We will not get all the 4 & 5-stars still on the line and we may not get any . . . and Les knows we have some early commits who will not make grades.
Got to love the 5* talent. The 2011 All-American class, Mo Claiborne was the lowest ranked player on the board, the #58 Athlete. Mo was a 3* player, one without a position. LSU moved him to CB and the rest was history. Go back an look at some of the offers on kids, all too often small schools will offer, all the time with the hope that the larger school never see a kid. Once again LSU took the lowest rated position player from this last years class and coached him into an All-SEC player, Jalen Mills. Remember, Mills wasn't even the best CB on his DeSoto high school team. LSU saw more than paid scouts and college coaches. Looking back at the list of 5* players from the 2007 class, Athlons did a write-up on these players. So many never panned out. For too many the words, improper benefits, injury, transferred, not selected in the draft and many with legal troubles. Many never played a down with the school they signed with. You never know, I think the staff does a better job than most with high school players, an many of the High School, College and Pro coaches I talk with say the same thing.
He didn't start until his senior year, so he wasn't on anybody's radar I watched Spears film Saturday night, and in my amateur opinion, it's pretty obvious Spears is at least a 4-star talent. His film is one of the best I've seen of any LSU recruit ever. Granted, i don't watch a lot of film, but check this out: Rivals.com national analyst Mike Farrell tweeted this yesterday: WR Kevin Spears is one of te true hidden gems in this class, film is simply awesome and late bloomer. #LSU steal here. Big bump was in works
I hope I'm not jinxing Spears here, but Claiborne and Jalen Mills both had film that was among the best I'd ever seen when they were recruits, same with Spears
What some other Tiger fans across the interwebs are saying about Spears... This kid will be a star. Will be the steal of this class. ... Contrary to popular belief I expect him to make an impact in his first year. Agree. Me too! I'm really impressed with him. ...I think he'll see plenty of action next year. High School film reminds me of Craig Davis film in high school. He ... also reminds me of Davis I say Dwayne Bowe 2.0... He is about the same build at this pointe. This guy has great concentration, hands, and he's a great athlete Reminds me of a young Dwayne bowe......and bowe after eye surgery. This one could be a gem. I really think Spears could be a diamond in the rough. Diamond in the rough kids going to be special At first, I was like "Meh, a 3 star?? We don't need to be wasting the little spots we have left on 3 star players..." Then I watched his youtube video and I'm thinking we have found another diamond in the rough. Great talent evaluation. Based on his video, this diamond isn't rough. ... I think we got a real winner. Kid looks awesome. I think he may be a good one. he reminds me of LaFell This kid is a lock to be the underrated star of this class Spears is a talented wr.....as far as purely catching the football he would be ahead of most wr recruits we have had this past decade. As an overall receiver he's not far off from Brandon ladell out of high school. Seeing him live I'd say he's on par with buster Davis out of high school. Hes a stud, period. That is a great highlight reel. His highlight is amazing!! Speed, acceleration, height, jump, catch in traffic, balance, vision after catch, you name it. He possesses all the aspects that a great WR should have. Man he should be ranked as a 5 star receiver for whatever it's worth. To me from his highlight tape he looks more wr than rsj. (the 5-star WR commited to aTm) I see a good WR with a great skillset that will be able to immediately fill a void in our passing game. He looks like a baller. Youtube kevin spears holy cross and watch the one that says best catch...wow Good pick up. Like this kid a lot. If he would have played football before this season he would have been highly rated. Under the right circumstances, camps and whatnot, he could have been a 5 star. Has 5 star talent. Reminds me of Claiborne, someone no one was talking about untill late in his recruitment, then blew onto the scene. Spears became a must get. people in the know know this kid is the real deal. Great pickup. Could be the star of this recruiting class by the time all is said and done. NFL talent. WAy more upside than OBJ and Landry combined. watched the video and VERY impressed with this kid. Add in the fact that he just started playing ball as a junior and it makes it better. I think we will be talking about what a steal this kid was in a couple years... He looks great in that video. I see him as a De Bryant clone. I saw Dez in real life and this kid has that same ability to track a ball and also go up and get it at any point....he has every skill set needed to contribute if not this year in the next two years... Great pick up for LSU. For the record. I was nervous about this one until I saw the highlight film.
Like most say, raw but talented. WRs aren't exactly lining up and foaming at the mouth to play in this LSU offense. Plus this staff has been excellent at finding those hidden gems. I dont see him making an instant impact with so many WRs returning but I trust the talent evaluation. If they were half as good calling plays and developing players we would have a couple more championships. Welcome aboard Mr Spears.
Heres some more comment about Spears from Tiger fans: The first thing that jumps out to you about Spears is his size. He is 6-3 and an explosive leaper, which makes him a great red-zone threat. Spears gets off the line well and is smooth in and out of his breaks fluidly. His ability to track and high-point the ball is top notch despite his limited experience. Once he secures the ball, he has the ability to create space and earn yards after the catch. His upside is tremendous. This kids film is impressive. Period! i like his highlight film. Looks pretty good to me. Looks pretty damn good on film, IMO. Watching his highlights knowing he's only played one year of football has me excited for this one. Looks to have amazing instincts. His ability to go after the ball is elite, he doesn't wait for it to get to him, he grabs it before the defender can react. Better ball skills than (5-star WR) RSJ. Also one of the hardest things to coach, while for Spears it's an instinct. Based on his film, he looks like the best receiver in the state this year. If he grew another 2 inches he'd be a Justin Hunter clone Watching him he is smooth. Effortless is another description I'd use. Looking at his film, this guy runs better routes than most college sophomores and has great hands. Should see pt as a true freshman IMO. He runs nice routes already. I watched about 5 of his games. he is a great blocker. much more polished blocker than most HS WR's, and considering he has only had a year of coaching at it, thats pretty impressive. he is also a pretty natural route runner. he found himself open a lot across the middle, and that can usually be attributed to precise routes, and clean cuts. Can't believe he has only played two years of football. His use of hands, and his route running look very polished kid is good. only his 2nd year of football, focused on basketball his first 2 years of high school. kid has amazing hands. as of now, he is being looked at by ULL and Tulane and like schools do to lack of combine and camp workouts. had an offer from Kentucky before Joker got the can, not sure if it still stands. has incredible hands and is a natural route runner. tremendous ball skills This kid...will be a playmaker! Kids got a huuugggee upside Playing 1 year of football and earning a LSU offer says a lot about how good this kid can be Good highlights. the tape is pretty impressive... I think there's a good chance he could be a Brandon LaFell type player at LSU he looks really legit Spears' video reminded me of Brandon LaFell. Long strider, good speed, catches the ball with his hands. Lafell is a GREAT comparison, but he catches better now than Lafell did when he was at LSU. I don't think I will ever forget the pass that Flynn threw to Lafell against Auburn that hit Lafell in the hands, then he tossed it over his shoulder to the Auburn DB. Has to be the most embarrassing play in Lafells career. It is easy to see on film that Spears is a good prospect Speed: check Height: check Hands: check Athleticism: check Blocking: check Routes: check What's there not to like? Notice that acceleration off the line? Imagine how much better he will get year 2 of football. Damn. To me, this (acceleration) was the most impressive thing I saw in that highlight video IMO this dude is a Brandon Lafell clone. kid is a stud This kids film looks awesome! His film reminds me of Marques Colston This kid looks like he could be a Marcus Colston clone. kid can ball Kid looks like videos I've seen of RSJ. He has talent for sure! This guy is legit. It felt like I was watching a solid 4 star players highlights.
From last years class, I got to see a game at Breaux Bridge, after I got to see Travin Dural play, I said that this one could come in right away and help out. Well LSU played 15 True Freshmen and if not for injuries, Dural would have played. This kid had speed, field vision, and great hands. He could return punts, kickoffs and play special teams. The guy I was watching the game with was saying the same things. He like I have seen too many players and way too many games. LSU hit on a good one last year, look for this to continue.
