Shea’s Take: LSU WR target Derek Meadows pushes back decision
LSU wide receiver target Derek Meadows is one of five of the Top 10 wideouts on the On3 Industry Recruiting Rankings who remains uncommitted to a college team.
Meadows, a 4-star and Top 50 prospect, was set to announce his decision on Saturday. Now, Meadows will wait one week and reveal his choice on July 20.
“A source close to the blue-chipper says another week is crucial as he works towards making his final decision,” On3 National Recruiting Director Steve Wiltfong reported on Friday.
Where do things stand now? Here’s the latest from Wiltfong and The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon.
Wiltfong circles LSU as the team to beat … and now we wait
When Meadows revealed his original decision date for Saturday, July 13, there was good reason for LSU fans to be optimistic. The Tigers were once considered the dark horse. Then came an official visit to Baton Rouge in June, and as wide receiver dominos fell, LSU pushed even more for Meadows. And that pitch resonated with Meadows and his family.
“Had Meadows announced a pledge on the previously scheduled January 13, it looked like LSU was trending,” Wiltfong said. “The Tigers surged here recently as they put the full-court press on the prized pass-catcher.
“However, long-time leader Notre Dame spoke to the family on Tuesday and it was a conversation that thrusted them back into contention. LSU continues to push, from the Tigers coaching staff to the commits including the family of the nation’s No. 1 prospect in Bryce Underwood.
“Alabama has been strong in this one all summer. There was a time where they looked like they were in the top two for Meadows alongside Notre Dame. That’s how fluid this one has been. Michigan is also still in contact with Meadows.”
Shea’s Take: The NIL era can’t be ignored here – and LSU knows it
With the NIL era of college football in full swing, we’ve seen teams across the country – most notably Oregon in recent weeks – surge to the top for elite targets and land others that weren’t projected to commit to the Ducks.
At this stage, I get the sense that a combination of unofficial visits, official visits and lengthy talks with each staff have the Meadows family full aware of what each program has to offer when it comes to playing time, coaching philosophy, track records for development, relationships with the staff and – yes – NIL.
As Wiltfong reported, LSU was trending as the team to beat earlier this week. Had nothing shifted, signs were pointing to the Top 50 prospect choosing the Tigers on Saturday.
From speaking with sources at LSU, Notre Dame, Alabama and Michigan, the consensus feel is the delay in his announcement comes after Notre Dame – and then others – made even bigger pitches on the NIL front. Some feel that’s what has led to the Meadows camp pressing pause on an announcement and waiting another week to mull over the options. Two sources even hinted Michigan, the team presumed to be running fourth, jumped back into the conversation with a bigger NIL package than the Wolverines had previously presented.
Recruiting has always been fluid, but and that’s proven to be the case even more so with top prospects in the early stages of NIL being introduced into college athletics. 48 hours ago, signs pointed to LSU with a decision locked in for Saturday. Now, after conversations with each staff, plans changed.
LSU sources feel the pitch made to Meadows on both development and the NIL front were enough to secure his pledge, which means the Tigers checked off the right boxes for Nevada’s No. 1 overall prospect. Now, sources at multiple schools feel the conversations over the next week will be heavier on NIL discussions given all the other factors have been addressed on visits and phone calls with the family.
I hinted multiple times this week that LSU was the team to watch, and for good reason. Behind the scenes, signs pointed to the Tigers. Now, the Tigers will continue to battle for Meadows as he and his family mull over his finalists for another seven days. My best guess: news begins to trickle out next week of the team who is truly out front before he takes the stage and reveals his choice. LSU felt confident the first time, and sources say the Tigers have worked the phone lines consistently each day with Meadows and his family and will continue to do so. Nobody feels confident enough to say with certainty where Meadows lands, but I did gather – from sources outside LSU – that teams view the Tigers as the team they will have to pass if they want to land the No. 7 wide receiver in the 2025 class.
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