former Tiger DB Dwayne Thomas, Jeffrey Grigus, Carter Sheridan's 11 year NFL experience, Kevin Coyle's defensive nous, the return of Jorge Munoz on offense, LBs Assistant Alec Osbourne and as always, Senior Consultant John Robinson....

The force is strong within the Bayou....

INCOMING 2022 COMMITMENTS

(ODYSSEY PICKS)

-Emery Jones, OT (Catholic)

-Jacoby Mathews, S/QB (Ponchatoula)

TIGER TARGETS TO WATCH:

-Shazz Preston, WR (St. James)

-Kamari Wilson, DB (IMG)

-Harold Perkins, LB (Cy Park)

-Malik Agbo, OL (Todd Beamer)

Malik Agbo will be waiting until after his June 4th visit & camp appearance at LSU.

-Nyjalik Kelly, DE (Dillard)