Saturday’s showdown between LSU and Alabama will be more than just a deciding factor for the SEC West race. It will also be a battle for the allegiance of some of the most heralded high school football recruits in the country. LSU will host a number of both committed and uncommitted prospects for the game. Among the uncommitted players are linebacker Jarvis Jones (Colombus, Ga.), offensive tackle Xavier Su’a Filo (Provo, Utah), linebacker Frankie Telfort (Miami, Fla.), wide receiver Andre Debose (Sanford, Fla.) and wide receiver Rueben Randle (Bastrop).Trent Richardson (Pensacola, Fla.), an Alabama running back commit, will also be on hand for the game along with a number of LSU commits, including LSU quarterback commit Russell Shepard (Houston). Randle and Richardson, in particular, are believed to be deciding between LSU and Alabama.Shepard said he could not wait to get to Baton Rouge to talk with the coaching staff and potential LSU recruits, especially Richardson and Su’a-Filo.”Xavier Su’a Filo, I think we have a big shot at him,” Shepard said. “Of course we have some pretty young cats on the offensive line with some guys moving on to the next level. He can come in and compete for position early. He’s probably the No. 1 offensive lineman we’re going after this year.”Recruiting fans probably already know about Richardson, a five-star running back according to Rivals.com. Though many think it is unlikely LSU could pull Richardson away from Alabama, Shepard is not one of them.”Of course Trent is committed to Alabama, but with his brother in Lafayette, Trent really loves, loves LSU,” Shepard said. “Trent could see himself in Baton Rouge. He’s told me that. They have a big chance with Trent Richardson, and I think this game is going to determine what school he picks.”Shepard’s cousin, five-star safety Craig Loston (Aldine, Texas), has also been a hot topic on the recruiting trail after ESPN reported he had committed to the Tigers after talking with Loston’s coach.”Right now he’s a Tiger, but you never know what’s going to happen,” Shepard said. “I think Craig Loston is going to be a Tiger at the end of the process.”Loston, a former Clemson commit, will select from a plethora of scholarship offers, including LSU, Texas and Oregon.”I tell people this all the time, when he plays in his football games during the year, he plays with a purple and gold under armor,” Shepard said. “And his colors aren’t purple and gold, they’re black and white, so that says a lot about what he thinks about LSU.”—-Contact Tyler Harvey at [email protected]