Five tide-turning recruits in the spotlight for LSU
With Brian Kelly reportedly taking over the LSU football program, these five high-profile recruiting targets are firmly in the spotlight.
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FIVE-STAR DB JACOBY MATHEWS
A one-time LSU commitment, the Tigers were bound to remain a contender for the state's top position player regardless of who was tabbed to be the next coach. It just so happens that Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has plenty of familiarity with Mathews and could be retaining key pieces on-staff that should keep LSU in good standing with the in-state defensive back.
Expect Kelly to get Mathews on campus for an official visit in December and shuffle his calendar a bit to get in good with the elite in-state defender.
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FOUR-STAR WR AARON ANDERSON
Sure, Anderson just flipped from LSU to Alabama amid the coaching change, but he had been adamant that was not eliminating the Tigers from contention and would give the home-state team consideration after it figured out its next coach.
Kelly is an offensive-minded coach with a track record of turning receivers into high draft picks and he has a resume that'll certainly draw the attention of Anderson and those around him. Even though Anderson is high on the Crimson Tide and has been leaning that direction for months prior to his commitment, expect him to give LSU another look.
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FIVE-STAR LB HAROLD PERKINS
Perkins has kept LSU in the fold even after the departure of Ed Orgeron. He's been heavily tied to Texas A&M – and for good reason – with Texas also garnering some momentum of late, too.
However, Perkins is a New Orleans native and there's a belief many family members would love to see him play his college ball nearby in Baton Rouge. Perkins was back in Baton Rouge over the weekend as LSU beat the Aggies. LSU might be peaking at the right time in his recruitment and a hire like Kelly could move the needle in the Tigers' favor.
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FOUR-STAR CB JULIAN HUMPHREY
The LSU coaches were on the road on Sunday and one target is Humphrey. Defensive backs coach Corey Raymond is a likely candidate to remain on Kelly's staff in Baton Rouge and the Tigers are working hard to flip the Georgia cornerback pledge.
Humphrey is considering a visit to Baton Rouge in December now that Kelly is in place. He could be a late firework for this new LSU staff.
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FIVE-STAR QB ARCH MANNING
It's never too early to look ahead, huh? Kelly is going to have to first secure Walker Howard in LSU's 2022 haul, but will have a way more difficult call to make next cycle. Five-star quarterback Arch Manning headlines a talented coup of signal-callers in The Boot along with Eli Holstein and Rickie Collins, a big riser in the 2023 class.
Holstein and Collins are currently committed to Texas A&M and Purdue, respectively.
That certainly opens the door for Kelly to pursue Manning first and foremost. This fall, Manning made visits to Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss and Clemson. His father, Cooper Manning, told Rivals he would be open to exploring more campuses beyond those five schools after his high school season.
Kelly offered Manning at Notre Dame and the Irish were among the teams communicating with him into the fall. This could be a major storyline to follow into next year's cycle.