Shea’s LSU 2024 Class Predictions: Mock 2.0
The LSU football staff has 15 recruits committed for the 2024 class, and that number is expected to rise by a few this week as dominos continue to fall.
When it comes to what the class might look like by Signing Day in February, there’s still tons of ways things could go.
Still, it’s never too early for a class prediction piece.
With official visits in full swing, as well as June camp season, here’s my personal LSU 2024 Class Predictions: Mock 2.0.
Quarterback
LSU quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan is already turning the focus to the 2025 class thanks to Colin Hurley’s commitment to LSU. Hurley is locked in and helping recruit for the Tigers, and the four-star has shined during 7-on-7 competition this offseason. The Florida native will play his final season of high school football at Trinity Christian Academy this fall before leaving to join the LSU roster. Next up: The Elite 11 Finals this weekend.
Predictions: Colin Hurley (committed)
Running back
Louisiana’s 2025 running back crop is elite, and three in-state prospects already hold an offer from the Tigers. Meanwhile, LSU will work through the 2023 season with eight scholarship running backs. That said, John Emery, Noah Cain and Josh Williams are all likely in their final seasons, and Armoni Goodwin’s injury history leaves his future a bit up in the air. The addition of Notre Dame transfer Logan Diggs was key, and then came the news of Tre Bradford returning to the summer roster. The Tigers have a pair of true freshmen running backs in Trey Holly and Kaleb Jackson, but the hope is to add one high school running back this cycle. For now, I’m still sticking with Duncanville’s Caden Durham. Durham is ranked by On3 as the No. 11 running back in the country, and Oklahoma holds the lead on the On3 RPM. Both programs have offered him in both football and track-and-field. With official visits set to Oklahoma this weekend and LSU next weekend, it’s going to be an important couple weekends ahead in Durham’s recruitment.
Predictions: Caden Durham
Wide Receivers
LSU already has one wide receiver committed in JoJo Stone, though it’s worth noting he’s made visits to other schools and could well shake things up given the time left between now and National Signing Day.
The next name expected in is Terrebonne wide receiver Kylan Billiot, who announces his college decision this week after landing an offer from the Tigers over the weekend. My On3 RPM pick is in with a confidence score of 90%.
From there, LSU wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton has been heavily recruiting receivers from around the country.
Missouri’s Jeremiah McClellan just made an official visit to LSU, and he’s got the Tigers and Ohio State atop his list. Then there’s Bredell Richardson, a Florida native who will make an official visit to LSU next weekend.
I’m still liking where LSU sits with Texas four-star Jelani Watkins, who has ties to Louisiana and has been courted by the staff heavily this offseason. But all eyes are on another Texas wide receiver in Dre’lon Miller, who just made another trip to Baton Rouge before making his college announcement on June 29, he tells The Bengal Tiger staff.
I had both Watkins and Miller in my Mock 1.0 class, so I will stick with them for now. Though I’ll admit, Watkins keeps things very close to the vest, and Miller is set to be on Texas A&M’s campus just before making his college announcement.
My big goal was to have at least two Louisiana wide receivers on my prediction list, but after Koby Young didn’t camp in Baton Rouge this summer (at least not to date), I’m beginning to think wonder where Young and LSU truly stand. John Curtis wide receiver Michael Turner worked out at camp but didn’t land an offer, while Beau Chene’s Matt Mayfield (Mississippi State commitment) didn’t show up for camp, and there’s buzz he could wind up going the JUCO route. It’s worth keeping an eye on.
If I were to make a projection at a potential senior year offer, I will roll with Ashton Bethel-Roman. In the 1990s, Mark Roman was a starter on LSU’s football team. At the same time, Ashley Bethel was on the LSU track team. Now, their son is a Top 100 prospect and Top 15 wide receiver with On3. Could LSU eventually warm up to him depending on how the dominos fall? Time will tell, but for now I will stick with Billiot, Watkins and Miller as the additions.
To be clear, the wide receiver board is one of the toughest for me to project at this stage.
Predictions: JoJo Stone (committed), Kylan Billiot, Jelani Watkins, Dre’lon Miller
Tight End
LSU and Ohio three-star tight end Tayvion Galloway parted ways over the weekend, which means LSU is down to one tight end commitment in Louisiana four-star Trey’Dez Green, who checks in as the nation’s No. 3 tight end prospect on the On3 Industry Rankings. LSU could move on another tight end in the 2024 class, sure. But with Mason Taylor entering his sophomore season and the Tigers signing three high school tight ends in December, the addition of Green this cycle could put them in a great position if they are able to pull off one more: Connor Gilbreath.
I’ve got Gilbreath in my Mock 2.0 prediction piece as a JUCO product out of California, but if he enrolls in a four-year college this fall (as expected), he would technically count towards the 2023 class. Regardless, he’s worth mentioning given Gilbreath will make his official visit to LSU this weekend. LSU offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Mike Denbrock loves Gilbreath’s chances of playing tight end immediately, then potentially adding to his frame and developing into an offensive tackle. While he still has visits to come following his trip to LSU, I think this weekend will give the Tigers a chance to win over the California product.
Predictions: Trey’Dez Green (committed), Connor Gilbreath
Offensive Line
The Tigers already have an offensive lineman in the boat with the addition of Louisiana three-star interior linemen Khayree Lee. But, who does LSU offensive line coach Brad Davis add from there?
The prospect with an offer whom I feel most confident on is Georgia offensive lineman Marcus Mascoll. LSU and Florida both just hosted Mascoll on official visits, and NC State is up next before he makes his college announcement on Monday, June 19. My On3 RPM picks is on for LSU.
There’s tons of prospects on the LSU Big Board on the offensive line, so it’s tough to really pin down which way the dominos will fall with a lot of notable targets.
Two out-of-state names to keep an eye on are North Carolina’s Ethan Calloway and the Lone Star State’s Blake Ivy. Both are set to make official visits to LSU on June 23.
I think LSU takes at least four offensive linemen this cycle, so I’ll toss in a top target that LSU might have a shot to win the race for. Texas four-star Weston Davis, the No. 3 offensive tackle prospect has LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Alabama all battling for his commitment thanks to visits this month. His official visit to LSU comes on June 23, which will be the chance the Tigers have to knock it out of the park and leave a needed lasting impression. Behind the scenes, LSU’s staff loves what Davis brings to the table.
If Ivy winds up at Texas A&M, look for LSU to offer Mississippi three-star Ziron Brown, which I feel would lead to a commitment from the Louisiana native who grew up in the New Orleans area. For my fifth offensive line addition, I’ll stick with Ory Williams ahead of his official visit to LSU this weekend. Texas A&M is still working the San Marcos product, while it seems Texas and Georgia have faded. This could be the chance for Davis and LSU to pull off a big steal out of the Lone Star State.
Predictions: Khayree Lee (committed), Marcus Mascoll, Weston Davis, Ziron Brown, Ory Williams
Defensive Line
LSU has two Louisiana defensive lineman committed in Ahmad Breaux and De’Myrion Johnson, and I think that trend continues.
I can’t go further into the defensive line discussion without circling Louisiana five-star Dominick McKinley. He’s a major target for LSU’s staff, and everyone from Brian Kelly to the support staff is chipping in here. Now, new defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey is getting more familiar with McKinley has he builds a relationship with the Acadiana star. Alabama and others are trying to get McKinley to leave the state, but I’ve still got LSU as the team to beat.
I once liked where things stood with Arkansas four-star defensive lineman Charleston Collins, but he popped for the in-state Razorbacks.
There are plenty other defensive linemen I could choose to close out the class, and to be honest, we are too early into Lindsey’s time at LSU for me to really circle one or two guys with confidence. I want to see where his best relationships end up being.
There’s been a number of Mississippi prospects who are high on the Tigers, whether it’s Kamarion Franklin, Terrance Hibbler, Kamron Beavers or Caleb Moore. Franklin will make an official visit to LSU on June 23, while Beavers committed to Ole Miss and Hibbler released a top five that didn’t include the Tigers despite recently talking up LSU as one of his top teams.
For me, things are still too cloudy to make firm projections. I still feel good about LSU landing McKinley, which is priority No. 1. I’ll throw LCA defensive lineman Melvin Hills into this piece, though I am still curious to see if the Tigers get Evangel’s Gabriel Reliford to camp this week. He could be a summer or senior season offer for LSU if he looks the part.
I think at some point we see the out-of-state defensive line targets become a bit more clear, I’m just not there yet when it comes to projecting them into the class. With three defensive line coaches across the past three cycles, the reality remains that LSU is having to play from behind with a number of guys.
Predictions: Ahmad Breaux (committed), De’Myrion Johnson (committed), Dominick McKinley, Melvin Hills
EDGE
The biggest prize would be Texas five-star EDGE Colin Simmons. There’s a good chance Simmons lands in the SEC, and he recently told On3 that LSU and Texas were his co-leaders.
I think LSU’s shot is real, but also don’t want to pretend I have any true inclination of where Simmons ends up. At this stage, I’m not sure Simmons knows. Last time, I left him off my prediction. This time, Im putting him in. He will take this one down to Signing Day, but I know that behind the scenes, LSU is working all angles here to set themselves up as a top team until the end.
I had Georgia four-star Christopher Jackson in my Mock 1.0, and I’m keeping him there. The On3 Top 100 prospect is set to make his LSU official visit this weekend. Georgia is up next the following weekend, but sources tell me Jackson has been pressed much harder by the LSU staff – and he even admitted as much in a recent interview with On3.
There’s a real chance for new LSU outside linebackers coach John Jancek to make a huge splash at the EDGE position this cycle.
Prediction: Colin Simmons, Christopher Jackson
Linebacker
LSU has a trio of linebackers committed in Kolaj Cobbins, Xavier Atkins and Davhon Keys. Cobbins could be used as an EDGE rusher or linebacker, and LSU’s staff has relayed the message that he could fit into a utility role similar to Harold Perkins.
Atkins and Keys are true middle linebackers, and while Atkins is making visits, I still like LSU’s chances of holding onto the Louisiana native.
With three linebackers in the boat, I’ll add one more in Many (La.) linebacker Tylen Singleton. Arkansas, Ole Miss, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others are in the mix here, but LSU really wants to get Singleton into the class. So, I’ll keep him in my Mock 2.0 projections.
Another linebacker to keep an eye on is Alabama commitment Sterling Dixon, who said he’s now visited LSU nine times – most recently this month. He also said LSU will get an official visit. It’s tough to flip away an Alabama commitment, even more so one from inside the state. But the Tigers are doing all they can to make that happen.
Predictions: Xavier Atkins (committed), Davhon Keys (committed), Kolaj Cobbins (committed), Tylen Singleton
Cornerbacks
Two cornerbacks are on board in Zion Ferguson and Wallace Foster. Foster, a New Orleans native, is locked in. Ferguson has remained committed to LSU, but is also taking visits as other teams try to flip the Peach State four-star. It wouldn’t shock me if he’s not in the class come Signing Day, but we will monitor that down the line.
I still like LSU to add Louisiana four-star and Top 30 overall prospect Wardell Mack. He’s one of the best athletes in the country coming out of John Ehret, and the Tigers already have one of his teammates committed in Khayree Lee. There’s also a number of commitments working to get Mack on board. My On3 RPM pick is in for the Tigers, and LSU is courting him at both cornerback and safety. There’s going to be buzz on other teams, but the reality remains that LSU and Frank Wilson are making Mack a massive priority and will do what it takes to keep him in-state for college.
Peach State defensive back Jalyn Crawford will be on campus this weekend for an official visit, but I am starting to lean elsewhere with my predictions after including him in my Mock 1.0. Tennessee cornerback Ondre Evans has surged up the board after landing an offer and turning in a great performance at camp this past week. Now, he’s set to reveal his college choice on Friday. My On3 RPM pick is on LSU with a 90% confidence score.
I also love the work cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples has done with Cai Bates. FSU, Ohio State, Alabama and others are in the mix here, and he’s got an official visit to Tennessee this weekend, then LSU the following weekend. There were once plans to make an announcement this summer, but with so much new interest from teams, Bates told On3 he’s not opposed to waiting until the fall before he commits. Could LSU’s staff convince him to shut things down once he makes his visit on June 23? That’s what I’m keeping a very close eye on. For now, he’s in my prediction piece.
Predictions: Zion Ferguson (committed), Wallace Foster (committed), Wardell Mack, Ondre Evans, Cai Bates
Safety
LSU already has Maurice Williams and Dashawn McBryde on board, which is a great start at the position.
Where does LSU safeties coach Kerry Cooks go from here?
Next up: West Feliciana’s Joel Rogers, who will announce his college decision on Monday, June 12 at 5:30 p.m.
I had both McBryde and Rogers in my Mock 1.0 projections before either landed an offer from LSU. Now, we’re inching closer to both being a part of the class. My On3 RPM pick for Rogers is on LSU with a confidence score of 90%.
I won’t be surprised if LSU adds one more safety, and I’ve mentioned before that Wardell Mack is someone the Tigers feel can play the position. But for now, I’ll roll with these three given I have Mack slotted in with the cornerbacks. Joshua Lair remains in play after an official visit to LSU, and while he was on my Mock 1.0 for LSU, I want to see where the dust settles from his June visits and revisit things from there.
Predictions: Maurice Williams (committed), Dashawn McBryde (committed), Joel Rogers
Athlete
Johnson is one of the nation’s best athletes, shining at quarterback for LCA en route to winning a state title while also being ranked as one of the nation’s top defensive backs.
LSU is recruiting Johnson as a defensive back who could make the move to cornerback, and he flipped his commitment away from Deion Sanders and Colorado and announced his decision to stay home and play for LSU.
He looked great at LSU’s 7-on-7 this past weekend, and he stuck around afterwards to mingle with the staff, commitments and top targets. Expect Johnson to be one of the vocal leaders in LSU’s class moving forward.
Predictions: Ju’Juan Johnson (committed)
Kicker
LSU will take a kicker this cycle, and the staff has already made the call there.
Parkway High’s Aeron Burrell committed to LSU in April, and he’s ranked by Kohl’s Kicking Academy as one of the nation’s best kickers. He’s also thrived on kickoffs, which is another key metric when it comes to recruiting kickers to the college level.
With Burrell on board, I don’t expect any other scholarship kickers to be added in the 2024 class for LSU.
Predictions: Aeron Burrell (committed)
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