Whenever there is a highly-renown prospect in Louisiana, LSU makes it a priority to keep them in-state. However, that is easier said than done.
When they are unsuccessful, the school that beats LSU for the Bayou State recruit, the majority of the time, is none other than the University of Alabama.
As the two schools face off on Saturday, not only is an SEC West lead on the line, but a recruiting leg-up will also come away from the game.
LSU’s Class of 2022, the current freshman class, was affected by Alabama more than any other class in the college eligibility range. Of the top 10 ranked players in Louisiana’s Class of 2022, three committed to LSU and three committed to Alabama. This includes the No. 1 ranked recruit in Louisiana and four-star wide receiver, Aaron Anderson, who was committed to LSU for quite some time but flipped to Alabama a little over a month before signing day.
All three of the Louisiana players in the Class of 2022 that committed to Alabama were wide receivers, a position that LSU will have to build depth in in the near future. Of the three LSU players ranked in the top 10, none were receivers.
In addition, in the Class of 2021, LSU lost out on four-star wide receiver, JoJo Earle, who was committed to LSU up until signing day when he also flipped to Alabama. Earle returns punts for Alabama, which could’ve been a useful role for LSU to have this year.
The past few years haven’t been the only time LSU has lost out on in-state players to Alabama. The most notable prospects include Devonta Smith, Dylan Moses and Phidarian Mathis.
Smith won the Heisman Trophy in 2021, two years after Joe Burrow won the award and LSU won the National Championship. If Smith had stayed in Louisiana, the drop off between LSU teams in 2019 and 2020 could’ve been a lot smoother.
Moses was not only an in-state recruit LSU lost out on to Alabama, but he was from Baton Rouge. Looking back on Moses’ recruitment, LSU has a chance to make up for it. Moses’ younger brother, Keylan Moses, is currently a sophomore at University Laboratory School, and is being recruited by LSU, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and more.
LSU was also in the mix for Mathis. Along with Alabama, the former four-star defensive lineman also took official visits to LSU and TCU, but Alabama came away with his commitment in the end.
The Louisiana to Alabama pipeline is becoming a consistent trend. In the Class of 2023, four-star quarterback, Eli Holstein, who plays at Zachary High School, is committed to Alabama. While LSU ironically landed a stellar, four-star quarterback from Baton Rouge in Rickie Collins, LSU was not even in contention for Holstein or Arch Manning, who are the top two quarterbacks in Louisiana.
The Alabama recruiting reign over LSU could start to diminish with a Tigers win on Saturday in Death Valley. Several recruits in both the Class of 2023 and 2024 will be in attendance for the game, and while many recruits believe in what Brian Kelly is trying to do in Baton Rouge, a win over Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide could make his plan that much more evident.
Saturday’s matchup is for more than just a win to this season’s record, it’ll be the beginning of the resurgence of the LSU football program back to the level of Alabama. That all starts with recruiting.
