Redemptorist High School junior running back Jeremy Hill ran behind the blocks of junior offensive lineman La’el Collins on his way to 1,048 yards and 13 touchdowns his sophomore season.So when Collins chose to play for LSU, Hill followed the lead of his teammate and made his commitment to the Tigers.The Redemptorist duo became the first two 2011 recruits to verbally commit to the Tigers when they pledged to LSU coach Les Miles on Sept. 28.”We talked about it and said we should just do it and make it official,” Hill said. “We decided to go to campus that Monday and tell Coach Miles in his office. He was excited about us being the first two in the 2011 class.”The Baton Rouge natives did not want to leave the Red Stick even though they had offers from the top schools in the country. They shared scholarship offers from many schools such as Tennessee, Nebraska and Stanford.”We just got to the point where we said, ‘Why not LSU?'” Hill said. “It’s everything we look for in a college.”The early commitment from the two juniors represents a trend of early commitments in college football recruiting. Southeastern Conference rivals like Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi State also each have two prospects locked up for 2011. “The kids don’t want to deal with all the stuff that comes with it,” said Sonny Shipp, Louisiana recruiting analyst for Scout.com. “They want to go ahead and focus on their senior season.”Hill and Collins said they want to be the first of many recruits in the 2011 class. They plan to act as recruiters for LSU, similar to freshman quarterback Russell Shepard.”The talent we have down here for 2010 and 2011 is really loaded,” Collins said. “I just want to get some of those guys to LSU to help us compete for a national championship.”Hill hopes to convince Patterson High School blue-chip running back Kenny Hilliard to join him in the backfield.”He told me he wanted to commit but didn’t want to do it that early,” Hill said. “I never heard of having so much talent. The more talent you have, it takes the pressure off of you.”Shipp said a Hill-Hilliard one-two punch in the backfield compares to a current pair of Tiger senior running backs.”You’re potentially looking at two components of a two-headed monster like Charles Scott and Keiland Williams,” Shipp said. Shipp said Hill, a 6-foot-1-inch, 215-pound bruiser, shows some similarities to Scott.”Hill’s a big guy that can run between the tackles,” Shipp said. “He can break some long runs, but he’s not a home run threat.”Hill said his ability to catch the ball separates him from most strong running backs.”I see myself as a power back, but I have great hands,” Hill said. “A lot of people don’t know I play a lot of receiver.”Collins plays left tackle for the Wolves, but he said is willing to move positions for the Tigers.”I want to be able to help my team in any situation,” Collins said. “If I don’t play left tackle my freshman year, it’s OK. I’m not stuck on one position.”Collins said he is more physical and gets off the ball quicker than most opposing defensive linemen.”My motor is running no matter what,” Collins said. “That’s something the LSU coaches liked about me.”Shipp said Collins’ adjustment to college may require work on technique.”Like a lot of young lineman he needs to work on technique,” Shipp said. “They can get by without technique in high school because of their strength. That’s something he’ll work on between now and then.”—-Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]