LSU’s 2011 recruiting class continued to take shape during the last month, but not without its ups and downs.
And no recruit experienced a steeper downfall than four-star running back Jeremy Hill.
A month after recommitting to LSU, Hill, 18, was arrested Jan. 12 on charges of oral sexual battery. Hill and fellow Redemptorist High School student Avery Tate, 18, were accused of pressuring a 14-year-old girl to perform oral sex in the Redemptorist High School locker room in early December. Hill could face up to 10 years in prison.
Football coach Les Miles has not made a decision regarding his scholarship offer.
Jarvis Landry, a Lutcher wide receiver and LSU commit, said he was in shock after hearing of Hill’s arrest.
“It’s hard trying to imagine a friend, more like a brother, someone that’s part of ‘The Fam,’ being arrested,” Landry said. “I know it’s overwhelming for him and his family right now.”
Landry made headlines of his own after earning the White team MVP award Jan. 5 at the Under Armour All-America Game. Landry’s team, which also featured LSU commits Anthony Johnson and La’El Collins, lost to the Red team, 24-22, after a last-second field goal.
Johnson, who will enroll early with Kenny Hilliard and Zach Mettenberger, blocked the initial field-goal attempt, but an illegal formation penalty gave the Red team a second chance.
Johnson cried foul.
“Oh yeah, it’s not legitimate and those guys know it,” Johnson told ESPN’s Corey Long after the game. “The whole thing was a big conspiracy. It was a great play call, and I blocked the kick. The White team was stacked. Everyone knew it, so the refs started cheating us.”
The U.S. Army All-American Bowl also featured future Tigers. Hilliard and New Orleans native Odell Beckham Jr. showcased their talents Jan. 8 in San Antonio, Texas.
Beckham, whose father played football for LSU, announced his commitment to LSU during the game. Shea Dixon, managing editor of TigerSportsDigest.com, said Beckham may have made a silent commitment to LSU in November.
“[His commitment] was never in doubt,” Dixon said. “He never made a visit to Miami this year, and those were his top two teams. So that shows he had his eyes on LSU the whole time.”
Two other Louisiana recruits joined the class Dec. 18: St. Augustine offensive lineman Jonah Austin and Acadiana defensive back Micah Eugene.
Austin, a 6-foot-7-inch, 305-pounder, originally committed to the University of Houston but changed his commitment after receiving an LSU scholarship offer. Dixon said Austin worked hard during the year to earn a spot at LSU, which may have also been aided by Thibodaux offensive lineman Greg Robinson’s decision to attend Auburn.
“When Greg decided to go out of state, that opened up that offensive-line spot,” Dixon said. “They didn’t even need to look elsewhere. He would have been one of the biggest steals in Houston’s recent recruitment because he was good enough to play SEC ball right away.”
Eugene, who played both offense and defense for Acadiana’s state championship team, overcame academic concerns to earn an LSU scholarship. Dixon said Eugene could play a similar role to rising sophomore cornerback Tyrann Mathieu.
“He’s so physical and can cover so well and do so many different things for them,” Dixon said. “He’s on the smaller side like Mathieu, but Miles has shown that willingness to throw those young guys out there.”
LSU made another addition with James Hairston, who committed to LSU on Dec. 29. Hairston replaced junior college punter Dalton Botts, who switched his commitment to Miami on the same day.
“Bringing Hairston into the program gets you some depth there,” Dixon said. “And according to some of the scouts, he’s one of the best kicker prospects out there.”
 
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Contact Hunter Paniagua at [email protected]