Signing Day leaves room for drama
LSU trying to land host of highly sought-after recruits
Most of the football players LSU has committed or have pursued have had their minds made up for weeks and months.
Trey Granier, an Advocate Second Dozen linebacker from Thibodaux, committed to the Tigers in November 2010. John Curtis tight end Dillon Gordon cast his lot with LSU almost exactly a year ago.
Still, as the curtain is raised Wednesday on the start of the 2012 national signing period, there is still plenty of drama to be found.
The Tigers will be trying to land a pair of highly regarded prospects from Oxford, Ala.: outside linebacker Kwon Alexander (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) and safety Trae Elston (6-0, 180).
LSU also remains in hot pursuit of Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (6-4, 205), and could still be considering Winnfield wide receiver Alonzo Moore (6-2, 182) as well.
After suffering serious erosion to its recruiting class with the losses of high-profile prospects like Gunner Kiel, Patrick Miller and Davante Bourque, LSU’s recruiting efforts have gained momentum in the final days before the Class of 2012 will be announced.
LSU picked up former Redemptorist running back Jeremy Hill and Patterson linebacker Lorenzo Phillips two weeks ago.
Monday, the Tigers got a pledge from Oxford (Miss.) Lafayette quarterback Jeremy Liggins, ranked as high as No. 118 on the ESPNU 150, and flipped former Texas A&M commitment Corey Thompson (6-1, 205), a safety from Missouri City (Texas) Elkins.
Their pledges give the Tigers 23 commitments, with the expectation of signing the Southeastern Conference limit of 25 prospects overall.
Alexander is ranked No. 29 on the ESPNU 150, No. 52 on the Scout 300 and No. 104 on the 24/7 Sports Top 247. Elston is ranked as the No. 7 prospect in Alabama by Rivals, No. 12 in that state by ESPN and No. 19 by 24/7 Sports.
Alexander, who is also considering Auburn and Alabama, made his official visit to LSU for the Auburn game on the weekend of Oct. 22, while Elston visited last weekend as part of a whirlwind pair of visits that also took him to Oklahoma State. Elston is also considering Ole Miss.
Alexander has refused to name a school, leaving his announcement until Wednesday. He and Elston are expected to announce their schools during the 10 a.m. hour live on ESPNU.
Elston told the Anniston Star newspaper Monday he still hadn’t made up his mind as he tries to decide between the two SEC rivals and Oklahoma State, where he’s been told he can play on both sides of the ball. Elston’s recruitment has set up a rare recruiting battle between LSU and Oklahoma State, where Les Miles was head coach before coming to LSU in 2005.
Elston has good things to say about all three schools, but about LSU he points out the Tigers’ success at turning defensive backs into high NFL draft picks in recent years. Patrick Peterson was the first defensive back selected in 2011 and Morris Claiborne has a chance to be that player in this year’s draft.
“I feel good about them,” Elston said of LSU. “(Head coach) Les Miles is a funny guy that I could get along with and their DB coach, coach (Ron) Cooper puts DBs in the league. I could go there, get to the league real quick and make some money.”
Despite the fact that his home state schools Alabama and Auburn have combined to win the past three national championships, Elston said he has decided to take his talents out of state.
“I want to go somewhere else and do something different,” Elston told the paper. Oxford, Ala., is a community near Anniston roughly halfway between Birmingham and Atlanta in northeast Alabama.
While some Tiger fans are hopeful that Louisiana’s top prospect, Dutchtown safety Landon Collins (6-0, 210), will make a late switch from Alabama to LSU, on Tuesday that didn’t appear likely.
Dutchtown football coach Benny Saia said Collins is set to send Alabama his national letter of intent at 7 a.m. Wednesday. The school will hold a signing ceremony later in the day.
Anything is possible in recruiting, however, as two top Louisiana prospects did flip on Tuesday.
East St. John’s Darion Monroe (5-10, 165), the Class 5A All-State quarterback but projected to play cornerback in college, switched from Texas A&M to Tulane to play for new coach and former New Orleans Saints assistant Curtis Johnson.
Also Tuesday, Covington linebacker Otha Peters (6-1, 215) switched from Tennessee to Arkansas.
One LSU commitment isn’t expected to sign Wednesday: Bossier City Airline tight end John Thomas. He told the Shreveport Times that he will hold off on his signing as he tries to become academically eligible.
Thomas, Monroe and Peters are all members of The Advocate Super Dozen.