LSU Football Recruiting: Grading the Tigers 2018 class

The LSU Tigers are going to have to step it up on the recruiting trail if they want to hang with the boys in the SEC. Here is the Bayou Bengals’ 2018 class.

In 2016, the LSU Tigers opted to fire long-time head coach Les Miles mid-season. It was controversial, but largely expected, as the Bayou Bengals’ offense remained remedial behind The Mad Hatter’s watch. LSU opted to promote from within, as defensive line coach Ed Orgeron took over his home state’s program.

The Bayou Bengals went 6-2 in the last two months of the 2016 NCAA season. LSU went a respectable 9-4 in 2017 in Orgeron’s first year on the job, but that was only good enough to be the fourth or fifth-best team in the SEC. Orgeron is known for his recruiting prowess, but he’ll need to do better in 2019 than he doing in 2018.

According to 247Sports, LSU has the No. 13 class in 2018 and the fourth-best behind the Georgia Bulldogs, the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers in the SEC. LSU has 22 commits, including one five-star, 11 four-stars and three 10-stars.

Of the 22 LSU commitments, nine have enrolled early and 11 have signed their national letters of intent during the early signing period in December. LSU’s two other commits haven’t put pen to paper just yet. Let’s take a look at who all is coming to LSU in 2018.

Here is the 2018 recruiting class for the Tigers.

2018 LSU Tigers football recruiting class

Of LSU’s nine early enrollees, five are either four or five-star recruits, including their best recruit in wide receiver Terrace Marshall of Bossier City, Louisiana. Marshall is a five-star recruit, as the best player from Louisiana, the No. 3 wide receiver and the No. 13 player nationally. With LSU’s track record of producing top-tier wide receiver talent, Marshall has the ability to be a star in Baton Rouge, assuming he can ever get a good quarterback throwing him the football.

Where LSU has done a phenomenal job on the recruiting trails is in the JUCO route. Three of their early enrollees played junior college ball, including defensive end Travez Moore (Wesson, Mississippi) and tackle Badara Traore (Brooklyn, New York). They rank No. 4 and No. 6 nationally in the junior college circuit. Expect both to play a bunch in their first year at LSU.

Overall, it looks like the Tigers have done a fine job recruiting in the trenches, particularly at defensive tackle. They have some speed at defensive back and at wide receiver. However, not seeing a guy coming to Baton Rouge that plays quarterback is especially troubling. Things won’t change in LSU until the Bayou Bengals can sling the pigskin halfway decently.

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LSU does have an outside shot at getting into the top-10. The biggest reason for this is that they are the favorite to land five-star defensive back Patrick Surtain Jr. of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Surtain is the No. 1 cornerback in this recruiting class, the No. 2 player from Florida and the No. 6 player nationally. LSU’s track record of developing defensive backs would make it a wise decision for Surtain to come westward and play in Death Valley.

Grade: B