The LSU football program held their Junior Day Recruiting Weekend this past weekend. Many of the nation’s top prospects came to Baton Rouge to tour the school and its football facilities. The class of 2023, made up of current seniors in high school, would be the first full class Coach Brian Kelly and his staff have recruited.
While Coach Kelly and his staff recruited the state of Louisiana surprisingly well right away, it is interesting to see what they will do in a full recruiting cycle. The Tigers are likely to land some out-of-state prospects, but the important thing is that recruiting well in-state is very likely. As we head into spring practice, and as we get closer to summer, when many recruits will start to go on official visits, here is my prediction for what the 2023 LSU football recruiting class could look like.
Running Back
Trey Holly (Four-star, Union Parish High School, Farmerville, LA)
LSU looks to be in a good position to land four-star running back Trey Holly out of Union Parish High School in Farmerville, Louisiana. This would be a great pick for the new staff, not only talent-wise, but for the fact that he is an in-state prospect. Holly has a plethora of offers, but he was a visitor to LSU for Junior Day. However, he has also visited Florida State and Oklahoma State; additionally, Arkansas is recruiting him hard early as well. Overall, I think the pull for Holly to stay in his home state outweighs any other school’s reason to land him.
Kaleb Jackson (Four-star, Liberty Magnet High School, Baton Rouge, LA)
The new coaching staff will be recruiting Kaleb Jackson hard, as he attends Liberty Magnet High School right here in Baton Rouge. Jackson was out of town for LSU’s Junior Day, as he took a visit to Alabama where he received an offer from the Crimson Tide. But Jackson will be back in Baton Rouge this weekend for a visit and Coach Kelly hopes to bring the in-state Tigers back to Jackson’s mind after his visit to Alabama.
I expect LSU and Alabama to battle it out for Jackson until the end, along with Texas A&M, who Jackson also visited for their Junior Day. However, LSU is close to home and that is something that the other schools cannot say.
Wide Receiver
Omarion Miller (Four-star, North Caddo High School, Vivian, LA)
LSU’s lone class of 2023 commitment comes from four-star wide receiver Omarion Miller, out of North Caddo High School in Vivian, Louisiana. Miller made his verbal commitment to the Tigers in early August of 2021. It won’t be long until Miller receives some company, as the Tigers impressed many potential recruits that visited for Junior Day. For now, Miller continues to advocate for the Tigers, trying to persuade other prospects to join him in Baton Rouge.
Shelton Sampson Jr. (Five-star, Catholic High School, Baton Rouge, LA)
The Tigers are in a very good position early on to land the top in-state wide receiver and the sixth-ranked wide receiver in the country. Shelton Sampson Jr. Sampson is right in LSU’s backyard as he attends Catholic High in Baton Rouge, so LSU has been on his radar for quite some time. He was on campus for Junior Day this past weekend but he is by no means a lock for the Tigers.
The 6-foot, 4-inch wide receiver holds offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and more. Alabama is known to make their recruiting pushes late, so noise from the Crimson Tide likely won’t be heard right now. But right now, I think it will end up coming down to LSU and Alabama, with LSU having the advantage of being so close to home.
Braylon James (Four-star, Del Valle High School, Del Valle, TX)
Landing Braylon James, coming out of Texas, will be by no means easy, as Texas, Texas A&M and TCU are all pushing to keep in him the Lone Star State. James recently cut his list of over 40 offers down to nine, and LSU and Georgia were the only two SEC schools to make the cut.
I like LSU for James for two reasons: First, James has family in New Orleans and secondly, he has relationships with the coaching staff that extend to his family; Coach Frank Wilson grew up with James’ father and Coach Cortez Hankton is a family friend of James. James was able to build a relationship with Coach Kelly and his staff at Notre Dame, and that relationship carried over to LSU.
I believe the Texas schools will be our biggest roadblock in landing James, but we overcame that same obstacle when recruiting Harold Perkins — who says we can’t do it again?
Tight End
Mac Markway (Four-star, DeSmet Jesuit High School, St. Louis, MO)
Mac Markway will be a difficult prospect to land in the 2023 cycle, but there is most certainly a possibility he will come to Baton Rouge. First off, Markway has a relationship with LSU Cornerbacks Coach, Robert Steeples, as Steeples was a coach at Markway’s high school in St. Louis, Missouri in 2019. I believe LSU’s biggest competition in landing Markway is Iowa, who has a history in producing great NFL tight ends like T.J. Hockenson, George Kittle and Noah Fant.
It will be a close battle to land Markway, but I believe after he visits LSU this upcoming weekend, it will be a good selling point early in his recruitment.
Will Randle (Unranked, Isidore Newman High School, New Orleans, LA)
The Tigers potentially landing Will Randle, a tight end out of Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, could be huge. Randle is currently unranked on 247sports but holds several notable offers, including LSU, Alabama, Texas, Miami and more.
For being a more under-recruited prospect, I believe keeping Randle in-state is very much a possibility, but Texas is also recruiting Randle hard as well. I think it will come down to LSU and Texas, with LSU landing him in the end.
Offensive Line
Brycen Sanders (Four-star, The Baylor School, Chattanooga, TN)
Brycen Sanders, who is from Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, would be an important pickup for LSU. Sanders visited Baton Rouge for Junior Day and came away impressed from the visit, saying it was one of his favorites thus far.
Landing Sanders would be important for the program going forward; Coach Brian Kelly had frequent success of developing offensive linemen during his time at Notre Dame and landing a prospect like Sanders would mean that players are buying into to his new approach at LSU. I think we are in a good position to land Sanders as of right now, but schools like Tennessee and Auburn will be competitors.
Cole Dellinger (Four-star, Clarkston High School, Clarkston, MI)
It worked once: why not twice?
Cole Dellinger is the brother of Garrett Dellinger, who is currently an offensive tackle at LSU. Dellinger visited LSU for Junior Day but the interior offensive lineman from Clarkston, Michigan is — no surprise — being recruited hard by both Michigan and Michigan State.
It looks like the battle will come down to staying in state or joining his brother in Baton Rouge, but I feel that not only the new staff, but his brother as well, will convince him to commit to the Tigers.
Tyree Adams (Three-star, St. Augustine High School, New Orleans, LA)
I believe many arrows point to LSU for Tyree Adams. While Adams didn’t come to Baton Rouge for Junior Day, he made a visit to campus in late January. Adams holds over 15 offers, including other SEC schools like Ole Miss and Mississippi State. I believe these two schools along with LSU will make a push for him, even though Adams recently visited Alabama for their junior day.
Alabama has not made him an offer yet, but like I said earlier, Alabama is known for making recruiting pushes late in the cycle. Adams goes to St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, so I feel the Tigers will be able to keep him home.
Defensive Line
Jayden Wayne (Five-star, Lincoln High School, Tacoma, WA)
LSU landing Jayden Wayne would be massive. The six-foot, five-inch defensive lineman out of Tacoma, Washington holds over 40 offers. While he took an unofficial visit to Miami in January for their Junior Day, LSU is a school that is catching momentum in his recruitment. He visited Baton Rouge during the season, and he plans to visit LSU again in April. I feel Wayne’s recruitment won’t be decided for a while, but I like where LSU is at in order to land him.
Jameian Buxton (Four-star, Thibodaux High School, Thibodaux, LA)
Jameian Buxton is a former teammate of current LSU defensive lineman, Maason Smith. Buxton, a 6 foot, 2-inch, 270-pound defensive lineman out of Thibodaux has not visited LSU yet. However, he has visited Florida State and Mississippi State recently.
I think this is a recruit LSU will make a push for later in the cycle, and the draw of playing in-state and reuniting with Smith is a big pull. I like our chances in landing Buxton in the long run; it’s just a matter of when we will start pushing for him.
Linebacker
Jaiden Ausberry (Five-star, University Lab High School, Baton Rouge, LA)
While Jaiden Ausberry is from Baton Rouge, and attends University Lab High School on the campus of LSU, he is by no means a lock to LSU. Ausberry visited LSU for Junior Day, but he has also made his way around the country, visiting Florida and Ohio State and participating in camps at Alabama and Texas A&M. He is also taking a visit at Oregon this coming weekend.
I have a feeling Ausberry is in no rush to make a decision, and that he will take visits everywhere possible before doing so. Like many other Louisiana prospects, the new coaching staff will be on him hard, and being so close to home will work in LSU’s advantage. It is difficult to tell who’s in the lead right now, but I feel Ausberry has an excellent chance to stay in Baton Rouge.
Jalen Smith (Unranked, Grayson High School, Loganville, GA)
Jalen Smith could be a very underrated pickup for LSU. Smith is currently unranked on 247sports but holds over 25 offers. Smith was in Baton Rouge for Junior Day but has also visited Miami and Central Florida. Miami is especially likely to keep an eye on for Smith, as they offered him after his visit to LSU.
As of right now, I like where we stand for Smith, and while I believe these three schools are major candidates, I feel Smith is a prospect that could have a big summer, which may allow other schools to enter the race.
Cornerback
Christian Gray (Four-star, DeSmet Jesuit High School, St. Louis, MO)
Christian Gray, who is a four-star cornerback out of St. Louis, Missouri, visited LSU for Junior Day, and came away impressed.
“I thought it was amazing and just blew my mind,” Gray told me. “LSU has been a dream school. It went over my imagination.”
LSU being a dream school for Gray will carry a lot of weight, especially because his visit to Baton Rouge met and exceeded his expectations. However, he is currently crystal balled to Notre Dame, according to 247sports. That prediction was made in mid-December before Coach Kelly and his staff came to LSU. With that being said, I feel LSU will be able to land Gray’s commitment now that the best of both worlds is in Baton Rouge.
Jordan Matthews (Four-star, Woodlawn High School, Baton Rouge, LA)
Jordan Matthews is another prospect from Baton Rouge that I believe may stay home but is by no means a lock. Both Texas and Texas A&M are pushing for him to leave Louisiana. While Matthews visited Mississippi State during LSU’s Junior Day, LSU was one of Matthews’ first visits during his recruitment. Matthews being from Baton Rouge is huge, as he could easily visit campus during the season. All in all, I feel Coach Kelly will be able to keep Matthews home.
Curley Reed (Four-star, Lake Charles College Prep, Lake Charles, LA)
Curley Reed is another top recruit in Louisiana that I believe the Tigers have a good chance in landing early on. Reed, a four-star cornerback out of Lake Charles, visited LSU for Junior Day. He also visited LSU in early June. I feel Reed has not reached the peak of his recruitment yet, and will receive more offers as time goes on, especially in the summer. But I feel the fact that LSU has been on his radar for quite some time will work in our favor.
Safety
Derek Williams (Four-star, Westgate High School, New Iberia, LA)
Landing Derek Williams would be a good bounce-back for the Tigers after losing tight end Danny Lewis, who attends the same high school as Williams, to Alabama in the 2022 cycle. Williams visited Baton Rouge for Junior Day, and he also visited campus in June — but other schools are pushing hard for him. Alabama had success with their last prospect from Westgate High School in New Iberia, but LSU hopes to answer with a commitment from Derek Williams. Williams also visited Michigan in January. These three schools, I feel, will all be in battle for Williams, but I like LSU’s chances of keeping him in-state.
Michael Daugherty (Four-star, Grayson High School, Loganville, GA)
Michael Daugherty would be a huge commitment for the Tigers, and after he came away from Junior Day this past weekend impressed, it looks as if LSU has a good chance to land him.
Daugherty is a six-foot, one-inch safety out of Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia, and he holds over 40 offers. He trimmed his list of offers down to eight in late November, and I feel LSU’s biggest competitor in his recruitment is the in-state Georgia Bulldogs. Of course, coming off a National Championship with an elite defense, Georgia makes a good case to keep him in-state.Daugherty has also made visits to North Carolina and Louisville.
I feel his visit to Baton Rouge for Junior Day was huge for LSU, and I feel he will build stronger relationships with the coaching staff to land his commitment.
Kylin Jackson (Four-star, Zachary High School, Zachary, LA)
Kylin Jackson was a prospect that had already visited and met the new coaching staff in-person prior to Junior Day. Jackson participated in a camp at Texas A&M over the summer, where he received an offer from the Aggies. But LSU offered him a few months after, and I believe this made LSU the school to beat for him.
Including Texas A&M, Jackson holds other SEC offers from Arkansas, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Tennessee. However, I believe all arrows point to LSU.