2020 LSU Football Commitments

[Fishhead]

Wonder who his coach will be at this time?

 

[LSUDad]

Wasn’t the last trip here, they lost their Head Coach soon after? I was at that game. 

[Fishhead]

Fournette auctioned a jersey and the ol ball coach got fired, yep

[Hatchertiger]

Burch signed and USC has received his LOI. 

[Herb]

Happy Birthday, Grandmaw.

[Herb]

2 hours ago, Hatchertiger said:

Burch signed and USC has received his LOI. 

Appât de tigre.

[LSUDad]

Looking at transfers, OG/OC is one. LB is another, best available. O and the staff are keeping an open eye. They would like some in the Spring practice, but a Fall arrival is also welcomed. For O and the Staff, still a busy time of the year.

[LSUDad]

This may help on rankings. 
 

SCARY GOOD: Analytics Re-Ranks LSU, 2019 Recruiting Class

FEBRUARY 7There is an assortment of services that compute team recruiting rankings, and of course ESPN is one of them.

In 2019, LSU finished No. 3 in the Rivals ranking, No. 5 in 247, and No. 7 in ESPN.

 

 

[Hatchertiger]

3 hours ago, Herb said:

Appât de tigre.

Enfer ouais !!!!!

[dachsie]

16 hours ago, Fishhead said:

Fournette auctioned a jersey and the ol ball coach got fired, yep

Ugh - Spurrier resigned as head coach. They did not fire him

[Fishhead]

7 hours ago, dachsie said:

Ugh - Spurrier resigned as head coach. They did not fire him

You're correct, they allowed him to resign

[LSUDad]

LSU Football: Top 5 players in Tigers’ 2020 recruiting class

 

 

by Zach Ragan3 days agoFollow @zachTNT

LSU football signed three additional players to their 2020 recruiting class on Wednesday.

LSU football’s 2020 recruiting class likely isn’t finished, but for now the Tigers have 22 signees after adding three players on National Signing Day.

Ed Orgeron and his staff have three spots left they could use to sign a player later this spring (LSU commit CamRon Jackson is an option) or to add a transfer.

At the moment, though, LSU has the nation’s No. 4 rated recruiting class.

 

On Wednesday, Coach O said he felt that LSU’s 2020 class is one of the top classes the Tigers have signed since he’s been in Baton Rouge.

I can certainly understand why feels that way — there’s a ton of talent in this class.

Here are what I believe are the top five players in LSU’s 2020 recruiting class.

5. BJ Ojulari — 4-Star — OLB

The most important position on the field is the quarterback. So it makes sense that getting after the quarterback should be a priority. BJ Ojulari is a player who can be an extremely effective edge rusher. The Georgia native, who is an early enrollee at LSU, has the athleticism and length to make an immediate impact in Baton Rouge.

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4. Jaquelin Roy — 4-Star — DT

SEC football is all about winning in the trenches. And Jaquelin Roy is a player that will absolutely help LSU win the line of scrimmage on defense. Roy is a versatile defensive lineman that should give the Tigers plenty of options up front. He plays quick for his size and plays with a lot of power.

3. Kayshon Boutte — 5-Star — WR

LSU might as well be wide receiver U at this point. From OBJ and Jarvis Landry, to Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase, the Tigers are rolling out some stud wideouts. And Kayshon Boutte should be the next great one. Boutte is a great all around receiver who can stretch the field or go over the middle. He’s tough, gets to top speed quickly and knows how to get open.

2. Elias Ricks — 5-Star — CB

It’s tough to find truly elite cornerbacks, but that’s exactly what Elias Ricks appears to be. Ricks has ideal size, length and quickness. And he plays physical. I have little doubt that we’ll see him playing on Sundays in the not-so-distant future. But before the NFL comes calling, I expect Ricks to be a true shutdown corner in the SEC.

1. Arik Gilbert — 5-Star — TE

Good luck trying to guard Arik Gilbert. This is the type of player who will make an immediate impact in the SEC. Gilbert is a matchup nightmare. He has the size to play tight end, but the skills to be a wide receiver. I imagine Steve Ensminger will think of some creative ways to use Gilbert in the passing game. What’s wild is that Gilbert could probably be a dominant defensive end as well. But I think he’s going to be a big part of LSU’s offense in 2020 — especially with the departure of tight end Thaddeus Moss.

[LSUDad]

LSU signee Jacobian Guillory is driven by his family — and the aunt who raised him as her own

 

 

 

Alexandria 2020 defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory runs a drill at the SPE Camp Saturday, Feb. 3, in Sulphur.(Amos Morale III)▲

 

 

BY BROOKS KUBENA | Staff writer

Feb 21, 2020 - 12:00 am

 

ALEXANDRIA — The foundation of Jacobian Guillory's new home was already poured the day his mother died.

Today, the concrete slab supports the three-bedroom house where LSU's next defensive tackle lives with his aunt, Angela McMillan, in a sleepy pocket of Alexandria.

In 2007, there was only the tiny two-bedroom square in the back yard. That's where McMillan decided to settle with her young son, Clifford, after nearly 20 years of traveling while working for several airlines, and she planned to eventually build a larger house out front.

McMillan's family and friends laughed at her plan. It couldn't be done, they said.

Not her. Not on her income. Not in Alexandria. 

Sure enough, McMillan mustered enough money. Construction began, and, one day in late March 2007, she drove up to Shreveport for her sister's baby shower.

Sherrika Vincent was then two weeks away from her due date. She, too, had driven up from Alexandria with her 6-year-old son, Jacobian, and his stepfather. They'd already come up with a name for her unborn daughter: Kieahnie.

Kieahnie only lived three days.

When McMillan returned home the night of the baby shower, she received the call: Jacobian's stepfather had fallen asleep at the wheel. He and Jacobian were buckled up in the front seats of his Jeep. Vincent was stretched out in the back. The Jeep rolled several times, landing on its wheels off the highway, its engine still running.

Jacobian suffered scratches and a scar. His stepfather broke his shoulder. Vincent was flung through the back window.

The families spent the next two weeks in Shreveport, McMillan said, visiting and praying for Vincent in the hospital, long after Kieahnie was the first to pass.

"She never came out of it," said McMillan, 61.

 

 

 

 

Jacobian Guillory (right) pictured with his late mother Sherrika Vincent (left). Photo courtesy of Angela McMillan▲

 

 

Jacobian, young and unknowing, jumped and played in the hospital's hallways and rooms. The hospital was only for temporary visits, he remembers thinking. Everyone gets better. In a few weeks, they'd all be back home and everything would be back to normal.

McMillan knew her nephew needed a home.

"I just couldn't see it no other way for him not to be here," she said, sitting on a leather couch inside the house she finished just over 12 years ago.

The living room is filled with special keepsakes. On a shelf rests an unopened yet somehow empty Coke can, which McMillan kept after a grocery run just because she felt it meant something.

Within an hour, she'll leave for her Tuesday night Bible study.

Surely, she said, God knew she would build a larger home at the time of her sister's death.

Surely there was a path for Sherrika's surviving son.

"He was calling on her sooner," McMillan said. "He wanted to make sure everything was in place."

 

A game-changing tackle

"Why y'all suddenly so interested in shot put?" Otis Chatham said Tuesday afternoon, as a small crowd of students gathered around the coach at the edge of Alexandria Senior High's track.

Overcast and muggy, mosquitoes swirled around the bent legs of Jacobian Guillory, the brawny 19-year-old who was poised to launch a 12-pound iron ball toward a row of plastic sticks.

The 6-foot-2, 337-pound senior once threw a shot put 55 feet, 5 inches — a personal best which made Guillory a two-time Class 5A state champion in the event.

He's a two-time state champion power lifter, too, someone who can consistently bench over 400 pounds and squat over 700.

In other words, Guillory is the prototypical athlete LSU coach Ed Orgeron has been searching for since returning to Baton Rouge in 2015: a powerful player who can wreak havoc on the defensive line, busting up backfields and ball-carriers.

 

 

Guillory commanded the trenches as a senior at Alexandria, recording 76 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, seven sacks and two forced fumbles. That's 76 tackles at nose tackle, a position where Guillory was regularly double-teamed and triple-teamed.

Ruston and West Monroe both resorted to using "double-fold" blocking schemes, where the center would guide Guillory wherever he wanted to go, and the running back would run the opposite way.

Chatham, Alexandria's defensive line coach, said Guillory's signature was wrapping up running backs from behind like a bear, dropping all his weight on his opponent until they both slammed to the ground.

Once, against West Ouachita, Guillory dropped someone for a loss and sprinted to the sideline in excitement. "Look," Chatham told him, pointing back toward the field. The ball-carrier was still dreadfully picking himself off the ground.

"You get 330 (pounds) on your back enough times," said Chatham, 27, a former defensive lineman at Louisiana College, "you're not gonna want to carry the football too many more times."

A relatively quiet recruitment ended with Guillory choosing LSU over Alabama during December's early signing period. An infrequent visitor on the recruiting camp circuit, hubbub and fanfare didn't kick up around Guillory until his performance in the All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Jan. 4.

Make no mistake: Guillory is considered a game-changing tackle, the type of recruit Orgeron has previously lost out on with players like Ishmael Sopsher, a four-star defensive tackle from Amite High who chose Alabama in 2019.

Guillory is a "monster," said Barton Simmons, 247Sports' national recruiting reporter, someone who could consistently play as a true freshman — especially now that LSU has switched to an attacking, four-man front under new defensive coordinator Bo Pelini.

"Not only is (Guillory) the kind of guy Ed Orgeron's looking for," Simmons said, "this is the kind of defensive lineman everybody's looking for. He's the type of guy that's the difference between playing for championships and winning championships."

 

Before Guillory arrived at Alexandria Senior High as a freshman, the Trojans had only won three total district games in the previous three seasons. Last season, Alexandria went 10-2 and was a missed field goal away from the Class 5A quarterfinals — a substantial finish for a school that's never won a state championship in football.

That 13-12 loss to Mandeville High was on Nov. 22, 2019.

Guillory has a knack for remembering dates.

Like Feb. 24, 2018: the day LSU offered him a scholarship.

Or July 14, 2007: the day McMillan gained custody and essentially became his new mother.

Even on Tuesday, Feb. 18, it just so happened to be his mother's birthday.

She would have been 45.

On game days he'll write "1975" on his taped wrists, in memory of his mother's birth year.

"I thrive off of that," Guillory said. "I live off of that. That's why I work so hard. I understand that some days aren't the best days. But I live off that."

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'The new D-line U'

Aunt Angela was always known for taking the kids on cruises.

The usual travelers were herself, Clifford, her daughter, Rekisha, and Jacobian. They'd port in New Orleans or Miami or Galveston, Texas, and set sail for the Caribbean's most beautiful stops.

Belize. Cozumel. The Cayman Islands.

Jacobian's first cruise was a three-day trip to the Bahamas at the age of 1.

 

 

 

Angela McMillan frequently took her family on cruises. Pictured from left to right: Jacobian Guillory's cousin Rekisha Hayes, his mother Sherrika Vincent, McMillan, Guillory's aunt Christa Helaire. Guillory (stroller) is pictured next to his cousin, Clifford McMillan. Photo courtesy of Angela McMillan▲

 

 

His aunt was living in Houston at the time, still working as a customer service agent at Continental Airlines. The job had taken her as far as Hong Kong, and it was enough to instill a deeply held belief that everyone should travel at some point in their life.

"I would tell anybody that traveling is an education," McMillan said. "Different cultures. Different places."

 

She was always told that no one could afford to travel, much like those close to her would later say that she couldn't afford to build a bigger house in her front yard.

So it was she who regularly packed up the kids for their Caribbean adventures, a routine she kept even after Jacobian came under her care.

Every trip, Jacobian made new friends. They'd go on excursions off the cruise ship together, and by the time he returned, McMillan said it seemed like every family on board knew who Jacobian Guillory was.

His extroverted personality has swelled in the quiet Alexandria.

He plays with Alexandria head coach Thomas Bachman's young son. Shakes hands and holds conversations with 50-year-old alumni who stop by for football practices. He sang bass and beat boxed in "The First Noel" for the "Highs & Lows," Alexandria's high school choir. This week, he was voted Mr. ASH (Alexandria Senior High) by the student body.

If football somehow doesn't work out, Guillory said he'll try and be a TV personality like former LSU defensive end Marcus Spears or Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal.

"He's a people person," McMillan said. "He got that from traveling."

Life sometimes seems so interconnected. Like the timing of a house's construction. How McMillan beat breast cancer twice when Guillory was in elementary school. Sometimes it seems like there's more to it all than just an empty Coke can.

McMillan has more to marvel.

On a spring break cruise when Guillory was in the eighth grade, he introduced McMillan to his newfound friend: future LSU defensive end Rashard Lawrence.

Lawrence was then a senior at Neville High in Monroe, and he and Guillory spent four days in Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Progreso before football even came up.

"We've been close ever since," Guillory said.

 

They've texted each other before games, before pivotal moments like Lawrence's national championship game against Clemson or Guillory's decision during December's early signing period.

Guillory said he chose LSU partially because of Lawrence's influence.

Yes, Alabama is known for producing NFL defensive linemen. Seven Crimson Tide defensive tackles have been drafted since 2016, five of them within the first two rounds.

Only one LSU defensive tackle has been drafted in that span: Davon Godchaux, who was selected No. 178 overall in the fifth round of the 2017 draft by the Miami Dolphins.

Distant are the days of first-rounders like Michael Brockers (2012) and Glenn Dorsey (2008). As 247Sports' Simmons said: "there haven't been quite as many names as maybe we once were used to."

Part of that may be due to the installation of a three-man front under Dave Aranda, LSU's defensive coordinator from 2016-19.

Part of it may be due to 12-year championship drought in Baton Rouge since the Tigers last won the BCS national title in 2007.

But Guillory saw Lawrence win the Fiesta Bowl's Defensive MVP in the 2018 season. He watched LSU nose tackle Tyler Shelvin become the defense's point of attack under Aranda's scheme in 2019.

Whatever the reasons may be for the program's lack of NFL production on the defensive line, Guillory still signed with LSU before Aranda became Baylor's next head coach, before the Tigers played Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

"I just want to start something here in Louisiana," Guillory said. "Because LSU is always overlooked. They're overlooked every year, and I just want people to turn their heads and realize this is the new 'D-line U.'"

 

Another date to store

Pictured sets of eyes hung on the walls of Dwayne Severio's office.

The Alexandria defensive coordinator admits he stole the idea from visiting Aranda in Baton Rouge. Inside LSU's linebackers meeting room, Aranda had posted about 30 pictures of eyes on the walls, each cropped into rectangles to focus on the irises and eyebrows.

The artwork provoked a mood, an unsaid message: this is how your eyes should look.

The pictures in Severio's office have fallen over the years. Six remain. Among them are Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary's stare, the glare of a tiger, others Severio pulled randomly from internet searches.

Severio first saw Guillory in the summer of 2016, just before his freshman year.

 

Guillory's reputation had already taken shape. Chatham, who started at Alexandria that year, was told by other coaches "if you can't coach him on, you might need to find something else to do."

Summer workouts began with what the coaches call a "curl mobility" routine. Players step over and under a series of hurdles, one after another, trying not to touch the hurdles as they pass. The routine shows the coaches just what kind of natural athletes their working with.

And there was this 6-foot, 300-pound freshman, flexing his way through the hurdles like he was made of rubber.

"I'm a Louisiana guy," said Severio, 54, who has coached in the state for over 25 years. "I've never, ever coached a kid like Jacobian."

 

 

 

 

LSU signee Jacobian Guillory (right) pictured next to Tigers coach Ed Orgeron (left) on a trip to campus in 2016. Photo courtesy of Dwayne Severio▲

 

 

Before Guillory ever played in a high school game, Severio drove him down to Baton Rouge to meet former LSU coach Les Miles and Orgeron, who was the defensive line coach at the time.

Four years later, Guillory drove back to Baton Rouge with Severio so he could shake Orgeron's hand and tell him face-to-face he was committing to LSU.

They sat on the patio of LSU's football operation's building together, a week before the Tigers' undefeated showdown in Tuscaloosa.

Guillory sat silently in Bryant-Denny Stadium, watching LSU beat Alabama for the first time since 2011, knowing he would join the program a year later.

Soon, he'll leave Alexandria again. This time, he may be leaving his aunt's three-bedroom house for good.

It'll be another date in Guillory's memory: June 5, 2020.

Another date for him to store deep inside.

"He has that heart just like his mom," McMillan said. "Big heart. He really do. That's probably why he's going far."

[LSUDad]

 

 

[LSUDad]

On 2/7/2020 at 11:32 AM, LSUDad said:

Looking at transfers, OG/OC is one. LB is another, best available. O and the staff are keeping an open eye. They would like some in the Spring practice, but a Fall arrival is also welcomed. For O and the Staff, still a busy time of the year.

Well, they did find what they were looking for. Now this one:

 

CamRon Jackson flips from LSU to Memphis

• by Shea Dixon
• 10 hours ago

LSU dipped into the Haynesville High talent pool in the 2019 cycle to land Joseph Evans, who saw reps on the defensive line this past season as a true freshman before moving to offense, where he's now in a battle to be the team's starting center.

In the 2020 class, the Tigers went back to Haynesville and landed a commitment from another defensive lineman in CamRon Jackson, who had been on board as part of the class since December 2018.

But after delaying his signing ceremony in an effort to focus on closing strong in the classroom, Jackson waited until the summer months before the next wave of news surfaced, and it was a notable recruiting shift.

On Wednesday, Jackson confirmed that he had flipped his commitment from LSU to Memphis, which puts the Tigers with 24 signees and no commitments, meaning they have one open spot remaining in the 2020 class. LSU could hold onto the spot and carry it into the 2021 class, or fill it with a late-qualifier or a player from the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Jackson also added that he plans to sign with Memphis this week.

In January, Jackson took a trip to Baton Rouge to spend three days on LSU's campus for his official visit, which he said reassured him at the time of his decision to play for LSU.

"I enjoyed it," Jackson said. "The atmosphere is just amazing. I had a great time with the coaches, and they treat me like I’m their son."

While Jackson had been committed to LSU for nearly two years, he said those plans shifted as he now plans to work towards becoming a full-qualifier and signing with head coach Ryan Silverfield and Memphis.

While NSD is the first day players can sign a letter of intent with a college, it's not the last, which is why Jackson confirmed he's waiting to ink with a college until his academics are in line.

LSU's 2020 recruiting class remains ranked fourth nationally on the 247Sports Team Rankings.

The class at LSU closed out National Signing Day in December with 19 signees, then added three more prospects in four-star wide receiver Alex Adams, four-star running back Kevontre Bradford and four-star cornerback Dwight McGlothern.

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron then moved the scholarship count from 22 up to 24 with the addition of two graduate transfers this offseason, with the Tigers reeling in four-star North Dakota State linebacker Jabril Cox and three-star Harvard offensive lineman Liam Shanahan.

[LSUDad]

Recent decommitment gives LSU football some options

 

 

by Zach Ragan1 hour ago

LSU football head coach Ed Orgeron (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

LSU football lost a 2020 commit this week to Memphis.

2020 three-star defensive lineman CamRon Jackson committed to LSU football in December 2018, but he didn’t sign with the Tigers on National Signing Day this past February.

That’s because Jackson was still trying to become a full qualifier. At the time, Jackson said he planned to arrive at LSU later this summer.

Ed Orgeron and the Tigers held Jackson’s scholarship for the last several months.

On Wednesday, however, Jackson officially decommitted from LSU and committed to Memphis, a school where he hasn’t taken an official visit.

It’s possible that Jackson chose Memphis because of different academic requirements. Each conference has its own guidelines. While Jackson, a Louisiana native, certainly wanted to sign with the Tigers, it appears it just wasn’t going to be possible. It’s an unfortunate reality of recruiting.

With Jackson’s decommitment, LSU has some options moving forward.

What should LSU football do with the extra 2020 spot?

LSU used 24 spots during the 2020 signing period (22 signees and two transfers). They were holding that final spot for Jackson.Buy Now!

With Jackson out of the picture, it means the Tigers could use that final spot on a late qualifier or another transfer.

Or they could hold on to that spot for the 2021 recruiting class, allowing Coach O and his staff to sign 26 players instead of 25.

I think they should go with option C.

The choices among late qualifiers probably aren’t going to be great. And the transfer market? Well, that’s a complete wild card — especially with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic still having a grip on the sports world.

The best bet would be to save that spot and use it on a player in the 2021 recruiting class. LSU is becoming an even more attractive option for recruits these days. So I’m sure the Tigers would love to have an extra spot to play with in 2021 for a potential “hidden gem”.

Either way, while you hate to see a player like Jackson, who was very vocal about his desire to play at LSU, end up moving in a different direction, there are still some positives for the Tigers in this situation.

[LSUDad]

Longtime LSU commit Lorando Johnson has flipped his pledge to Baylor with hopes of enrolling in Waco for the 2020 season, a source confirmed with Geaux247. Johnsontweeted a simple "#SicEm" on Friday afternoon. The source confirmed that the four-star prospect had indeed committed to the Bears.

[Herb]

So does that give us 2 extra scholarships for 2020 that can be applied in 2021?

[LSUDad]

14 hours ago, Herb said:

So does that give us 2 extra scholarships for 2020 that can be applied in 2021?

I asked. My friend said only one left. The 85 number comes into play. But, as we get closer, we will see how this shakes out.