Hey guys, just thinking about how our class is going to finish out - who's out there, who we lead for, etc. With that in mind, I am wondering about how Miles has finished his last couple of recruiting classes here at LSU. It seems we come down the wire for a couple of big-time recruits every year (where it's usually us & another team as the 2 favorites) & come out on top more often than not. For argument's sake, we won't include Louisiana players. We expect to get those & the only one Miles has lost was McKnight. Here's a look at who we managed to land at the end of the process (basically Dec/Jan/Feb) in each year. From '07: Sidell Corley - 4 stars Phelon Jones - 4 stars Demetrius Byrd - 4 stars Ron Brooks - 4 stars Joseph Barksdale - 4 stars Jarvis Jones - 4 stars Terrance Toliver - 5 stars From '06: (gonna need another thread to analyze this class) Charles Deas - 4 stars (didn't end up qualifying) Phil Loadholt - 3 stars (same) Jason Teague - 3 stars (same) Steven Singleton - 3 stars Keiland Williams - 5 stars (not from a HS in La) From '05: RJ Jackson - 4 stars Ricky Jean Francois - 4 stars Brandon LaFell - 3 stars Judging by history, I'd say it's a safe bet that we'll finish on a high note this year.
LSU has certainly finished strong in recruiting under Miles. He has pulled players that we werent expected to get. Such as Barksdale and Corley, whom we came out of nowhere to get. Id expect the same this year. Here is the thing though, I wonder how much all the hoopla surrounding Miles and the UM job may affect recruiting? Would any committed players possibly de-commit. I know its a long ways away, but its food for thought. I think most players are committing to LSU, not to a coach, but Miles has done a great job and deserves credit. Hopefully things work out, if so I expect Miles to pull in a surrpise or two.
I believe that most commits are looking for heart in a team. Look at the comments made by Matt Patchan towards UM. I believe regardless the allegiance with his dads play at UM, the kid is looking with his heart for a team with depth and the stature to carry on no matter the coach. This should be no different for others. Kudos to CLM for stacking the deck! :helmet:
Well, if you think about it, most top tier programs will appear to "finish strong". This is due to the majority of the top recruits loving the drama and spotlight of the recruiting process waiting till signing day to announce. Just my 2 cents.
I don't believe it's quite the majority that it appears. It's just that they are the only ones making news, so those are the ones we hear about. Further, lots of schools (like Texas), get 95% of their class done well before the end of the process. They rarely get "suprise" recruits. LSU's classes under Miles really haven't been shaped until the final few months. Some of the guys I listed many fans (recruiting gurus like Mike & Sonny) thought LSU stood little to no chance. Plus, lots of times these guys are "cornerstone" recruits that really make the class stand out.
Well our fans starting hundreds of threads about new coaches certainly aren't helping matters. It really all comes down to how Miles handles the situation when the recruits ask him about it. If he appears sincere & tells them he's not leaving, I don't think it will make a difference. It's tough to say. While many of the guys talk about how good our team is, the atmosphere, our facilities, etc - they also talk about our coaching staff a whole lot. I'd say that the general rule is in-state kids commit to a program, while out of state kids commit to a coach.
Sidell Corley and Joe Barksdale come to mind. Corley was considered by most to be a UF "lock"...and Barksdale was allegedly a Buckeye. Out of nowhere, here comes LSU and :milesmic: , and scoops 'em up. Corley was also on Bama's radar after he soured on UF...and a lot of them thought he was theirs.
i think that whether or not we lose any recruits late, or whether we lose recruits based on miles leaving is directly dependant upon how soon (IF miles leaves) and who we announce as the next head coach. if miles pulls a saban and leaves us late and lsu takes a long time to announce a coach, sure i see us losing a few recruits. if (and i stress if, because i know this is all hypothetical that miles even leaves) miles leaves, and does so immediately after the bcsncg, and we anounce a TOP level coach, we may actually pick up few late recruits. i think it all boils down to who takes over for miles if he goes. if it is spurrier, things look good, if it is june jones, i think recruiting takes a hit.
