Early Signing Results
As day one of the early signing period filled with drama, flips, and chaos, LSU quietly reeled in a strong class of 2024 recruits. The 27-man LSU recruiting class ranked as the 11th best class in the 247Sports Composite rankings. The ranking won’t inspire awe in an SEC that’s more competitive than ever, but a closer look reveals the quality of this class. Rankings alone do not decide the potential impact of a prospect or class.
Filling Defensive Needs
The Tigers’ defensive line woefully underachieved in 2023, but help is on the way. LSU signed two defensive tackles De’Myrion Johnson and Shone Washington. Washington is a New Orleans native who played a year at Georgia before transferring to a junior college. At the least, he’ll add depth to a position of need.
LSU signed four edge defenders with Gabe Reliford, Kolaj Cobbins, CJ Jackson, and Ahmad Breaux. Reliford flipped to LSU from Texas A&M late in the recruiting process, and one service ranks him as the fourth-best player in Louisiana. Breaux, a Ruston native, is the lowest-ranked of the edge players but often played out of position due to team needs. He could exceed expectations at defensive end.
LSU replenished the linebacker position with Tylen Singleton, Davohn Keys, and Xavier Atkins. Singleton played safety at Many High School at 210 pounds and projects to reach his ceiling at linebacker in college. He’s ranked as the 10th-best linebacker prospect in the country. Atkins moved from Jonesboro, LA to the Houston area for his senior season. Texas A&M pursued him heavily, but Atkins remained solid to LSU. Keys played both ways, winning a state championship at Aledo High School. This could turn out to be the best position group of the class.
As expected, the Tigers loaded up on cornerbacks. Ju’Juan Johnson became the all-time leader in total yardage in Louisiana at quarterback but has the length and athleticism to excel at corner or nickel. LSU also signed Bernard Causey, Wallace Foster, and PJ Woodland. Foster’s offers from Texas and Florida State defy his three-star rating. MaxPreps named Woodland the Mississippi High School Player of the Year.
Local four-star athletes Deshawn McBride and Joel Rogers signed on to play safety at LSU. At 6’3″ and 200 pounds, McBride is a rangy prospect with elite ball skills. The 247 Composite ranks him as the fourth-best safety prospect in the country.
Reloading on Offense
The LSU recruiting class is well-balanced on the offensive line with two interior lineman signees and three tackles. The tackles are Weston Davis, Ethan Calloway, and Ory Williams. Davis is also a flip from Texas A&M and has earned a five-star ranking on one recruiting service. Williams is more of a raw talent at this stage but shows light feet on the basketball court.
Khayree Lee and Joseph Cryer are the two guards in this class. Lee has already shown the discipline to lose over 30 pounds during his high school career. Cryer is a former Ole Miss commit and physical road-grader who plays through the whistle.
The 2024 receiving group has complementing skillsets that create a formidable group. There’s true track speed in Jelani Watkins and Michael Turner. Watkins recorded a 10.2 100-meter time at Atascosita High School in Houston. Kylan Billiot of Houma brings a prototypical receiver size at 6-3. Then we have the most heralded recruit of the class, 6’7” Trey’Dez Green at tight end. Green transferred from East Feliciana to Zachary for his senior year and dominated at the highest classification in Louisiana. Multiple sites rank him as the best prospect in the state.
Colin Hurley of Jacksonville, FL was the lone quarterback signee of the class. Hurley reclassified to the class of 2024, skipping his senior season. He has the arm strength and touch to make all the throws but did not have the team success to garner a higher ranking.
LSU added Duncanville’s Caden Durham to a deep running back room. Durham has exceptional speed, power, and patience. He rushed for 231 yards against a loaded North Shore team in the Texas 6A state championship game.
Possible Additions
Coen Echols is a top-10 ranked guard who signed yesterday but will wait to announce his school of choice on Friday. LSU and Auburn were his leaders going into signing day. Texas A&M commitments Domanick McKinley and Terry Bussey decided to wait until February to sign, which gives LSU more time to work towards their signatures.
The Tigers also have transfer commitments from Texas A&M’s Jardin Gilbert at safety, Vanderbilt’s AJ Swann at quarterback, and former Mississippi State receiver Zavion Thomas.
The 2024 LSU recruiting class is not the flashiest, but it is a solid class throughout. The Tigers addressed needs on both sides of the line of scrimmage and on the back end of the defense. The lack of decommitments on signing day suggests that the players are bought into the program, which could help with the retention of these players in the future. Stars matter, but development matters more.
