Sting Factor: Omarion Miller backs off pledge to LSU
When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from one to 10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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THE STORYLINE
Omarion Miller committed to his dream school LSU in August 2021 shortly after working out in Baton Rouge and piquing the interest of then-coach Ed Orgeron.
So much has changed at LSU and in the college football landscape since then, and on Monday the four-star receiver from Vivian (La.) North Caddo backed off his long-standing pledge to the Tigers and reopened his recruitment.
Rated as the No. 13 receiver nationally and a top-eight prospect in the Louisiana state rankings, Miller is expected to visit Nebraska in the coming days, and there’s no question that he has a strong bond with position coach Mickey Joseph. Arkansas has been another school mentioned in Miller’s recruitment.
In his social media message on Monday, Miller said he’s still “extremely interested” in LSU, but now he’s back on the market and coach Brian Kelly and his staff have to work to get him back in the fold.
Last season, the Vivian North Caddo standout finished with 76 receptions for 1,502 yards and 20 touchdowns.
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LOCAL REACTION
“For a new regime with as many new staffers as LSU has under Kelly, losing a commitment from an in-state talent like Miller is a big blow. LSU has a solid stable of receivers, but the Tigers want two or three good ones in this class, and now they are starting from scratch with a donut heading into the summer camp stretch.
"In the end, the roster can withstand a loss like this, but for a new staff trying to build the proverbial fence around the state this isn't great news.” - Jimmy Smith, TigerDetails.com
Sting Factor: 7
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NATIONAL REACTION
“There is a lot of time left in this recruiting cycle and Miller has said he remains seriously interested in LSU, but this one definitely hurts. Even though Miller is from Vivian, which is far closer to Dallas than Baton Rouge, he is still an in-state prospect and was a longtime LSU pledge who dreamed about playing for the Tigers.
"He’s also a very talented receiver and one criticism of Kelly at Notre Dame was that he didn’t have enough high-end playmakers at that spot. If Nebraska's Joseph has the reach and ability to keep recruiting elite players out of Louisiana, even those who were committed to LSU, then that could be problematic.
"But Miller still seems interested in the Tigers. It was his dream school and there is a long way to go in this recruiting cycle, so I’m not going to count out LSU for the four-star receiver just yet. This number drops drastically if LSU can land five-star receiver Carnell Tate or other elite receivers to replace Miller, but the Tigers do have some work to do now.” - Adam Gorney, Rivals National Recruiting Director
Sting Factor: 8