Watch: Are girls a factor in recruiting?
July, 6, 2012
7/06/12
11:56
AM ET
By RecruitingNation | ESPN.com
As the top recruits across the county assemble in Beaverton, Oregon for Nike’s The Opening, RecruitingNation asked them how much of a factor are the girls when it comes to picking a school.
With a recent trio of signing class additions, LSU bumped up four spots to No. 11 in the ESPN recruiting class rankings.
The Tigers have had three commitments since Friday, including ESPN150 tight end DeSean Smith (Lake Charles, La./Barbe). LSU also brought in four-star defensive end Lewis Neal (Wilson, N.C./Hunt) and three-star athlete Melvin Jones (Lake Charles, La./Washington-Marion).
LSU was not the only big mover Friday. Florida State jumped from No. 9 to No. 5. USC bumped up to No. 6 from No. 8. Georgia dropped to No. 8 from No. 5 and Washington debuted at No. 21.
The Tigers have had three commitments since Friday, including ESPN150 tight end DeSean Smith (Lake Charles, La./Barbe). LSU also brought in four-star defensive end Lewis Neal (Wilson, N.C./Hunt) and three-star athlete Melvin Jones (Lake Charles, La./Washington-Marion).
LSU was not the only big mover Friday. Florida State jumped from No. 9 to No. 5. USC bumped up to No. 6 from No. 8. Georgia dropped to No. 8 from No. 5 and Washington debuted at No. 21.
GeauxTigerNation writers David Helman and Gary Laney break down the competitions, issues and talking points of LSU's August camp. Players report to campus Aug. 1 and we'll have a preview segment every weekday in July leading up to the day the players report:
How valuable is a dominant defensive tackle to a defense's prospects? Ask the St. Louis Rams, who made former LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers the 14th overall pick in the NFL draft last April. Two weeks ago, Brockers signed a rookie contract worth $9.52 million -- talk about value.
So the million-dollar question -- or perhaps the 10-million-dollar question -- for LSU is: Can the Tigers replicate Brockers' success on the defensive front? Bennie Logan returns to form one half of the duo that terrorized offensive fronts and collapsed pockets all last season. Combine Logan with defensive ends Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo, and you've got 75 percent of a dominant line.
How valuable is a dominant defensive tackle to a defense's prospects? Ask the St. Louis Rams, who made former LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers the 14th overall pick in the NFL draft last April. Two weeks ago, Brockers signed a rookie contract worth $9.52 million -- talk about value.
So the million-dollar question -- or perhaps the 10-million-dollar question -- for LSU is: Can the Tigers replicate Brockers' success on the defensive front? Bennie Logan returns to form one half of the duo that terrorized offensive fronts and collapsed pockets all last season. Combine Logan with defensive ends Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo, and you've got 75 percent of a dominant line.
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For Lewis Neal, the latest of LSU's 19 commitments for the 2013 recruiting class, choosing LSU was about "the little things," and not the reasons one might think.
The third defensive end in the class didn't come just to be part of an NFL factory for defensive linemen. Nor did he come for the chance to play defensive end, his natural position.
"It was everything," he said. "It was the most complete school I saw."
The third defensive end in the class didn't come just to be part of an NFL factory for defensive linemen. Nor did he come for the chance to play defensive end, his natural position.
"It was everything," he said. "It was the most complete school I saw."
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Scouts: Lewis Neal is high-motor player 
July, 5, 2012
7/05/12
12:24
PM ET
By
Craig Haubert | ESPN.com
If you look at LSU’s class, it is heavy with offensive talent at the top, but there are some good defensive pickups in that class as well, and Wednesday the Tigers added another four-star defender to the mix with a verbal from Lewis Neal (Wilson, N.C./Hunt).
The defensive end out of North Carolina is a prospect who plays with a lot of effort and comes across as a kid that is going to battle to get around the football. He lacks ideal height for a defensive end, but he is a kid with a thick, muscular build and possesses a nice reach for his height. He is not a dominant run defender and will need to continue to improve playing strength and polish technique, but he does demonstrate some headiness, and with his motor he can be productive defending the run. He is not a pure speed rusher or a power rusher, but he uses that long reach well, can counter, and when he can get to the corner he can get low and tightly bend back in toward the quarterback.
The defensive end out of North Carolina is a prospect who plays with a lot of effort and comes across as a kid that is going to battle to get around the football. He lacks ideal height for a defensive end, but he is a kid with a thick, muscular build and possesses a nice reach for his height. He is not a dominant run defender and will need to continue to improve playing strength and polish technique, but he does demonstrate some headiness, and with his motor he can be productive defending the run. He is not a pure speed rusher or a power rusher, but he uses that long reach well, can counter, and when he can get to the corner he can get low and tightly bend back in toward the quarterback.
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This time last summer, Spencer Ware was the LSU running back at the center of the preseason hype.
It was certainly justified excitement. Months before his sophomore season, Ware was coming off a 102-yard performance on just 10 carries in LSU's Cotton Bowl thrashing of Texas A&M. He followed that up in April 2011 with a 103-yard, two-touchdown afternoon on just 13 carries in the Tigers' spring game.
Ware seemed certain to deliver on the promise in the early going of the 2011 campaign, when he opened the season with 100-yard efforts in three of LSU's first four games. But LSU redefined the idea of running back by committee last season, as we've since come to learn. Ware's return to the pack was no doubt aided by a one-game suspension for violating team rules when the Tigers faced Auburn.
It was certainly justified excitement. Months before his sophomore season, Ware was coming off a 102-yard performance on just 10 carries in LSU's Cotton Bowl thrashing of Texas A&M. He followed that up in April 2011 with a 103-yard, two-touchdown afternoon on just 13 carries in the Tigers' spring game.
Ware seemed certain to deliver on the promise in the early going of the 2011 campaign, when he opened the season with 100-yard efforts in three of LSU's first four games. But LSU redefined the idea of running back by committee last season, as we've since come to learn. Ware's return to the pack was no doubt aided by a one-game suspension for violating team rules when the Tigers faced Auburn.
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Lewis Neal picked a unique setting to announce his college choice.
The Wilson, N.C./Hunt High school defensive end picked a Coastal Plains League baseball game to declare that he will attend LSU. Neal made his announcement over the ballpark's public address system between the fourth and fifth innings of a game between his hometown Wilson Tobs and the Edenton Steamers, a most unusual spot for a college choice announcement.
Neal, a 4-star prospect ranked No. 38 among the nation's defensive ends by ESPN, picked LSU over SEC rivals Tennessee, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Kentucky and also had offers from Ohio State, Clemson, North Carolina State and East Carolina.
The Wilson, N.C./Hunt High school defensive end picked a Coastal Plains League baseball game to declare that he will attend LSU. Neal made his announcement over the ballpark's public address system between the fourth and fifth innings of a game between his hometown Wilson Tobs and the Edenton Steamers, a most unusual spot for a college choice announcement.
Neal, a 4-star prospect ranked No. 38 among the nation's defensive ends by ESPN, picked LSU over SEC rivals Tennessee, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Kentucky and also had offers from Ohio State, Clemson, North Carolina State and East Carolina.
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GeauxTigerNation writers David Helman and Gary Laney break down the competitions, issues and talking points of LSU's August camp. Players report to campus Aug. 1 and we'll have a preview segment every weekday in July leading up to the day the players report:
If one were to look at an LSU defensive depth chart, he'd see four linemen, three linebacker and four defensive back positions.
But in the last two years, John Chavis' defense hasn't really looked that way very often. Forced to match up with the ever-popular spread offenses and faced with personnel where the Tigers defensive backs were a bit stronger as a unit than the linebackers, the five-DB look has been more the norm for LSU.
If one were to look at an LSU defensive depth chart, he'd see four linemen, three linebacker and four defensive back positions.
But in the last two years, John Chavis' defense hasn't really looked that way very often. Forced to match up with the ever-popular spread offenses and faced with personnel where the Tigers defensive backs were a bit stronger as a unit than the linebackers, the five-DB look has been more the norm for LSU.
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If Wilson (N.C.) James B. Hunt defensive end Lewis Neal commits Wednesday to LSU, the Tigers' defensive end class will become quite crowded, with a few desired players at the position still undecided.
Neal will make his announcement in a most unusual setting -- a summer league baseball game, between innings at a home game for the Wilson Tobs, a collegiate summer league team that plays in the Coastal Plains League. The Tobs feature two players from LSU's 2012 SEC championship baseball team: Jackson Slaid and Kevin Berry.
Tobs director of media relations Chris Edwards said it hasn't been decided in what inning Neal will make his announcement.
Neal will make his announcement in a most unusual setting -- a summer league baseball game, between innings at a home game for the Wilson Tobs, a collegiate summer league team that plays in the Coastal Plains League. The Tobs feature two players from LSU's 2012 SEC championship baseball team: Jackson Slaid and Kevin Berry.
Tobs director of media relations Chris Edwards said it hasn't been decided in what inning Neal will make his announcement.
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BATON ROUGE, La. – If you're looking for reasons why LSU could be so dominant last season despite being occasionally anemic on offense, chew on these numbers:
LSU was plus-7 yards in net punting (41-34), plus-2 in net kickoffs, kicked 11 more touchbacks than its opponents, had three kick returns for touchdowns to none for its opponents and made 89 percent of its field goals compared to 68 percent by its opponents.
It short, the Tigers absolutely dominated on special teams. If you are around the program, that is no shock, given the emphasis placed on it by Les Miles and his staff. Here are five things to know:
LSU was plus-7 yards in net punting (41-34), plus-2 in net kickoffs, kicked 11 more touchbacks than its opponents, had three kick returns for touchdowns to none for its opponents and made 89 percent of its field goals compared to 68 percent by its opponents.
It short, the Tigers absolutely dominated on special teams. If you are around the program, that is no shock, given the emphasis placed on it by Les Miles and his staff. Here are five things to know:
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GeauxTigerNation writers David Helman and Gary Laney break down the competitions, issues and talking points of LSU's August camp. Players report to campus Aug. 1 and we'll have a preview segment every weekday in July leading up to the day the players report:
When defensive tackle Michael Brockers went No. 14 overall in the NFL draft to the St. Louis Rams, the natural question for LSU fans became, "Can our defensive line be as good without him?"
ESPN's Mel Kiper put some of those fears to rest within a day when he came out with his first Big Board for the 2013 draft and LSU defensive ends Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo were two of his top five picks
When defensive tackle Michael Brockers went No. 14 overall in the NFL draft to the St. Louis Rams, the natural question for LSU fans became, "Can our defensive line be as good without him?"
ESPN's Mel Kiper put some of those fears to rest within a day when he came out with his first Big Board for the 2013 draft and LSU defensive ends Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo were two of his top five picks
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At Lake Charles, La.'s Barbe High School, playing tight end doesn't mean lining up next to a tackle and blocking all the time.
It means playing wide out on some plays, going deep for passes from quarterback Kennon Fontenot, and working in concert with Bucs 2014 receiving prospect Trey Quinn to wreak havoc on secondaries.
So it was much to the delight of DeSean Smith, Barbe's tight end ranked No. 143 in the ESPN 150, to see LSU air it out with quarterback Zach Mettenberger at the spring game March 31. It wasn't the grind-it-out Tigers of the 2011. It was an LSU offense he could see himself fitting into.
It means playing wide out on some plays, going deep for passes from quarterback Kennon Fontenot, and working in concert with Bucs 2014 receiving prospect Trey Quinn to wreak havoc on secondaries.
So it was much to the delight of DeSean Smith, Barbe's tight end ranked No. 143 in the ESPN 150, to see LSU air it out with quarterback Zach Mettenberger at the spring game March 31. It wasn't the grind-it-out Tigers of the 2011. It was an LSU offense he could see himself fitting into.
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Lake Charles, La. has been kind to LSU in recent days.
DeSean Smith, a tight end from Lake Charles' Barbe High School and the No. 143 player on the ESPN 150, committed to LSU coach Les Miles on Monday. He became LSU's 18th commitment and second in four days from Lake Charles, the southwestern Louisiana town of about 70,000 people.
On Friday, linebacker Melvin Jones of Washington-Marion High committed.
"Me and Melvin have been best friends since we were real little," Smith said. "But I really wasn't thinking of that at all. I've been thinking of it for about a month now."
He said his comfort level with LSU shot up when he visited campus for LSU's spring game and watched new Tigers quarterback Zach Mettenberger air it out, showing a more potent passing offense than the Tigers have had in recent seasons. Smith comes from a high school program that runs a wide-open offense that often utilizes the multi-talented Smith at wide receiver.
"That was very impressive," Smith said of the LSU pass attack that day. "It put a big smile on my face."
Smith, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound pass-catching tight end, said he wanted to make his pick at the U.S. Army All-American game after the season. Lately, however, he said he started feeling like he was ready to make the choice much sooner. Over the weekend, he said Florida and LSU were his leaders.
"But I talked it over with my dad, and after going over things, we felt more at home at LSU," he said.
DeSean Smith, a tight end from Lake Charles' Barbe High School and the No. 143 player on the ESPN 150, committed to LSU coach Les Miles on Monday. He became LSU's 18th commitment and second in four days from Lake Charles, the southwestern Louisiana town of about 70,000 people.
On Friday, linebacker Melvin Jones of Washington-Marion High committed.
"Me and Melvin have been best friends since we were real little," Smith said. "But I really wasn't thinking of that at all. I've been thinking of it for about a month now."
He said his comfort level with LSU shot up when he visited campus for LSU's spring game and watched new Tigers quarterback Zach Mettenberger air it out, showing a more potent passing offense than the Tigers have had in recent seasons. Smith comes from a high school program that runs a wide-open offense that often utilizes the multi-talented Smith at wide receiver.
"That was very impressive," Smith said of the LSU pass attack that day. "It put a big smile on my face."
Smith, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound pass-catching tight end, said he wanted to make his pick at the U.S. Army All-American game after the season. Lately, however, he said he started feeling like he was ready to make the choice much sooner. Over the weekend, he said Florida and LSU were his leaders.
"But I talked it over with my dad, and after going over things, we felt more at home at LSU," he said.
In Louisiana, the last full weekend of August is the weekend of football jamborees, exhibitions in which several schools gather at one stadium and match up for mini-games (usually about 24 minutes) in preparation for the season openers the following week.
In other parts of the country, however, that weekend marks the start of the regular season.
And ESPN will be there to bring it to you, with a 13-game schedule of televised prep games from throughout the country Aug. 24-26.
Tune in and get a sample of what prep football is like throughout the nation.
In other parts of the country, however, that weekend marks the start of the regular season.
And ESPN will be there to bring it to you, with a 13-game schedule of televised prep games from throughout the country Aug. 24-26.
Tune in and get a sample of what prep football is like throughout the nation.
GeauxTigerNation writers David Helman and Gary Laney break down the competitions, issues and talking points of LSU's August camp. Players report to campus Aug. 1 and we'll have a preview segment every weekday in July leading up to the day the players report:
Remember Russell Shepard?
He came to LSU in 2009 as one of the nation's most coveted dual-threat quarterbacks, an athlete so dynamic that if the position of quarterback ultimately did not prove to be his calling, he'd move somewhere -- wide receiver maybe, running back perhaps-- and become one of the multi-talented stars of college football.
Remember Russell Shepard?
He came to LSU in 2009 as one of the nation's most coveted dual-threat quarterbacks, an athlete so dynamic that if the position of quarterback ultimately did not prove to be his calling, he'd move somewhere -- wide receiver maybe, running back perhaps-- and become one of the multi-talented stars of college football.
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ABOUT GEAUX TIGER NATION
Gary Laney
Gary Laney joined ESPN.com in 2012 after spending a year and a half as online sports editor of the Baton Rouge (La.) Advocate. Before that, he covered LSU sports for the Advocate. He has also been the sports editor at the Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise and covered McNeese State athletics for the Lake Charles (La.) American Press. Laney currently lives in Baton Rouge. Email him at glaneyespn@gmail.com