With the 2013 ESPN 150 released and thoroughly dissected, it's time to take a look at this year's ESPN 100, which was released on Thursday.
After the disappointment of seeing only four Louisiana prospects on the ESPN 150, this year's list of elite basketball prospects offers up some tantalizing possibilities for LSU. Two of the 100 players listed -- No. 17 prospect Jarrell Martin and No. 71 Damian Jones -- don't just hail from Louisiana, but from the Baton Rouge area.
With talent like that located at such a close proximity to LSU, it seems like a no-brainer that Johnny Jones needs to have his eyes on his area this summer and fall. Martin will begin his second high school season with Madison Prep this fall, while Jones is at Scotlandville. Both players have enjoyed a big upswing in exposure this past spring, and that looks likely continue as basketball season approaches.
The full ESPN 100 is here. The ESPN 60 for the class of 2014 also came out Thursday, as did the 2015 ESPN 25.
After the disappointment of seeing only four Louisiana prospects on the ESPN 150, this year's list of elite basketball prospects offers up some tantalizing possibilities for LSU. Two of the 100 players listed -- No. 17 prospect Jarrell Martin and No. 71 Damian Jones -- don't just hail from Louisiana, but from the Baton Rouge area.
With talent like that located at such a close proximity to LSU, it seems like a no-brainer that Johnny Jones needs to have his eyes on his area this summer and fall. Martin will begin his second high school season with Madison Prep this fall, while Jones is at Scotlandville. Both players have enjoyed a big upswing in exposure this past spring, and that looks likely continue as basketball season approaches.
The full ESPN 100 is here. The ESPN 60 for the class of 2014 also came out Thursday, as did the 2015 ESPN 25.
GeauxTigerNation writers David Helman and Gary Laney answer your questions in our first mailbag, answering your questions on football, recruiting and basketball.
Today's topics include:
Today's topics include:
- Tyrann Mathieu's chances of contending for another Heisman Trophy
- The Tulane series
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HOOVER, Ala. -- The way Mississippi State starting pitcher Chris Stratton threw from the hill at Regions Park, LSU getting two runs was an accomplishment. But a pair of runs in the fifth inning wasn’t enough for the Tigers as they fell to Mississippi State in the second round of the SEC baseball tournament, 3-2.
“Stratton is really good,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “He’s clearly not only one of the best pitchers in the SEC, but one of the best pitchers in the country. I have a lot of respect for the kid. He’s very good.”
Stratton has faced LSU a number of times in his career and came out on top more often than not.
“I’m about ready for him to go into professional baseball so we don’t have to face him anymore,” Mainieri.
“Stratton is really good,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “He’s clearly not only one of the best pitchers in the SEC, but one of the best pitchers in the country. I have a lot of respect for the kid. He’s very good.”
Stratton has faced LSU a number of times in his career and came out on top more often than not.
“I’m about ready for him to go into professional baseball so we don’t have to face him anymore,” Mainieri.
MOBILE, Ala. -- Wide receivers better be careful coming over the middle against St. Paul’s Episcopal School this year because linebacker Tre Williams is likely to level you.
In Friday’s spring game against a team out of Mississippi, one receiver made the mistake of trying to catch a ball over the middle. Williams found him and laid out the smaller player as soon as he made contact with the football.
“Coach said he hadn’t seen me hit all spring, so I had to give him something,” Williams said. “I had to get a good hit in.”
In Friday’s spring game against a team out of Mississippi, one receiver made the mistake of trying to catch a ball over the middle. Williams found him and laid out the smaller player as soon as he made contact with the football.
“Coach said he hadn’t seen me hit all spring, so I had to give him something,” Williams said. “I had to get a good hit in.”
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It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Louisiana high school football, but big things are expected from John Curtis Christian heading into 2012.
The Patriots feature heavily in this week's FAB 50 Offseason Primer from ESPNHS writer Mark Tennis. It's hard to raise the expectations on a team that went 14-0 on the way to a Class 2A state title while racking up head coach J.T. Curtis' 500th career win, but the Patriots return a lot of talent. The program sends plenty of players to major college football - Joe McKnight, for one. Curtis tight end and 2012 prospect Dillon Gordon will join LSU's roster this fall.
I covered Curtis on multiple occasions in 2011, and regardless of the losses, the Patriots return essentially their entire devastating backfield.
Tennis has the full scoop here, where he also highlights Class 4A runner-up Edna Karr.
The Patriots feature heavily in this week's FAB 50 Offseason Primer from ESPNHS writer Mark Tennis. It's hard to raise the expectations on a team that went 14-0 on the way to a Class 2A state title while racking up head coach J.T. Curtis' 500th career win, but the Patriots return a lot of talent. The program sends plenty of players to major college football - Joe McKnight, for one. Curtis tight end and 2012 prospect Dillon Gordon will join LSU's roster this fall.
I covered Curtis on multiple occasions in 2011, and regardless of the losses, the Patriots return essentially their entire devastating backfield.
Tennis has the full scoop here, where he also highlights Class 4A runner-up Edna Karr.
Having already secured the SEC regular season championship (and very likely a national seed in the NCAA tournament), No. 5 LSU (42-14, 19-11) now turns its attention toward a possible 10th conference tournament crown.
LSU's tournament opener Wednesday against No. 25 Mississippi State (35-21, 16-14) is a world away from where the Tigers were last spring, when they didn't make the cut for the SEC tournament and instead had to hope for a miracle berth in the postseason -- which didn't come. Instead, on Tuesday they waited in Hoover, Ala., to see which team would emerge to face them from the middle-of-the-league pack.
That wound up being the seventh-seeded Bulldogs, who pummeled Arkansas, 9-1, on the strength of a six-run ninth inning. Mississippi State was LSU's opening opponent in conference play on March 16. The Tigers took the first two games of the series by one-run margins before dropping the final contest, 7-1.
LSU's tournament opener Wednesday against No. 25 Mississippi State (35-21, 16-14) is a world away from where the Tigers were last spring, when they didn't make the cut for the SEC tournament and instead had to hope for a miracle berth in the postseason -- which didn't come. Instead, on Tuesday they waited in Hoover, Ala., to see which team would emerge to face them from the middle-of-the-league pack.
That wound up being the seventh-seeded Bulldogs, who pummeled Arkansas, 9-1, on the strength of a six-run ninth inning. Mississippi State was LSU's opening opponent in conference play on March 16. The Tigers took the first two games of the series by one-run margins before dropping the final contest, 7-1.
LSU has long held a bit of a foothold in the fertile recruiting grounds of east Texas -- that's not surprising.
What does come as a bit of a shock is the way the SEC's ever-expanding footprint is changing the nature of recruiting in the nation's largest, most talent-laden state. The success and exposure of teams like LSU and Alabama is catching the attention of top targets in Texas. With the recruiting cycle starting earlier than ever, this is highlighted specifically in the case of Texas' talented crop of 2014 defensive backs.
While Texas has long played by its own rules when recruiting its own territory, that might not be good enough anymore with teams like the Tigers and Crimson Tide identifying talent so early. The addition of Texas A&M to the SEC has allowed recruiters from schools like LSU and Alabama to sell Texas kids (and parents) on the notion of "returning home" twice in their college careers to play at Texas A&M. The addition of wide receives coach Adam Henry - a Beaumont, Texas native - to LSU's staff further solidifies LSU's Lone Star State chops.
HornsNation writer Max Olson has the full scoop here in an ESPN Insider story.
What does come as a bit of a shock is the way the SEC's ever-expanding footprint is changing the nature of recruiting in the nation's largest, most talent-laden state. The success and exposure of teams like LSU and Alabama is catching the attention of top targets in Texas. With the recruiting cycle starting earlier than ever, this is highlighted specifically in the case of Texas' talented crop of 2014 defensive backs.
While Texas has long played by its own rules when recruiting its own territory, that might not be good enough anymore with teams like the Tigers and Crimson Tide identifying talent so early. The addition of Texas A&M to the SEC has allowed recruiters from schools like LSU and Alabama to sell Texas kids (and parents) on the notion of "returning home" twice in their college careers to play at Texas A&M. The addition of wide receives coach Adam Henry - a Beaumont, Texas native - to LSU's staff further solidifies LSU's Lone Star State chops.
HornsNation writer Max Olson has the full scoop here in an ESPN Insider story.
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When this week began, the issue at hand for many LSU fans wasn't that the Tigers needed a quarterback in the class of 2013, but the troubling knowledge that the options were running out.
Louisiana doesn't boast much elite talent under center this year, and several Tiger targets like J.T. Barrett and Cooper Bateman had committed elsewhere, leaving LSU with a seemingly small selection.
Fast forward to midweek, and the Tigers now hold a commitment from Hayden Rettig, a four-star pocket passer and the No. 12 quarterback in this year's class. With Rettig's commitment from Cathedral High School in Los Angeles coming out of left field for most, it begs the question: how did a coveted recruit who has never visited Baton Rouge end up pledging to LSU coach Les Miles?
Louisiana doesn't boast much elite talent under center this year, and several Tiger targets like J.T. Barrett and Cooper Bateman had committed elsewhere, leaving LSU with a seemingly small selection.
Fast forward to midweek, and the Tigers now hold a commitment from Hayden Rettig, a four-star pocket passer and the No. 12 quarterback in this year's class. With Rettig's commitment from Cathedral High School in Los Angeles coming out of left field for most, it begs the question: how did a coveted recruit who has never visited Baton Rouge end up pledging to LSU coach Les Miles?
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Robert Nkemdiche, the nation's No. 1 player in the ESPN 150, discusses his top six schools, including LSU.
Hayden Rettig (Los Angeles/Cathedral) is another player in a long line of quality pro-style guys in this class and fits the type of player both Steve Kragthorpe and Greg Studrawa would like to have under center at LSU.
He is a sound and polished player fundamentally that can play from both under center and out of the shotgun and gives LSU an upgrade in the passing game as far as pure passers go.
He is a sound and polished player fundamentally that can play from both under center and out of the shotgun and gives LSU an upgrade in the passing game as far as pure passers go.
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Tigers pick up four-star QB Rettig 
May, 22, 2012
5/22/12
11:46
AM ET
By
David Helman and
Erik McKinney | ESPN.com
After weeks of speculation about the longterm future at quarterback, LSU finally addressed the need for a signal-caller in its 2013 class. The Tigers added a big name from a surprising locale when Hayden Rettig (Los Angeles/Cathedral), a four-star prospect from the West Coast, committed to LSU coach Les Miles on Monday night.
Rettig confirmed the commitment through a text message.
"He planned a trip to go out there this weekend and I thought they would offer him then, but coach Miles wanted Hayden to call him (Monday) night," said Cathedral coach Kevin Pearson.
Rettig confirmed the commitment through a text message.
"He planned a trip to go out there this weekend and I thought they would offer him then, but coach Miles wanted Hayden to call him (Monday) night," said Cathedral coach Kevin Pearson.
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Robert Nkemdiche glad to hear of UGA hire
May, 22, 2012
5/22/12
11:37
AM ET
By
Radi Nabulsi | ESPN.com
LOGANVILLE, Ga. -- Last Thursday, Mark Richt announced that Daryl Jones had joined the Bulldogs’ staff as the new director of on-campus recruiting. The news spread quickly, especially to the nation’s No. 1 recruit.
“I just heard the news that he went to Georgia from a college coach today,” said Robert Nkemdiche (Loganville, Ga./Grayson). “He and I were so close, and now he is at Georgia doing his thing.”
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As summer approaches, here are five things to know about LSU's receivers ...
1. Mighty mites?: The LSU receivers aren't exactly tiny, but the pass-catchers who could double as small forwards are not as prevalent in this season's group as in past years. The Tigers have nobody as big as recent receivers such as Terrence Toliver (6-foot-5 in his senior season in 2010), Dwayne Bowe (6-foot-3 in his senior year in 2006) or, most recently, Rueben Randle (6-foot-4 in his final LSU season in 2011).
Odell Beckham, Jr (5-foot-11), Russell Shepard (6-foot-1), Jarvis Landry (6-foot) and Kadron Boone (6-foot-1) give LSU a relatively smallish group of receivers this season. If LSU were to go to be a big receiver in the group, it'll be 6-foot-2 junior James Wright.
1. Mighty mites?: The LSU receivers aren't exactly tiny, but the pass-catchers who could double as small forwards are not as prevalent in this season's group as in past years. The Tigers have nobody as big as recent receivers such as Terrence Toliver (6-foot-5 in his senior season in 2010), Dwayne Bowe (6-foot-3 in his senior year in 2006) or, most recently, Rueben Randle (6-foot-4 in his final LSU season in 2011).
Odell Beckham, Jr (5-foot-11), Russell Shepard (6-foot-1), Jarvis Landry (6-foot) and Kadron Boone (6-foot-1) give LSU a relatively smallish group of receivers this season. If LSU were to go to be a big receiver in the group, it'll be 6-foot-2 junior James Wright.
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Frank Herron has cut down his long list of schools to five finalists: Memphis, Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi State and Clemson.
The Memphis (Tenn.) Central prospect has expressed strong interest in LSU throughout the recruiting process. However, the four-star defensive end is also a top priority for Tennessee, which is trying to improve its recruiting in Memphis.
LSU has shown similar dedication to Herron by utilizing defensive coordinator John Chavis as the chief recruiter for the 6-foot-4, 245-pound prospect.
Chavis was a longtime coordinator at Tennessee.
The Memphis (Tenn.) Central prospect has expressed strong interest in LSU throughout the recruiting process. However, the four-star defensive end is also a top priority for Tennessee, which is trying to improve its recruiting in Memphis.
LSU has shown similar dedication to Herron by utilizing defensive coordinator John Chavis as the chief recruiter for the 6-foot-4, 245-pound prospect.
Chavis was a longtime coordinator at Tennessee.
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Lewis Neal will visit LSU on June 23.
The trip should be an interesting one since the Tigers' scholarship offer was one that caused Neal to decommit from Ohio State earlier this month, just days after announcing the decision.
It's unlikely Neal will commit on the visit. He said he will return home before announcing another commitment. Still, the Tigers have a chance to make a very favorable impression.
The three-star prospect from Wilson (N.C.) Hunt High School is considered the 27th best defensive end in the nation.
The trip should be an interesting one since the Tigers' scholarship offer was one that caused Neal to decommit from Ohio State earlier this month, just days after announcing the decision.
It's unlikely Neal will commit on the visit. He said he will return home before announcing another commitment. Still, the Tigers have a chance to make a very favorable impression.
The three-star prospect from Wilson (N.C.) Hunt High School is considered the 27th best defensive end in the nation.
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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