LSU Coaches Hard at Work on 2016 Football Recruiting Class
By Scotty Nola
Most LSU fans were hoping new hires Ed Orgeron and Kevin Steele would give this years recruiting class an immediate boost. After all, both are former national Recruiter of the Year award winners.
Ed Orgeron in particular is a legend in the recruiting business. He has recruited NFL talent wherever he has been. Expecting a big splash from the two this season was a bit premature though.
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College recruiting has changed from the old days, where coaches told top players that if they had a good senior season they might get a scholarship offer. Now no one recruits seniors.
Coaches recruit juniors and use their senior year to finish the deal. The real impact from Orgeron and Steele on the recruiting trail will be felt next year. Coach Jeff Grimes is a good example of that.
He was brought into LSU to improve the offensive line recruiting, where LSU had lost a couple of high profile recruits recently.
With a full year to work with, he was able to land the best offensive line class in the nation this year. That is the kind of impact we should look for on defense from Orgeron and Steele next year.
The recruiting effort is already under way. LSU has 6 verbal commits so far for 2016, and a list of top athletes they are pursuing.
We will go over some of the top targets in a follow up post, here is the current list of 2016 commits:
QB Felipe Franks: The gem of the 2016 class may already be in the fold with Franks. The 6’6″ 220 lb. senior is projected to be the number one dual threat QB of next year’s class. LSU is still recruiting traditional pocket passer (and Louisiana native) Shea Patterson at QB but they could be set at QB even without him.
Clifford Chatman: He is currently projected as a 3 star athlete but I expect that to change. LSU would not have had to overcome early offers from schools like Florida State and Georgia to sign Chapman, if he was a borderline prospect.
The 6’4″ 175 lb. safety out of New Orleans is being recruited by Frank Wilson and Kevin Steele, and they will have to keep him close throughout the process to keep other teams away. He may line up at Safety or Outside Linebacker if he fills out more.
Jammal Pettigrew: Another St. Aug product with the talent to make a splash at the next level, Pettigrew is a 6’5″ 218 Tight End. He’s still lean for a TE but he is an aggressive run blocker with excellent hands. Not a polished receiver, but that should change once Cam Cameron has a chance to work with him. He currently projects as a 4 star athlete and a Top 10 player at his position nationally.
Dee Anderson and Stephen Sullivan: I list them together because they are both tall, fast receivers, both are projected to be in the Top 10 at their position, and both are at a position of need.
LSU has been criticized for underperforming QB’s in recent years but they are still able to recruit top WR talent and move them to the NFL. I’m excited about these two because the height factor is something we have been missing in recent years.
Donovaughn Campbell: At 6’5″ 340 he projects as a pure guard. He isn’t as highly rated as some on the list, but this may change. Typically when a guy is recruited by Alabama, FSU and LSU that 4th star and bump up the rankings is upcoming.
Another player LSU will have to work to keep, but the Ponchatoula native is all LSU and should be a great building block for Coach Grimes and the offensive staff…….