Around The LSU Universe

The sports world might be put on hold but that hasn’t stopped things from moving within LSU athletics. Here is a quick recap of the comings and goings of the Tigers these past few weeks.

On the football side...

• LSU has landed commitments from four high schoolers since lockdown: Dakota Mitchell, Landon Jackson, Jojo Earle, and Zavier Carter.
• Earle is another part of what could be a great group of incoming receivers for the Tigers. He ranks as the ninth prospect in the state of Texas according to 247 composite, and the 13th best receiver in the country. The four-star wideout joins Deion Smith, the 14th receiver and number one prospect in Mississippi. Meanwhile LSU is still the favorite to land the No. 11 receiver in the country Chris Hilton, out of Zachary.
• Hailing from Georgia, Carter landed at LSU with some help from former Tiger Arden Key who went to the same high school. Right now Carter is listed as an outside linebacker at 6-4, 193 but is likely headed to defensive end after Tommy Moffitt gets to work.
• Orgeron stayed hot in the transfer portal getting a commitment from Harvard grad transfer offensive lineman Liam Shanahan. At 6’5” 270, Shanahan will likely have to add some weight but he was named All-Ivy in 2018 and will likely be competing for one of the interior O-line spots.
• A lot was made about Kory Foreman decommitting from Clemson. By no means is Clemson out of the running, but LSU has slowly crept up as a potential landing spot for the California defensive end. Foreman’s “unofficial” top five include USC, Oregon, LSU, Alabama, and Georgia, but he hasn’t confirmed a top set of schools.
• Marrero safety Kaine Williams is set to commit on May 15th with all signs pointing to him picking A&M.

Meanwhile at the PMAC...

• Will Wade has put the finishing touches on another outstanding group of players for the basketball program, with more to come.
• The newest member of the group is seven footer Josh Gray who verbally committed to the Tigers in April, but has not officially signed his letter.
• As of May 3rd, four Tigers have declared for the NBA Draft: Trendon Watford, Emmitt Williams, Darius Days and Javonte Smart. Williams has signed with an agent, while the other three have not. Of the three that still are eligible to return, the sense is that Smart might be the most likely to return. Obviously, if the three return combined with the incoming group of players, LSU will be absurdly loaded for a potential 2020-21 season.
• LSU will lose two players to transfer, freshman guard James Bishop who will be transferring to George Washington, and junior walk-on Caleb Starks who has yet to find a destination.

Over at Alex Box...

• Although the rosters for 2021 are expanded due to the quarantine, the Tigers appear to be losing a fair amount of players to the transfer portal. The group includes Hal Hughes, Eric Walker, Chase Costello, Drew Bianco, Kendall Burnett, and Rye Gunter. As of right now, only Hughes has joined a new team, having signed with the Rice Owls. Walker had a breakout freshman campaign but missed a year due to injury and has struggled on the mound since.