Shelton Stays

Well, the hashtag worked!

Five-star wide receiver Shelton Sampson out of Catholic High tweeted he was committing to LSU.

With a handful of Louisiana recruits like Tackett Curtis, Arch Manning, and Jaiden Ausberry leaving the state, the young Brian Kelly regime had been facing questions about their ability to lock down the state. Shelton Sampson’s (the No. 4 receiver in the country, No. 3 in Louisiana and No. 33 overall player) recruitment was slated to serve as a helpful test-case into Kelly’s ability to recruit the state, as he was always a much more realistic LSU target than those listed.

The LSU fanbase, as plugged in and aware as any fanbase in the country, understood that. They did their part, starting the hashtag #SheltonStays, which became popular with current and former LSU athletes. While I do not endorse tweeting at recruits, it seemed to be in good-faith, and well received.

Sampson’s commitment means big things for future LSU offenses. Having a dominant core of talent on the outside changes how you are defended, and puts defenses into a ton of conflict, making tight man coverage a perilous option. Between Sampson and Jalen Brown, this LSU is doing what it needs to do to build that.

Today is a great day to be an LSU Tiger.