Shea’s Thoughts: LSU hosting five 5-stars, double-digit recruits
LSU’s first official visitor weekend of the summer is also expected to be one of the biggest of the year for the Tigers.
LSU will host five 5-stars and eight recruits that check in as Top 125 overall prospects on the On3 Industry Rankings. In total, 12 recruits are making their official visit to Baton Rouge this weekend.
The list includes some longtime targets at wide receiver and on the offensive line, while the newly-hired defensive staff is set to bring in key targets on the defensive line and in the defensive backfield – including a pair of 5-stars and Top 5 cornerback prospects.
LSU enters the weekend with 11 commitments and the No. 2 recruiting class on the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
Here’s a closer look at the 12 prospects making LSU official visits this weekend, including my thoughts on where things stand with each target.
(The 12 official visitors are listed in order of their On3 Industry Ranking)
CB DJ Pickett
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 2 CB, No. 6 overall
Quick Take: After speaking with Pickett at the On3 Elite Series this week, I’ve got LSU as the team to beat headed into the weekend. With his entire family alongside him for the visit, the Tigers will certainly make another big splash. The question becomes, will official visits still to come for Georgia, Miami and Oregon, can LSU hold off the competition for On3’s No. 1 cornerback prospect? Pickett said his current plan is to commit during his team’s bye week in October.
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 1 IOL, No. 14 overall
Quick Take: LSU offensive line coach Brad Davis had another banner recruiting cycle in 2024, and he’s stacked up three commitments for the 2025 cycle – including a pair of Top 100 prospects in Tyler Miller and Devin Harper. Thomas has been committed to Florida State since December, but he’s made a round of unofficial visits this spring, which included a trip to LSU. We still think this will be a tough flip for the Tigers to pull off, but getting Thomas and his mother in town for an official visit puts LSU into the lead group, and we’ve seen Davis pull off big flips before.
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 3 WR, No. 18 overall
Quick Take: Texas has taken the lead on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) headed into a stretch of official visits, but LSU will get a crack at making their pitch this weekend. When I spoke with Lockett this week, he said he’s got high interest in the Tigers and has felt like a major priority for LSU wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator Cortez Hankton. With 5-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore backing off his commitment to LSU, Hankton’s push for Lockett will only heat up more. Lockett will follow up his stay in Baton Rouge with visits to Texas A&M, Texas and Florida State.
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 4 WR, No. 19 overall
Quick Take: The one-time Alabama commitment has circled multiple teams as frontrunners in his recruitment, and trips to Baton Rouge this offseason have pushed LSU into the top group. After catching up with Ffrench at the On3 Elite Series this week, I think his recruitment could still go in a number of directions even with the Longhorns taking the On3 RPM lead. Of note in relation to LSU’s recruitment of the Florida 5-star, Ffrench’s mother told me they have plenty of family still living in the Baton Rouge area after she grew up in the Feliciana area and attended Southern University.
CB Dorian Brew
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 4 CB, No. 29 overall
Quick Take: Another defensive back, another 5-star on the list of visitors for Corey Raymond. Brew, whose father Derrick Brew ran track at LSU, is someone Raymond has been high on since returning to the staff in Baton Rouge. Brew, whose mother ran track at Ohio State, was considered an early lean to the Buckeyes, but he said he’s keeping an open mind with all the teams that are getting an official visit. When we spoke at this week’s On3 Elite Series, Brew said Raymond has been in daily contact since being hired, and he feels the longtime LSU defensive backs coach is “unmatched” when it comes to cornerback coaches in college football. With his mother and father joining him, this weekend is huge when it comes to LSU’s chances of landing the Top 5 cornerback out of Texas.
EDGE Damien Shanklin
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 12 EDGE, No. 85 overall
Quick Take: LSU hasn’t dipped into the Midwest often, but keep an eye on this one. I won’t be surprised if Shanklin lands an On3 RPM pick for LSU following his weekend in Baton Rouge. Ohio State is seen as the biggest competition, and Tennessee has made a big splash, but there are rumblings around Shanklin’s camp that the Tigers have quietly moved into a position where the staff can move into the top spot following this weekend’s official visit in Baton Rouge.
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 3 TE, No. 94 overall
Quick Take: First-year LSU tight ends coach Slade Nagle has a commitment from a four-star LSU legacy recruit in Sulphur’s JD LaFleur. He’s had his sights set on adding a second tight end to the 2025 class, and the first weekend of official visitors brings the No. 3 tight end prospect to campus. Oregon is the heavy favorite on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) for Brame, but LSU will take a swing at the Top 100 prospect this weekend. He will announce his college choice on June 29.
OL Micah Debose
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 9 IOL, No. 122 overall
Quick Take: Debose backed off his Georgia commitment in January, and while many figured Auburn was the team to beat, LSU trended over the next two months. Debose nearly popped for the Tigers, sources tell The Bengal Tiger staff. Instead, he chose to make a wave of unofficial visits before making official visits in June. Davis and LSU get Debose on campus first, and it appears Alabama has turned into LSU’s biggest competition for the Mobile (Ala.) four-star. Multiple sources feel Davis getting Debose on campus with his family this weekend will result in LSU moving back into the driver’s seat.
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 29 S, No. 317 overall
Quick Take: Robinson has been flying under the radar as one of LSU’s safety targets, but it will mean beating out the in-state Razorbacks given Robinson has Arkansas out front, he tells On3’s Chad Simmons. “Arkansas is a little ahead of the others,” he said. “I have visited Arkansas around six times and it could be a great fit for me.” LSU has Robinson on campus this weekend, and he then heads to Arkansas on June 7, Oregon on June 14 and Oklahoma on June 21. For LSU safeties coach Jake Olsen, it’s the program’s chance to jump into the lead group. “LSU is DBU. They have had a lot of defensive backs drafted and I want to be part of a team like that,” Robinson said. “I talk to coach Jake Olsen a lot and we have a great relationship. He is a smart coach and we have a tight bond and I will see a lot more at LSU on this visit.”
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 26 DL, No. 326 overall
Quick Take: Brown committed to Texas when LSU defensive line coach Bo Davis held the same position with the Longhorns. The relationship is strong here, and this weekend is Brown’s second visit to Baton Rouge over the past month. Trips to Tennessee, Texas and USC are still to come, but Brown’s relationship with Davis gives the Tigers a real shot to flip the Florida prospect away from Texas.
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 30 DL, No. 354 overall
Quick Take: Many feel this will be an LSU-Texas battle for the 4-star prospect out of Lufkin, which means another prospect with ties to LSU defensive line coach Bo Davis from his prior coaching stop. TCU has already hosted Williams on an official visit, and the Longhorns and Texas A&M will both get official visits. With multiple defensive linemen on campus this weekend, Williams is on the shortlist of top targets to watch at the position.
DL Dilan Battle
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 45 DL, No. 525 overall
Quick Take: The Arlington (Tex.) Mansfield Timberview standout is one of three Lone Star State defensive linemen visiting LSU this weekend, and Battle is circled by many as the toughest of the trio to get a true feel on when it comes to recruiting and where he’s leaning. TCU, SMU, Cal and Arkansas will all land official visits, Battle said. Even with a wave of trips planned, multiple sources tell The Bengal Tiger staff that Davis has a great chance to land Battle given how he’s prioritized the Lone Star State prospect during his time on staff in both Austin and Baton Rouge. “LSU, they’re one of my top schools right now. And I love Coach Bo,” Battle said. “Me and Coach Bo, we’ve been talking. He was one of the earliest coaches that I was in contact with. Me and Coach Bo, we’ve been having a good relationship. He (Davis) is saying that they need me. When I talked to Coach Kelly, that was pretty much it. They need me.”
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