The first ranked home game is upon us. It is an SEC East rival that is a consistent member of our yearly schedule. The No. 17 Florida Gators come into Baton Rouge with a quarterback that has yet to see what will likely be a very hostile environment. Remember when D.J. Shockley came in to replace David Greene back in 2003 and we truly saw what the LSU faithful could do to an un-experienced quarterback on the road? Tyler Murphy will get his first taste of a major road game and hopefully this LSU crowd will let him know it's no place like home (isn't that right Dorothy?) But before we get into the weekend of LSU recruiting, we are going to the hardwood for a second, where Johnny Jones reeled in another solid commit.
Elbert Robinson Is the Center of LSU's Future
After finding success in Texas last year with springy power forward Jordan Mickey, coach Johnny Jones went into Texas again and nabbed a BIG center, literally and figuratively. 2014 Lakeview Centennial 4-star center Elbert Robinson announced his commitment to LSU over Ohio State. Robinson became Johnny Jones' fourth top-100 recruit, according to ESPN, in only his second year as coach.
What the 7' 300-pound southpaw brings is size to a game that has recently turned into a more athletic foray of college basketball. Watching his highlights, you can see he is a dominant presence down low in the style of a more athletic Roy Hibbert. Being a southpaw will also be a huge bonus in there haven't been too many left-handed big men, forcing defenders to guard something they are not accustomed to stopping. He will need to become better conditioned and could lose a few pounds to handle the up-and-down game that college basketball has gravitated towards over the past decade. However, he will be a huge, talented post presence that not really any other team can state they boast on their roster.
Johnny Jones Don't Ever Stop
Apparently, nabbing Elbert Robinson was just the beginning as Johnny Jones will be using this big football weekend to his advantage as well. Composite 2015 5-star Ben Simmons of Montverde Academy in Florida will be visiting this weekend, along with his teammate, 2014 3-star point guard Jalyn Patterson. LSU has an ace in the hole as Simmons is actually the godson of assistant coach David Patrick, which can go a long way in getting his commitment later on down the road. It also wouldn't hurt getting a commitment from his teammate Patterson to continue staying in his ear about joining him in Baton Rouge.
But Johnny Jones wasn't even done there. Also visiting this weekend will be 2015 5-star Elijah Thomas out of Lancaster, Texas. Johnny is making it apparent that he wants to get a stronghold in the state of Texas and will be looking to nab his third highly-rated player from the state, taking advantage of his team's upswing and the current downward trend of schools like Texas and Texas A&M.
Both Simmons and Thomas will likely have their pick of any school across the country, but that won't stop Johnny from trying to keep this LSU basketball squad improving in terms of incoming talent.
Errbody Be Comin Down To Baton Rouge
Getting back to the gridiron after that short, but impressive, tangent, LSU will be having their biggest recruiting weekend of the year so far (I imagine the A&M game will draw even more). While there are some top names that will be missing on the visitor list, it is still a solid Who's Who in top Louisiana prospects.
The headliner of the weekend though will be coming all the way from California and his parentals from Missouri. The 5-star, A$AP Rocky look-a-like cornerback Adoree' Jackson will be making the trip to Baton Rouge for his second official visit following a trip to Oklahoma last weekend. While many contend that Florida holds a lead on the diminutive but very athletic corner, he has been quoted on numerous occasions to be very high on LSU. Fans can hope he has a trip like Clifton Garrett (who was initially on the list but is an unknown as of publishing) and become very enthralled with the atmosphere, DBU and LSU in full. There is a good possibility that could happen and will go a long way in helping us catch up to the Gators.
Staying in state, the usual list of visitors will be there, including Malachi Dupre, Gerald Willis, Speedy Noil, Brandon Harris and most of the other LSU prospects and commits from 2014 and '15, including Kevin Toliver II bringing in a little LSU flavor from Florida. The 2017 man-child LSU commit Dylan Moses will also be there and should be a vital part of getting the younger recruits more interested in teaming up with him at LSU instead of having to go up against him (It would be a wise move recruits, just saying).
Two names that are for sure absent from the list are Leonard Fournette and Tony Brown, but don't worry folks. It's not like they didn't want to come, but their high school games sort of take a little more precedence over a college visit. I feel these two are LSU bound so it should be of little worry they won't be present.
The name that is a question mark and has become more worrisome in recent weeks is Laurence "Hootie" Jones. It seems as if momentum with him has begun to tilt a little more to that team in Tuscaloosa, so a solid visit this weekend, if he indeed does make it to Baton Rouge, could help tilt those scales back in LSU's favor. I still think we lead, but that lead is dwindling more and more.
Even with that little Debbie Downer talk at the end there, it will still be a very huge weekend in Baton Rouge as the Mettsiah takes on the toughest defense he has gone up against this year. The crowd should be rocking even with a 2:30 start time and should go a long way in making a lasting impression on these kids.
Until next weekend, GEAUX TIGERS!!!!