Hunter Dale (1) is an impressive defensive back for John Curtis. He's one of several talented young players in Louisiana.
Photo by Roddy Johnson
In order for LSU to thrive, it is imperative for the Tigers to dominate recruiting in its own backyard and lock up top talent in Louisiana.
To that end,
LSU's game against Alabama this weekend could have recruiting implications, as the two schools now routinely compete for the same top players.
Not to mention,
the Landon Collins debacle still leaves bad taste in the mouths of LSU fans.
While there are some ongoing battles in the class of 2013, both teams have already shifted gears toward the classes of 2014, 2015 and 2016.
It's no secret that Louisiana is deep with talent for next year's recruiting cycle, led by running back
Leonard Fournette of
St. Augustine (New Orleans).
Offered by LSU as a freshman, Fournette projects as the top running back in the country next year and will be tough to pry away from Alabama, which already has its own blue-chip running back (
Bo Scarborough) in the fold for 2014.
Gerald Willis, a defensive end at
Edna Karr (New Orleans), and
Cameron Robinson, a massive tackle at
West Monroe, both figure to be at the center of major recruiting battles that will involve LSU and Alabama.
The other key in-state recruit for Les Miles in the class of 2014 is
Laurence Jones.
A 6-foot-2, 200-pound defensive back for
Neville (Monroe), Jones is one of the most impressive players in the country at his position — exactly the type of recruit that Nick Saban has landed in droves during his tenure in Tuscaloosa.
The Class of 2015 features
Nick Brossette, an extremely impressive running back who already boasts offers from LSU and Alabama.
Brossette is likely LSU's to lose, since he plays at
University Lab (Baton Rouge), alongside Les Miles' son (as well as
Nik Kragthorpe, son of LSU assistant Steve.)
Another sophomore with offers is
Curtis (River Ridge) defensive back
Hunter Dale, who has done well in the secondary this fall for the nation's No. 2 team.
Jaquel Grant of
Donaldsonville and
Dontrell Smalls of
West St. John (Edgard) also warrant a close eye for the next two years.
Though it's extremely early, the class of 2016 also has some players who will likely garner national attention.
Jon Randall Belton, a member of the
Class of 2016 Top 50 Watch List, has played well in limited duty for
West Monroe and continues to draw impressive reviews.
Hailing from
Lutcher, 6-4 defensive end
Sully Laiche has also thrived as a freshman, registering 59 tackles and eight sacks in what will likely be a Freshman All-American debut season.
Perhaps the most eye-opening freshman in the state, however, is
North Webster (Springhill) athlete
Devin White.
White has rushed for just 380 yards and five touchdowns, but he's shown flashes of brilliance.
The 6-3, 200-pound White may eventually outgrow the running back position. However, his size coupled with the way defenders bounce off of him are reminiscent of Derrick Henry's freshman season at Yulee.
While he doesn't appear to be as athletic as Henry was at that age, he's still extremely impressive for a freshman and has a frame that college coaches will covet. He should be hearing from LSU sooner rather than later.
