Inside Look: LSU’s final Visitor Weekend before Dead Period
The LSU football staff has 27 commitments in for the 2024 recruiting cycle, a group made up of 26 high school prospects and one junior college recruit.
On the final weekend before the NCAA Dead Period begins on Monday, the Tigers are hosting a slew of prospects.
The list includes current commitments, an uncommitted high school target and two NCAA Transfer Portal targets.
Here’s the latest scoop out of Baton Rouge.
LSU team pitches in to help recruit the commitments
LSU is hosting six current commitments in tight end Trey’Dez Green, linebacker Kolaj Cobbins, defensive lineman Ahmad Breaux, cornerback Ju’Juan Johnson and safeties Dashawn McBryde and Joel Rogers.
The current LSU team is helping host the group, with the staff pairing up players with signees on their final visit weekend in Baton Rouge before signing with the Tigers on Wednesday.
Green, who is ranked as the nation’s No. 1 tight end prospect, is spending time with freshman tight end Ka’Morreun Pimpton. That’s a pair of 6-foot-6 tight ends with some of the impressive catch radius abilities in the past two cycles. The future at tight end is very bright with these two young pass catchers.
Former five-star Da’Shawn Womack is spending the weekend with Cobbins, who has the ability to play the JACK linebacker role as he transitions from Destrehan High to LSU.
Bradyn Swinson, who emerged as an impressive backup to Ovie Oghoufo after transferring in from Oregon, is helping host Cobbins as well, has been able to spend time with Breaux, who is one of four defensive linemen committed to the Tigers this cycle.
LSU freshman quarterback Rickie Collins, who has been a staple as a host on a visitor weekends, is spending time with Johnson – who capped off his career at LCA as Louisiana’s all-time leader in yards and touchdowns.
Two of LSU’s freshmen safeties, Javien Toviano and Ryan Yaites, are spending time with LSU’s next two incoming safeties in McBryde and Rogers.
LSU hosting former Texas A&M commitment
Texas four-star offensive lineman Coen Echols backed off his commitment to Texas A&M a week ago, and he’s now in Baton Rouge on the final weekend before the Early Signing Period.
LSU offensive line coach Brad Davis and the staff have recruited Echols throughout the 2024 recruiting cycle, so it’s not a surprise to see him want to pop into Baton Rouge before finalizing a decision.
LSU views Echols as a potential center, and he’s being hosted by the heir apparent at the position in freshman DJ Chester.
The Tigers love the five-man offensive line class Davis and Co. have built, but let’s see if the numbers work out to the point where the staff presses late for a prospect like Echols. Six offensive line signees from the high school ranks would be a lot, but I can’t rule it out just yet.
A note, Auburn holds the On3 RPM lead for Echols following his visit to this year’s Iron Bowl.
A pair of NCAA Transfer Portal targets are on campus
LSU is hosting two NCAA Transfer Portal targets – and both are from SEC programs.
On Friday, the Tigers landed Texas A&M safety transfer Jardin Gilbert, then quickly followed up the addition with the news of Mississippi State receiver and return specialist Zavion Thomas choosing LSU as his transfer destination.
Will the dominos continue to fall?
The surprise visitor is Mississippi State cornerback Decamerion Richardson, who entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Wednesday.
The Louisiana native immediately flew to Oregon for a visit, and he was set to follow that up with a visit to Texas A&M. Instead, LSU’s staff efforts paid off when they got Richardson to pass on the trip to College Station and head to Baton Rouge, instead. Richardson arrived at LSU early on Saturday morning and will remain on campus until Sunday.
Richardson appeared in 45 games at Mississippi State, making 26 starts as one of the SEC West’s top cornerbacks. He logged 177 tackles across four seasons with the Bulldogs, closing out his career at MSU with a sack, two tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and 10 passes broken up.
LSU is also looking at quarterbacks in the portal. Garrett Nussmeier is set to take the reigns from Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, but the Tigers only have one scholarship quarterback on campus behind Nussmeier in freshman Rickie Collins, who appeared in one game this season. Colin Hurley, LSU’s high school commitment in the 2024 class, arrives to campus next month.
With the hope of bringing in another quarterback with experience, LSU quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan is hosting Vanderbilt transfer AJ Swann.
Swann, who has already visited South Carolina, arrived in Baton Rouge on Friday.
Swann spent two seasons in Nashville, starting in all six games he appeared in this season while completing 196 passes for 1,457 yards and 12 touchdowns. As a true freshman a year ago, Swann 1,274 yards and 10 touchdowns. He had 159 pass attempts before throwing his first interception, the longest such stretch by an SEC quarterback to open a career (at an FBS school) since 2002. It was also the fewest interceptions thrown by any FBS true freshman with at least 200 drop backs on the season.
For his two-year college career, Swann has hit on 222-of-394 pass attempts for 2,731 yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
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