Recruiting expert Mike Scarborough, left, with William Weathers, managing editor of Tigerbait.com, in Crowley on Jan. 30. Scarborough was on hand to discuss LSU and National Signing Day. (PHOTO/Tom Dodge)
Scarborough said LSU has suffered greatly over the past month after the Tigers were ranked in the Top 5 in December, then came the roller-coaster decent with three major recruits thought to be destined for LSU choosing other programs.
On Jan. 5, the Tigers lost Landon Collins, the No. 2 safety in the country from Geismar to Alabama. On Jan. 9, they lost the BCS national championship game 21-0 to Alabama.
On Jan. 12, the Tigers lost 20th ranked offensive tackle Patrick Miller to Auburn.
On Jan. 13, Davante Bourque, the 14th ranked athlete in the nation out of Crowley, committed to Tennessee over LSU.
On Jan. 17, LSU commitment Gunner Kiel - the No. 1 quarterback in the nation out of Columbus, Ind. - changed his mind about early enrollment at LSU and enrolled at Notre Dame.
“Landon Collins is a freak,” Scarborough said of the state’s top recruit. “But LSU will still win a lot of games without him. But he is a difference maker and he should be very successful.”
LSU fell from No. 4 to its current ranking of 15th, but Scarborough said the Tigers can still have a significant signing class. According to Scarborough, LSU should sign 11 defensive players, nine on offense and a special teams player.
"They are not looking at the rankings of the players,” Scarborough said. “They are signing to fill needs.”
It is a perception thing, Scarborough said of recruiting. "In reality, you don’t have all 25 that you sign be barn-burners. In fact over a four or five year period, the attrition is 40 percent," he said. “The main thing is to have eight or 10 guys every year who are producers. If you can get three or four role players out of the rest, then you are on you way.”
While Scarborough was discussing the players LSU lost, he received a text message that Oxford, Miss. star quarterback Jeremy Liggins (6-3, 290) gave his commitment to LSU.
Liggins guided Lafayette to 32 straight wins and back-to-back 4A state titles. This past season, he rushed for 953 yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging just less than six yards per carry. He also completed 81-of-134 passes for 1,678 yards. Liggins had 16 touchdowns and six interceptions.
“Recruiting is huge for Tiger fans,” he said. “You are talking about filling 25 spots each year, but we write about 60-75 propects for those slots.
“We think we have it all covered, then all of the sudden a new name comes out and we have to follow that player and see what happens with him and LSU,” said Scarborough.
Signed Letter of Intent to LSU:
Name Pos Ht/Wt National Rank
Vadal Alexander OL 6-6/310 11
Ronnie Feist LB 6-2/214 34
Reid Ferguson OL 6-2/235 NR
Lamar Louis ATH 6-0/220 18
Committed/Not Yet Signed at LSU:
Name Pos Ht/Wt National Rank
Torshiro Davis - LB 6-3/222 8
Travin Dural - WR 6-2/170 49
Derek Edinburgh - OL 6-8/320 29
Dillon Gordon - TE 6-5/245 23
Trey Granier - LB 6-1/225 38
Jerald Hawkins - OL 6-7/285 42
Kavahra Holmes - WR 6-1/180 NR
Danielle Hunter - DE 6-5/235 21
Avery Johnson - WR 6-2/180 42
Deion Jones - LB 6-2/200 31
Jeremy Liggins - QB 6-3/270 16
Jalen Mills - DB 6-0/180 48
Lorenzo Phillips - LB 6-1/200 29
Derrick Raymond - DB 6-2/175 NR
Jerquinick Sandolph - DB 6-1/180 NR
Dwayne Thomas - DB 6-1/170 14
John Thomas - TE 6-6/225 15
Corey Thompson - DB 6-2/205 18
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