LSU Football Recruiting 2017: 5 must-have recruits for Tigers

The LSU Tigers need to land these five recruits leading up to 2017 National Signing Day to call it a success

For the first time in recent memory, the LSU Tigers are recruiting without Les Miles in the fold. Ed Orgeron is now the head man for the football program as they look to shake things up and get back to competing for National Championships. A strong 2017 recruiting class with National Signing Day approaching would be a fantastic way to start.

The first recruiting class for a first-year head coach is always huge. Not only does it serve the purpose of loading the roster for the future, but also leaving an impression about the future impact of the coach as it pertains to recruiting. Thus far, Orgeron has done a fantastic job, landing a slew of top recruits—most importantly, on both sides of the ball.

However, the big wins always come late in the process and around National Signing Day. Subsequently, there are players that LSU and Orgeron are still after and would love to bring to Baton Rouge in the next week.

Starting with an exceptionally long weapon at wide receiver, here are the five recruits that the LSU Tigers must have leading up to National Signing Day.

Note: All rankings and measurements are via the 24/7 Sports composite.

• High School: Clay-Chalkville
• Composite Rankings: No. 135 overall, No. 23 WR

Nico Collins isn’t even the first unsigned receiver that LSU needs to sign leading up to National Signing Day. However, there are a couple of reasons why landing the wideout would be huge for the Tigers moving forward, first among them being the matchup nightmare that he could potentially be as part of Orgeron’s offense.

Listed at 6-5, 195 pounds, Collins obviously is going to need to put some meat on his slight frame so he doesn’t get routinely lit up by SEC defenses–assuming of course he were to make his way to Baton Rouge. However, his height and length alone make him a potentially unstoppable force spread out wide for the Tigers. If he can get stronger and increase his ability to win 50-50 balls through contact, there won’t be many defensive backs alive that can do much to stop Collins from making a catch.

However, the other big reason why Collins has to be considered must-have for LSU is the effect that it would have throughout SEC recruiting. As of right now, LSU is looked at as essentially the fourth choice for Collins behind Michigan, Georgia, and Alabama. Nabbing a high-profile receiver from two SEC foes and a national powerhouse would be massively important for the program and for Orgeron moving forward as the new head coach of the Tigers.