LSU looks to finish up the spring practice period with the Spring Game held inside Tiger Stadium at 1 p.m.
The format of this year’s Spring Game will be different from how its has been in the past. This year it will just be an offense vs. defense game rather than two separate teams due to roster concerns. The offense will score points from touchdowns and field goals like normal while a variety of big plays will score points for the defense.
Here is how the defense can score points:
Three points for a turnover or sudden change or stop.
Three points for a three-and-out.
Two points for a color zone field goal.
Two points for a third or fourth down stop.
One point for for a sack or tackle for loss or a rush that loses more than two yards.
Normal scoring for a fumble or interception returned for a touchdown or safety.
The game will be free for fans to attend and will be streaming live on SEC Network+.
LSU football picked up two important commitments to add to the Class of 2023 Recruiting Class last week in a pair of four-star safeties: Michael Daugherty from Grayson High School in Georgia, and Ryan Yaites from Denton Guyer High School in Texas. The next push in recruiting for the Tigers comes at the Spring Game, where many recruits will come to visit LSU. With the recruiting cycle starting to heat up headed into the summer, it is important to see who visits now that could potentially set up official visits for the summer. Here are the confirmed visitors that will be in Baton Rouge for the Spring Game.
Daugherty and Yaites will both make the trip to Baton Rouge for the Spring Game fresh off announcing their commitments to LSU. As of right now, only these two commits out of the four in LSU’s class will be in town for the game.
The rest of the players visiting for the Spring Game are uncommitted prospects. That list is highlighted by none other than five-star quarterback, Dante Moore, out of Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, Michigan. Moore is ranked as the No. 1 player in Michigan, No. 3 quarterback in the country, and the No. 5 overall player in the country. He is also one of the most recruited players in the country, as he holds 40 scholarship offers. Being from Michigan, both Michigan and Michigan State are pushing heavily for his recruitment. Along with the in-state schools, Notre Dame and Penn State are also going after him. LSU seems to be the only southern school in the front of the race for Moore, so if playing in the SEC is something Moore is looking for, LSU has an advantage.
Moore is not the only five-star making the trip to Baton Rouge. He will be joined by a duo of five-star wide receivers, Carnell Tate and Jalen Brown. Tate, who plays at IMG Academy in Florida, is ranked as the No. 5 wide receiver in the country, and Brown, who plays at Gulliver Prep High School in Miami, Florida, is ranked as the No. 4 wide receiver in the country.
While LSU is in the race for Tate, they do not appear to be at the front as of right now. Ohio State currently holds 100& of the Crystal Ball votes for Tate, and Tennessee is a school that has recently made up a lot of ground after he visited Knoxville. Alabama, Georgia and Notre Dame are also pushing heavily for Tate. Jalen Brown is currently Crystal Balled to Miami, and this comes with no surprise being that he’s from there. Florida State is also fighting to keep him in state, and it appears the pair of Sunshine State schools are in the lead for his commitment. Texas A&M and Michigan are also pushing for Brown.
Four-star athlete, Jaxon Howard, will be making the trip to Baton Rouge all the way from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Howard is one of the most recruited players in the country with 60 offers. Howard would be a huge commitment for LSU not only because the Tigers would have beat out 59 other schools, but because he is an athletic tight end that also played on the defensive line in high school. Miami and hometown Minnesota are two other schools in a good position as of right now to potentially land Howard’s commitment, but LSU seems to be in a good place as well.
Darron Reed, a four-star defensive lineman from Columbus, Georgia, will be visiting LSU for the Spring Game. Reed currently has Crystal Ball votes split between Florida State and Ohio State, and he will be announcing his college commitment on July 4. Every visit for Reed will matter up to that point, so being that LSU is in that mix means the Tigers have a shot to land Reed. Being from Georgia, the Georgia Bulldogs are also pushing to keep Reed in-state.
Whit Weeks, younger brother of LSU linebacker, West Weeks, will also be coming to LSU for the Spring Game from the Peach State. Whit Weeks, a three-star linebacker from Oconee County High School, is currently Crystal Balled to LSU, and his brother already being in Baton Rouge only helps the Tigers.
Aside from the out-of-state prospects set to visit LSU for the Spring Game, a pair of in-state prospects will also be making the trip. Four-star running back, Trey Holly, who plays at Union Parish High School in Farmerville, Louisiana, picked up two Crystal Ball votes to LSU after visiting for LSU’s Junior Day. While LSU looks to be in a good position to eventually land Holly, other schools like Arkansas are pushing for a commitment as well.
Four-star defensive linemen, Jameian Buxton, out of Thibodaux High School in Houma, Louisiana will also be coming up to LSU for the Spring Game. Buxton is by no means a lock to LSU being that he is an in-state recruit, as he visited Florida State in January. However, the fact he is visiting LSU on an important day is big for the Tigers if they want to keep him in-state.
The Spring Game weekend is always an important weekend when it comes to recruiting. This year, however, it is especially important that recruits see first-hand what Brian Kelly will do with the team in a game setting, even if it is this early. But the timing of the Spring Game is important as well. If recruits are impressed this weekend, they may want to schedule an official visit for the summer, a prime time for recruiting. Regardless, LSU is headed in the right direction when it comes to recruiting with a new coaching staff. It appears the new staff is trying their best to pick up where the old staff left off, but it, of course, will take time to fully complete that process.
