Takeaways from Louisiana: Watch out for TCU; Bush on path to stardom

BATON ROUGE, La. — It’s a busy week in the state of Louisiana when it comes to the football recruiting world as several different camps and 7-on-7 tournaments are taking place across the state. After attending the “Boys from the Boot” satellite camp at Southern University on Wednesday and the Louisiana State 7-on-7 Championships on Thursday, Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst Woody Wommack gives his five biggest takeaways.

There were a lot of headlines this week about LSU allegedly using political pressure to help scrap multiple satellite camps in the state that was supposed to be attended by Texas Longhorns coaches. But while the spat between the Longhorns and Tigers is getting all the headlines, another Texas school, TCU, is actually having more success in Louisiana than any other out-of-state school.

The Horned Frogs recently picked up a commitment for Rivals100 quarterback Justin Rogers, beating out LSU head-to-head. And on Wednesday night, Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson was in Baton Rouge to attend Southern’s event and mingle with some of LSU’s top targets, most notably four-star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Both Patterson and offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie got plenty of face time with Chase at the event, a notable development since Chase hasn’t visited Fort Worth in the last six months. While posturing between LSU and Texas is the sexier story, TCU quietly has secured commitments from four Louisiana prospects and has its sights on several others.

Louisiana is always loaded with defensive back talent and the Class of 2019 is no different. Right now Rivals100 prospect Derek Stingley, Jr. appears to be the state’s top defensive back, but newly minted four-star Devin Bush showed on Thursday that he belongs in the discussion. Bush is a fundamentally sound defensive back who already has a good build and looks like he could easily play cornerback or safety at the next level. His size, along with his ability to turn and run with wide receivers, makes him a rare prospect and that’s why LSU and Florida are among the schools jockeying to catch his attention.

Despite the fact that prospects can start signing letters-of-intent in just six months there are still prospects emerging on the big-time recruiting scene. One of those players, class of 2018 Monroe (La.) Richwood tight end Geor’Quarius Spivey, continues to see his stock rise after a strong showing at Wednesday night’s event. Spivey, who recently added an offer from LSU, was offered by Texas Tech, TCU and Louisiana Tech, effectively doubling his list of FBS offers. At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Spivey is a physical specimen who moves very well, so it’s a wonder that no school has spotted him before. Either way, he’s solidly on the map now and it’s because of offseason events.

One of the players who shined at Wednesday night’s event was Class of 2018 three-star wide receiver Sheldon “Sticks” Jones. The shifty slot receiver had several impressive plays that drew rave reviews from fellow campers, a regular occurrence when Jones is in attendance. But despite his showing, the UTSA commit didn’t pick up any new offers. Right now, the Road Runners are getting a steal in Jones and if he does end up in San Antonio, I expect him to have a big impact. But a Power Five program, especially one that runs a spread offense, could use a talent like Jones.

One of the fun aspects of high school team 7-on-7 as opposed to an all-star 7-on-7 is that it pits bitter rivals against one another. The best case of that on Thursday was when Edna-Karr and Warren Easton went head-to-head in an elimination game that saw plenty of heated moments both on and off the field. In the end, Edna Carr got the victory and advanced to the final four of the event before losing, but the battle and the talking that went with it will surely carry over the fall when the teams meet again.