Recruiting Update: Final Visits Before the Early Signing Period

We’re inside of one week’s time to the opening of the first early signing period for college football, and while LSU still sits at 20 commitments, there’s still some intrigue for how the Tigers’ class finishes.

And of course, that was all before the changes to LSU’s coaching and support staff.

Still, the show goes on, with one last big weekend of official visits before the start of a dead period that will run through the signing period, to January 11.

Luckily for LSU, many of this weekend’s visitors include several of the departing Jeff Grimes’ targets:

• Cameron Wire (commitment): three-star offensive tackle
• Chasen Hines (commitment): four-star nose tackle
• Damone Clark (commitment): four-star linebacker
• Micah Baskerville (commitment): four-star linebacker
• Davin Cotton (commitment): three-star defensive lineman
• Ardarius Washington (commitment): three-star defensive back
• Chris Curry (commitment): four-star running back
• Dare Rosenthal (commitment): three-star defensive lineman
• Dantrieze Scott (commitment): three-star athlete
• Kenan Jones (commitment): four-star receiver
• Jaray Jenkins (commitment): four-star receiver
• Michael Williams (uncommitted): three-star athlete
• Andres Fox (uncommitted): four-star defensive end

(as always, kudos to Sam Spiegelman for publishing the list)

Wire and Hines are both Grimes targets. Fellow line prospect Badara Traore, per Twitter reports, will visit Tennessee this weekend as well. As a JUCO prospect and January enrollee, he’ll be signing in the next week, so it would take a pretty impressive visit — from a staff that isn’t even fully assembled — to cause any sort of late flip. Reportedly, center commit Cole Smith will be visiting Mississippi State as well. That could be an issue, as Smith is the son of a former Mississippi State player. Rumor has it the family didn’t have a great relationship with Dan Mullen, but the program has a fresh start with Joe Moorehead in charge.

LSU’s new offensive line coach, James Cregg, will be finishing out his duties with the Chargers for at least the regular season, but will almost certainly be in contact with the staff or recruits in some form or fashion this weekend.

Williams is a wild-card for this class that could be a late add, depending on how the numbers work out. As a 6-1, 230-pound athlete who played quarterback and defensive line at Dunham High School in Baton Rouge (with 2019 five-star cornerback Derek Stingley), Williams could fit at linebacker or tight end/F-back for LSU. His other offers include Alabama and Texas A&M.

Fox is an end prospect from the Mobile area that Alabama and Auburn are fighting over. LSU’s generally seen as on the outside looking in, but has managed to stay in the fight to date.

Washington will be the subject of some speculation over the final few days before the signing period, as TCU has been recruiting him heavily and there’s rumor of a potential flip — or that LSU just may encourage him to look around in favor of some other prospects.

One such prospect could be four-star athlete Mario Goodrich, out of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, whom LSU offered in the last week and is now the leader for, based on the 247 Sports Crystal Ball.

Goodrich is the No. 4 athlete in the 247 Composite Rankings, and is reportedly liked at both defensive back and receiver. Not a bad move given that LSU is still battling to finish with Patrick Surtain, Anthony Cook or Jalen Green at corner, plus Terrace Marshall, Justin Watkins and JaMarr Chase at receiver. Goodrigh is somebody Corey Raymond has really begun to press, and he should visit campus in January.