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Football Recruiting: Coaches Hit The Road

With time to spare before the bowl games, the coaches hit the road to get some recruiting in.

By Corey Poche
Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

With Miles retained and the rest of the staff intact, the coaches hit the road during the contact period before learning where they will be heading for their bowl game and start preparations for their opponent.  Who was paid a visit first and what does it mean for this class?  Well c'mon in.

Miles and Cameron Continue Onward With Franks

After quarterback Feleipe Franks de-committed from LSU last month and preceded to waste little time in moving onward to the home-state Gators, it seemed like it was a done deal. But with Jim McElwain getting a visit from Jacob Eason and pursuing Dwayne Haskins, it rubbed Franks the wrong way, opening the door for Miles and Cameron to pay him a visit and try to strike a chord one more time. With Mark Richt now situated at Miami, Jacob Eason may find his way to Florida again, just not with the Gators. That's one less QB for Franks to not worry about more than likely, but Haskins still remains in limbo as he waits to see who will be Maryland's new coach and what the future holds for interim Terps coach Mike Locksley.

Ed O Looks To Secure The Borders and Then Some

Defensive line coach Ed Orgeron noticed what his main priority was on day one: secure the borders. What that meant was paying five-star defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence a visit.

With Bama always lurking, Orgeron wants to make sure this one stays in Louisiana. After making a splash earlier in the season with Rashan Gary, Orgeron is making the trek out east in pursuit of reigniting that interest. With Shavar Manuel likely staying in Florida after a disappointing year, Orgeron will focus on combining a DT class finale of at least Lawrence and Gary.

Frank Wilson Goes After His Lone RB Target

It comes as no surprise that Frank Wilson, with Miles in tow, made his first appearance at Devin White's house. Frank is going with the same approach the staff did with Leonard Fournette in making sure White knows he is the lone running back in this class. White fits the type of back for this offense perfectly with a big, bruising running style with impressive speed for a guy his size.

Jeff Grimes Secures a Visit From Jean Delance

While the pursuit of Greg Little went flat, offensive line coach Jeff Grimes made a short trek in the DFW area in Texas to pay a visit to four-star offensive tackle Jean Delance. The visit went so well that Delance has planned to visit LSU this weekend, even so much as stirring up rumors of a commit even before he visited. Those were found untrue but he could definitely be on commitment watch this coming weekend.

Other Recruits of Note

The remaining commits in the 2016, minus Franks and Clifford Chattman, were all paid a visit or are still on the schedule, and the general consensus has been that recruits were excited that Miles was retained, further showing the admiration that Miles brings with him. Stephen Sullivan continues to be a target of Tony Ball and Cam Cameron, and the rise in attention has put LSU back in the driver's seat over TCU for the large wide receiver. Kevin Steele continued his pursuit of Alabama LB Ben Davis before heading up to Tennessee to visit with Emmitt Gooden.

With the week coming to a close, more names will continue to pop up as the staff traverses the country in pursuit of retaining the current group of elite commits, along with putting the finishing touches on this top-rated class. While Miles' job is secured for next season, his biggest recruiting challenge may be holding onto guys like Frank Wilson, Ed Orgeron and Corey Raymond, the trio of elite recruiters that have done a lot for this 2016 class. Wilson and Orgeron have already come up in other coaching rumors, but another bump in pay could keep them satisfied in Baton Rouge. Love him or hate him, Les Miles is one solid recruiter and these next few months will go a long way for his future.

Finally, Les Miles, again, Dabs