National Signing Day for the Class of 2012 may still be more than a year away, but LSU has already started doing work.
LSU received its second commitment for the class of 2012 on Nov. 11 when Thibodaux linebacker Trey Granier chose the Tigers. Granier joins four-star wide receiver Avery Johnson, the brother of LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson, in the 2012 class.
Bayou Bengals Insider recruiting analyst Derek Ponamsky said the 6-foot-1-inch, 225-pound linebacker possesses the speed and instincts that will project as a weak side linebacker at the college level. Ponamsky also noted Granier has shown similar leadership skills to a current star in LSU’s linebacker corp.
“When you look at a guy like Kelvin Sheppard, he has a lot of those same strengths,” Ponamsky said. “He’s a 3.8 student. He’s very intelligent, and he’s going to be able to make the checks and calls and get the guys lined up.”
Granier’s cousin David Butler played running back for the Tigers in the early 1990s, and his father played college football at Nicholls State with running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Frank Wilson. Ponamsky said that relationship may have played a role in Granier’s decision, but it wasn’t the only reason he grabbed LSU’s attention.
“At the end of the day, it wasn’t a situation where the kid just got offered because his father knew Frank,” Ponamsky said. “He’s going to be an all-state linebacker as a junior and one of the elite prospects in the state for 2012.”
Granier marks the third elite recruit to come out of Thibodaux High School in three years. Ponamsky said former head coach Dennis Lorio, who recently resigned, can be credited for the program’s success in churning out recruits.
“They’ve always had talent,” Ponamsky said. “It’s a situation where Dennis Lorio took it over and did a great job of making sure those guys are put into a position to succeed. Obviously, it’s a tremendous credit to him.”
LSU lost Thibodaux wide receiver Trovon Reed to Auburn in 2009. This year, LSU again finds itself in a recruiting war with Auburn over one of Granier’s teammates — four-star offensive lineman Greg Robinson.
Landing Granier may have the benefit of swaying Robinson in LSU’s favor, Ponamsky said.
“[Granier is] a natural-born leader,” Ponamsky said. “Guys tend to gravitate toward him and follow him. He’s going to be working out with Greg from now until February, and that will only help.”
Even though LSU has gotten an early start in building an elite recruiting class in 2012, Ponamsky said the Tigers still have their attention focused on filling out the 2011 class.
“I wouldn’t expect much more action to take place in the 2012 class right now because LSU has got some really big fish that they want to put in the boat before they start working on that too much,” Ponamsky said. “I think they want to take their time on evaluating a few more guys.”
 
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Contact Hunter Paniagua at [email protected]