LSU Tigers: Quantavius Leslie
BATON ROUGE, La. -- GTN writer Gary Laney took your questions, which were so plentiful this week we decided to spread the mailbag over two days. Look for more on Friday.
From Georgia Tiger Fan (from Tuesday's chat): How close is LSU to winning another national championship?
Gary Laney: A nice broad question. LSU is going to be in a position in the next two years where, if it plays well and catches a couple of breaks, it could put itself in position to be in the serious national championship conversation in mid November, which is all anybody can ask for.
From Georgia Tiger Fan (from Tuesday's chat): How close is LSU to winning another national championship?
Gary Laney: A nice broad question. LSU is going to be in a position in the next two years where, if it plays well and catches a couple of breaks, it could put itself in position to be in the serious national championship conversation in mid November, which is all anybody can ask for.
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- With the 2012-2013 school year winding down, the members of the LSU signing class of 2013 should be arriving on campus soon for summer workouts. The Tigers brought in eight early enrollees in the spring and 19 more will come this summer.
Here's how we see them fitting in.
Here's how we see them fitting in.
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- In the last couple of weeks, GeauxTigerNation has spent plenty of time in New Orleans metro, visiting with coaches and players from River Ridge John Curtis, Metairie Archbishop Rummel (to watch practice) and New Orleans St. Augustine.
That's just the tip of the iceberg. New Orleans is loaded, so we'll be back. We haven't even hit loaded Karr, or prospect-laden programs such as Brother Martin, Marrero Archbishop Shaw and Marrero John Ehret yet.
Meanwhile, LSU spread its wings well away from Louisiana on the recruiting trail:
That's just the tip of the iceberg. New Orleans is loaded, so we'll be back. We haven't even hit loaded Karr, or prospect-laden programs such as Brother Martin, Marrero Archbishop Shaw and Marrero John Ehret yet.
Meanwhile, LSU spread its wings well away from Louisiana on the recruiting trail:
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU is hoping for two years in a row of top-flight junior college wide receivers.
The Tigers got a commitment Friday night from D'haquille Williams, a highly regarded receiver from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College via East St. John High in Reserve, La.
Courtesy of Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C.Junior college wide receiver D'haquille Williams committed to LSU on Friday night.The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Williams was considered one of Louisiana's top players when he came out of high school, but he went to Mississippi Gulf Coast as an academic non-qualifier. He said he committed to the Tigers after meeting with head coach Les Miles Friday night.
He is LSU's 10th commitment overall in the 2014 class and second wide receiver pledge, joining Tony Upchurch (Pearland, Texas/Dawson).
Williams is also the Tigers' second wide receiver recruit out of the juco ranks in consecutive years. In the 2013 class, LSU signed Quantavius Leslie of Hinds Community College, also in Mississippi. Leslie is scheduled to graduate from Hinds next week, then join the Tigers in the summer.
LSU is after a bumper crop of receivers. Louisiana has four ESPN 150 receivers in the state, including Malachi Dupre (River Ridge, La./John Curtis), the No. 2-ranked receiver nationally.
The Tigers got a commitment Friday night from D'haquille Williams, a highly regarded receiver from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College via East St. John High in Reserve, La.
Courtesy of Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C.Junior college wide receiver D'haquille Williams committed to LSU on Friday night.He is LSU's 10th commitment overall in the 2014 class and second wide receiver pledge, joining Tony Upchurch (Pearland, Texas/Dawson).
Williams is also the Tigers' second wide receiver recruit out of the juco ranks in consecutive years. In the 2013 class, LSU signed Quantavius Leslie of Hinds Community College, also in Mississippi. Leslie is scheduled to graduate from Hinds next week, then join the Tigers in the summer.
LSU is after a bumper crop of receivers. Louisiana has four ESPN 150 receivers in the state, including Malachi Dupre (River Ridge, La./John Curtis), the No. 2-ranked receiver nationally.
BATON ROUGE, La. -- At LSU, the offseason is not the same as a "slow" season.
The Tigers are always good for offseason news and, as recent events tell us with the off-field arrests of Jeremy Hill and Tharold Simon (on his way to the NFL), the news isn't always good.
Things never get boring on the bayou. Here are five storylines to look out for prior to LSU starting August camp.
1. The Hill issue: LSU's leading rusher from the 2012 season has been suspended from the team indefinitely after being charged with simple assault following a bar fight, an arrest complicated by the fact that Hill was already on probation.
The questions are many. Does Hill face a serious legal problem given his probation? If he does, will he still be available at the start of the fall semester?
If he doesn't face a serious legal issue, might he face a discipline issue from Les Miles and, if so, what might that be?
The Tigers have just four scholarship running backs, including Hill. Losing him before the first August practice could hurt LSU's power running identity.
2. The Leslie situation: What might cushion the blow of either losing Hill or seeing him serve a lengthy suspension would be improvement to the Tigers' sometimes anemic passing game.
That's where junior college transfer Quantavius Leslie comes in.
The Hinds Community College sophomore needs to finish coursework at his junior college to be eligible to join the Tigers this summer. If he makes it, the hope is he gives LSU the big, downfield threat it's looking for. LSU has plenty of experience back at receiver, but all of the top receivers are around 6-foot tall. Leslie would add something the Tigers currently lack.
The hope was that Leslie would graduate at the end of the fall of 2012 and join the team in the spring semester. That did not happen and he had to return to junior college to finish his degree requirements. Reports from his juco have been good, but Leslie still has to finish.
3. Scheduling: LSU seems to be in the minority in being unhappy with the SEC schedule format.
The Tigers are stuck having to play an annual game with Florida as its "permanent" cross-division rival while the other SEC West kingpin, Alabama, gets to play Tennessee, which has struggled in recent years.
LSU's preference would be to eliminate the permanent cross-division rivalry or, possibly, add a ninth SEC game. Neither idea seems to have much traction as the conference members, for the most part, are content with their league schedules. But LSU will try again in both fronts at the SEC spring meetings later this month.
4. Youth is ready?: We usually think of a new recruiting class beginning to compete for playing time in August.
In reality, it starts much sooner than that. Eight members of LSU's recruiting class enrolled in spring and several made pushes to be on the two-deep. The rest of the class will be on campus in June, ready to go through the offseason workout program.
By the start of August camp, we might already have an idea who is ready to push for time based on what we're hearing about their offseason work.
5. Pursuing the 2014 class: Given an unusually strong year for talent in Louisiana, LSU has a legitimate chance at a No. 1 recruiting class nationally.
The Tigers entered May with nine commitments and are on the short list for several uncommitted players in the ESPN 150. Starting with LSU's late-May "Bayou Picnic" for top prospects and continuing with a pair of summer camps in early June and mid-July, the Tigers will have a series of recruiting events that traditionally have yielded the Tigers dividends in its recruiting classes.
This year, LSU will hope to use the camp to land some big names from the state and the region in a year where Louisiana has the nation's top prospect (running back Leonard Fournette) and its top offensive lineman (tackle Cameron Robinson), among several other top recruits.
The Tigers are always good for offseason news and, as recent events tell us with the off-field arrests of Jeremy Hill and Tharold Simon (on his way to the NFL), the news isn't always good.
Things never get boring on the bayou. Here are five storylines to look out for prior to LSU starting August camp.
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Cal Sport Media via AP ImagesJeremy Hill's arrest and suspension puts LSU's offensive fortunes in flux.
Cal Sport Media via AP ImagesJeremy Hill's arrest and suspension puts LSU's offensive fortunes in flux.The questions are many. Does Hill face a serious legal problem given his probation? If he does, will he still be available at the start of the fall semester?
If he doesn't face a serious legal issue, might he face a discipline issue from Les Miles and, if so, what might that be?
The Tigers have just four scholarship running backs, including Hill. Losing him before the first August practice could hurt LSU's power running identity.
2. The Leslie situation: What might cushion the blow of either losing Hill or seeing him serve a lengthy suspension would be improvement to the Tigers' sometimes anemic passing game.
That's where junior college transfer Quantavius Leslie comes in.
The Hinds Community College sophomore needs to finish coursework at his junior college to be eligible to join the Tigers this summer. If he makes it, the hope is he gives LSU the big, downfield threat it's looking for. LSU has plenty of experience back at receiver, but all of the top receivers are around 6-foot tall. Leslie would add something the Tigers currently lack.
The hope was that Leslie would graduate at the end of the fall of 2012 and join the team in the spring semester. That did not happen and he had to return to junior college to finish his degree requirements. Reports from his juco have been good, but Leslie still has to finish.
3. Scheduling: LSU seems to be in the minority in being unhappy with the SEC schedule format.
The Tigers are stuck having to play an annual game with Florida as its "permanent" cross-division rival while the other SEC West kingpin, Alabama, gets to play Tennessee, which has struggled in recent years.
LSU's preference would be to eliminate the permanent cross-division rivalry or, possibly, add a ninth SEC game. Neither idea seems to have much traction as the conference members, for the most part, are content with their league schedules. But LSU will try again in both fronts at the SEC spring meetings later this month.
4. Youth is ready?: We usually think of a new recruiting class beginning to compete for playing time in August.
In reality, it starts much sooner than that. Eight members of LSU's recruiting class enrolled in spring and several made pushes to be on the two-deep. The rest of the class will be on campus in June, ready to go through the offseason workout program.
By the start of August camp, we might already have an idea who is ready to push for time based on what we're hearing about their offseason work.
5. Pursuing the 2014 class: Given an unusually strong year for talent in Louisiana, LSU has a legitimate chance at a No. 1 recruiting class nationally.
The Tigers entered May with nine commitments and are on the short list for several uncommitted players in the ESPN 150. Starting with LSU's late-May "Bayou Picnic" for top prospects and continuing with a pair of summer camps in early June and mid-July, the Tigers will have a series of recruiting events that traditionally have yielded the Tigers dividends in its recruiting classes.
This year, LSU will hope to use the camp to land some big names from the state and the region in a year where Louisiana has the nation's top prospect (running back Leonard Fournette) and its top offensive lineman (tackle Cameron Robinson), among several other top recruits.
BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU finished its spring drills Saturday, capping 15 practices spread out over six weeks, and while a lot of the big names performed as expected, other names emerged.
Zach Mettenberger is solidly entrenched at quarterback, as is Jeremy Hill at running back. Linebacker Lamin Barrow has stepped into a leadership role on defense, as has defensive tackle Anthony Johnson.
But who took the biggest steps in the spring? Let's look at five.
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GTN recruiting mailbag: Alabama targets? 
April, 12, 2013
Apr 12
10:00
AM ET
By
Gary Laney | ESPN.com
BATON ROUGE, La. -- GTN writer Gary Laney took your LSU recruiting questions:
Henry (Montgomery, AL): Gary, are there any Alabama recruits catching LSU's attention? I f not may I suggest one name? Taylor Stallworth.
Henry (Montgomery, AL): Gary, are there any Alabama recruits catching LSU's attention? I f not may I suggest one name? Taylor Stallworth.
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- After LSU's last football scrimmage, head coach Les Miles addressed a minor injury to wide receiver Travin Dural -- a "nick" in Miles-speak -- and added that Dural was "arguably one of the best receivers" on the team.
That may come as a surprise to those who follow LSU from arm's length. After all, Dural, a redshirt freshman, has yet to set foot on the Tiger Stadium turf in a game situation. For those who do follow the Tigers, it wasn't entirely unexpected.
When Dural went down with a knee injury during August drills last season, he was having a solid camp and appeared to be on course for playing time. When the 6-foot-2 Dural -- who has speed, good length and has flashed nice ball skills -- is healthy, it's not hard to envision him pushing for playing time.
Question is, at whose expense?
LSU returns its top four receivers from last year's team and has added junior college transfer Quantavius Leslie, the big receiver lacking in last year's group, and added three freshman receivers in its recruiting class, two who are already on campus as early enrollees.
Here's what Leslie, and freshman Kevin Spears, will be up against when they come to LSU this summer.
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LSU recruitniks got a bit of good new Friday from 2013 recruit Quantavius Leslie, via Twitter.
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU’s 26-player recruiting class is signed, sealed and delivered.
Well, maybe.
We’ve yet to see where Priest Willis will go or whether Tevin Lawson will accept LSU’s grayshirt offer instead of choosing a conventional scholarship offer elsewhere. And, for that matter, there still might be a scholarship awaiting defensive back Jeremy Cutrer, who did not sign Wednesday because it was unclear whether he will qualify academically.
Well, maybe.
We’ve yet to see where Priest Willis will go or whether Tevin Lawson will accept LSU’s grayshirt offer instead of choosing a conventional scholarship offer elsewhere. And, for that matter, there still might be a scholarship awaiting defensive back Jeremy Cutrer, who did not sign Wednesday because it was unclear whether he will qualify academically.
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Hinds pair looking to secure big-time future
January, 31, 2013
Jan 31
7:38
PM ET
By
Gary Laney | ESPN.com
If things had gone according to plan, wide receiver Quantavius Leslie would be at LSU already, attending school and preparing for spring practice.
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LSU passing game buoyed with 2013 class
January, 30, 2013
Jan 30
8:00
AM ET
By
Gary Laney | ESPN.com
BATON ROUGE, La. -- The last time LSU had anything close to a high-powered passing offense was back in its last national championship season, 2007, with Matt Flynn at quarterback.
Since then, the Tigers have consistently had, at best, mediocre passing numbers, a trend they hope to snap next season in Zach Mettenberger's senior year at quarterback. Whether that happens remains to be seen. One thing that's clear, however, is that the Tigers have invested heavily to try to improve the passing game in the future.
The 2013 class will finish with four receivers, two tight ends and two quarterbacks, nearly a third of the class devoted to an improved ability to pitch and catch.
"It's exciting," said tight end DeSean Smith (Lake Charles, La./Barbe)," the highest-rated of the eight players by ESPN. "When we look at our class, we think we can do a lot with three wide receiver sets and maybe four and we can even get one or two tight ends in as part of that."
Since then, the Tigers have consistently had, at best, mediocre passing numbers, a trend they hope to snap next season in Zach Mettenberger's senior year at quarterback. Whether that happens remains to be seen. One thing that's clear, however, is that the Tigers have invested heavily to try to improve the passing game in the future.
The 2013 class will finish with four receivers, two tight ends and two quarterbacks, nearly a third of the class devoted to an improved ability to pitch and catch.
"It's exciting," said tight end DeSean Smith (Lake Charles, La./Barbe)," the highest-rated of the eight players by ESPN. "When we look at our class, we think we can do a lot with three wide receiver sets and maybe four and we can even get one or two tight ends in as part of that."
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- With national signing day two weeks away, LSU is close to the finish line, but the Tigers still have some big names they are after:
Team needs: LSU was decimated on the defensive line by graduation and early NFL draft entrees.
The Tigers will be without six of the nine defensive linemen who played the majority of the snaps, including three potential first-round NFL draft picks, led by lightning-quick speed-rushing end Barkevious Mingo.
Team needs: LSU was decimated on the defensive line by graduation and early NFL draft entrees.
The Tigers will be without six of the nine defensive linemen who played the majority of the snaps, including three potential first-round NFL draft picks, led by lightning-quick speed-rushing end Barkevious Mingo.
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- Kevin Spears said he always knew he had it in him.
"I wouldn't say I always knew I could be the best, but I always knew what I could be," said Spears, a late-bloomer wide receiver from New Orleans' Holy Cross High School who became LSU's 26th commitment of the 2013 class Saturday. "I knew I could catch footballs."
"I wouldn't say I always knew I could be the best, but I always knew what I could be," said Spears, a late-bloomer wide receiver from New Orleans' Holy Cross High School who became LSU's 26th commitment of the 2013 class Saturday. "I knew I could catch footballs."
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU picked up a commitment from a player most probably weren't thinking about at the start of the 2012 season.
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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