Rivals national recruiting analyst Nick Harris looks at Colorado's potential on the recruiting trail, Baylor's quarterback recruiting problem and LSU's recruiting strategy that could pay off in the end.
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How effective is LSU's double-offer strategy with top dual-sport recruits?
It's no secret that there has been a substantial regeneration of life into the LSU program since Brian Kelly has taken over, and that stretched deep into the recruiting trail in the 2023 class as the Tigers landed the No. 5 class in the country. In 2024, that momentum has carried over, and the latest strategy coming out of Death Valley is one that might help the Tigers in some closer battles with athletic prospects.
In late February, LSU extended a basketball offer to Silsbee (Texas) four-star wide receiver Drelon Miller that helped vault the Tigers into within striking distance for one of the nation's top receiving threats. Shortly thereafter, Klein (Texas) Forest four-star wide receiver Jelani Watkins landed his first track offer from LSU, which is shocking considering his thorough track profile as a sprinter. And then, just days ago, Duncanville (Texas) four-star running back Caden Durham also landed a track offer from LSU amid a huge sprinting season.
All three have shown increased interest in LSU since the dual-offers, and it has the Tigers creeping even further into the state of Texas for talent. Can the strategy pay off in the end? My early indication is yes.
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Can Colorado still generate recruiting momentum without a winning season in 2023?
If there's one thing we know about Deion Sanders it's that he will have no problem recruiting wherever he is at. Before the new era even touches the field in Boulder, there's an argument to be made about the Buffaloes having the best one-two punch in the Pac-12 in the secondary with Travis Hunter and Cormani McClain. The even brighter side is that the recruiting momentum is sustainable with those talents in the building. They are are almost surefire first-round candidates when their NFL Draft time comes around.
However, if the on-field success doesn't immediately come for Colorado in 2023, can Coach Prime still be as effective on the trail in 2024 and beyond?
Looking at Colorado's schedule in 2023 only makes me further evaluate this possibility with a tough non-conference slate backed up by an improved conference out West that showed national prowess in 2022. Let's say Colorado finishes with a losing record and misses on a bowl game. There will have to be positives taken away from the on-field product, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Colorado already has a pair of premier commits locked in, but to fully capture what Sanders and his staff are trying to accomplish in Boulder, it will take a well-rounded class that buys into the future of what's being built.
New staffs always get the benefit of "roster turnover" for a couple of seasons by recruits before pressure really starts to set in, but with the rhetoric that Sanders has provided, there's an expectation that the success will come sooner. How long can preparation sacrifice for expectation? That will be a question that might have to be answered at the conclusion of the season by his staff and recruits alike as Colorado nestles itself into some major recruitments nationwide.
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Baylor may be left standing at the altar for a quarterback once again.
One of the major headlines in the 2023 class came on National Signing Day during the Early Signing Period, when four-star quarterback Austin Novosad flipped his longtime pledge from Baylor to Oregon and signed with the Ducks. It served as a major hit to the Bears' recruiting class that lost some key pieces in the weeks leading up to Novosad's decision.
While Baylor was able to score via the transfer portal at the position in the weeks after, the 2024 class still held a great deal of importance at the position with a good crop of in-state talent available. Notably, the top in-state quarterback, DJ Lagway, is a legacy of the program as his dad starred as a running back for the Bears in the early 2000s. That, paired with a relatively open quarterback room, created an opportunity for Baylor to potentially make a splash in 2024, but with the quarterback class in-state starting to finalize, it's looking more and more like Baylor will be left empty-handed once again.
Lagway has already committed to Florida, four-star Mike Hawkins Jr. is committing on Saturday to either Oklahoma or TCU, recent riser Hauss Hejny is trending toward TCU and dual-threat playmaker Deuce Adams is trending toward Louisville just a day before his planned commitment.
Things aren't looking bright on the recruiting trail for Dave Aranda's offensive staff, but the transfer portal has served them nicely already. There may be a recall to that momentum in the portal as soon as this summer.
