National Signing Day is one of the most ridiculous days of the year.
LSU fans get riled up about 18-year-olds they’ve never met and may never even suit up in their team’s colors.
They obsess about the number of stars next to each prospect’s name and take the words of 40-year-old “experts” on recruiting websites as common law.
But it’s ridiculously awesome for those exact reasons.
And the LSU faithful have extra motivation to be excited for Wednesday because the Tigers’ 2011 class will be the foundation of many successful teams in the future.
This year’s group has been hyped up for years. Recruiting pundits looked into the future and saw 2011 as the culmination of a lot of top-notch Louisiana talent.
Sometimes, exaggerated expectations lead to disappointment.
That’s not the case with LSU’s 2011 recruiting class, which is ranked ninth in the nation by Scout.com and fourth-best by Rivals.com.
The 2011 crop has it all.
Do you need a strong-armed quarterback with experience? See Zach Mettenberger, the junior college transfer gunslinger from Georgia.
Do you need a destructive defensive tackle to cause chaos in the opposing backfield? Enter Anthony “Freak” Johnson, a player many thought was ready for college football when he was a sophomore.
Or maybe you need a physical wide receiver to make a catch in the clutch? Look at Jarvis Landry, who made multiple game-winning catches for Lutcher High School and who Deion Sanders called the most natural wide receiver he has seen since Jerry Rice.
And finally, you may need a polished force on the offense line to lead the running game. La’el Collins is your man. The 6-foot-5-inch, 305-pound Baton Rouge native can get it done in the trenches.
The rest of the class isn’t too shabby, either.
Running backs Kenny Hilliard and Jeremy Hill (if he escapes legal trouble) can tote the rock with the best of them, joining an already talented tailback corps with rising sophomores Spencer Ware and Michael Ford.
Quarterback Stephen Rivers, brother of San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, will provide depth at a position where quality backups are needed after past debacles with Ryan Perrilloux, Chris Garrett and Zach Lee.
But LSU didn’t get only offensive threats in the 2011 class.
Scout.com four-star prospects Trevon Randle and David Jenkins have the potential to become important pieces of the defense. Randle, an outside linebacker, and Jenkins, a cornerback, could vie for playing time early, like rising sophomore cornerback Tyrann Mathieu.
The Tigers may close on an even more positive note if defensive linemen Jermauria Rasco and Tim Jernigan pick LSU when they announce their decisions on National Signing Day.
The best part of the 2011 crew is the friendship of the group. The recruits refer to themselves as “The Fam” and have been hanging out for years after meeting at camps and visits.
Sixteen of the 22 committed players hail from Louisiana. Seven of them are from New Orleans or Baton Rouge.
All of their families know each other and have established relationships with LSU coach Les Miles and the rest of the coaching staff. Many of them already decided whom they will room with next fall.
At the end of the day, production on the field is all that matters. Wins and championships are the only thing to judge a signing class.
It may be ridiculous to say now, but the 2011 class will be the most successful signing class of the Miles era.
Follow Michael Lambert on Twitter @TDR_Lambert.
 
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Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]