Following the Tigers’ win over Alabama, Brian Kelly put LSU in an excellent spot for recruiting. He had already put together one of the top recruiting classes in the country for the Class of 2023, and after Saturday’s win, he only proved that everything he advertises is the truth for his mission at LSU.
LSU currently holds the No. 4 ranked recruiting class for the Class of 2023, according to 247sports. However, the Tigers don’t plan on stopping there. Two recruits that LSU is recruiting heavily are five-star cornerback, Desmond Ricks, and four-star cornerback, Javien Toviano, who were both in attendance for the program’s win over Alabama.
Ricks is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound cornerback who plays at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, but he is originally from Chesapeake, Virginia. He recently reclassified from the Class of 2024 to the Class of 2023, and he is ranked as the No. 2 cornerback in the country, the No. 4 recruit in Florida, and the No. 15 overall recruit in the country.
Toviano is a 6-foot, 185-pound cornerback from Martin High School in Arlington, Texas. He is ranked as the No. 7 cornerback in the country, the No. 9 recruit in Texas, and the No. 43 overall recruit in the country.
Both prospects received predictions from recruiting analysts to LSU prior to the Alabama game, and following the win over Alabama, fans can only feel more confident it will help land this pair of blue-chip recruits.
While both recruits are two of the top cornerbacks in the country, and would definitely benefit the secondary, they both bring different skill sets that could help the team next season.
Ricks is a prospect that basically everyone in the country has recruited at some point, as he holds 36 offers. He is 18 years old, so he was older for his class while in the Class of 2024 and being in the Class of 2023 should only benefit him. Ricks is set to make his college decision on December 23rd and will decide between LSU, Alabama and Florida.
The five-star cornerback is as fast as they come and is very explosive. His ability to find the football is impressive, which will prevent opposing offenses from stretching the field. While he holds his own in most coverages, he is particularly successful in 50/50 situations. He’s a very versatile cornerback with a long stride, but it looks like he will be most useful as a slot corner at the college level. Ricks is a player that once is in a college training program, and has college coaching, the sky is the limit.
Toviano is also a prospect that everyone in the country has taken a shot at throughout his recruitment. With 34 offers, Toviano is being heavily pursued by many schools from all over the country, but LSU, Michigan, Texas and Texas A&M seem to be the frontrunners in his recruitment.
Toviano is a very muscular corner with even more room to grow and uses his athleticism to his advantage in matchups. His quickness and his smooth footwork are impressive for a longer-body athlete, and he’s also able to change direction in coverage smoothly. He’s especially successful in press coverage and is great at attacking receivers’ hands to disrupt catches.
Toviano is also a very versatile corner given his athleticism, and depending on how he grows at the college level, he may even be able to transition to safety, a position LSU looks to grow stronger at.
At the beginning of the football season, it looked as if landing recruits over other programs during the season would be difficult; the recruiting pitch of being patient and trusting a staff is a pitch that doesn’t always work. But this past month, Kelly has proved that he can impact the program right away rather than a couple of years from now.
LSU’s past two wins over Ole Miss and Alabama were extremely helpful for recruiting. They showed that LSU is at the caliber of the country’s top programs, can compete with anybody, and can develop the best players in the country. LSU couldn’t have more momentum heading into the most important time of the year in recruiting, as early signing day in December slowly approaches. For Ricks and Toviano, more arrows seem to be popping up pointing to LSU as that time comes closer and closer.
