Tayvion Galloway was a much sought-after recruit for LSU to land to get a good start to its 2024 class. With his commitment in late July, Galloway contributed to a current third-ranked class for the Tigers in the Class of 2024.
Galloway is a 6-foot-5, 230 pound tight end from Chillicothe High School in Chillicothe, Ohio. He is ranked as the No. 4 tight end in the country, the No. 1 recruit in Ohio and the No. 84 overall recruit in the country according to the Top247sports rankings.
Galloway’s commitment isn’t only important for overall talent, but because he extends LSU’s streak to three years in a row of landing a commitment from a four-star tight end, a position the Tigers are looking to add depth to.
Much, if not all, of the credit for landing Galloway, goes to the new coaching staff. This new coaching staff has definitely convinced players to buy into their system and philosophy, something the recruits seem to believe in.
Being from Ohio, Galloway was heavily recruited by the University of Cincinnati. Therefore, he had already had a connection with Coach Mike Denbrock, who was previously the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Cincinnati.
Galloway committed at a time when the new staff had not proved themselves at LSU yet, but he had enough trust in them to follow their lead.
“One of the biggest things was really the connection I’ve built with the staff,” Galloway said. “Just knowing my tight ends coach is Coach Denbrock, who I’ve been connecting with since UC [University of Cincinnati], and Coach BK [Brian Kelly] as my head coach just made it an easy choice to me.”
That connection Galloway made with Denbrock remained strong during the transition of Denbrock going from Cincinnati to LSU. But their relationship extends beyond football, as they both respect each other as people away from their careers.
“Coach Denbrock is one of the most genuine guys I’ve met during my recruitment,” Galloway said. “He’s shown a lot of love and at this point, I have a lot of faith in him.”
Galloway is a prime example of the early impact the new coaching staff is making on the program. In order to “restart” a program, the staff has to recruit aggressively and recruit the right players. For a player that is only just starting his junior season, and is from nowhere near the state of Louisiana, the new staff’s ability to recruit anywhere in the country has proven itself this summer in both the Classes of 2023 and 2024.
“They just have shown a lot of love and hospitality and that goes a long way with me when I can see it’s genuine,” Galloway said.
The new staff’s ability to connect with players on a personal level has given them an advantage, and the Tigers look to only strengthen their recruiting ability in the future.
