4-Star Safety Ryan Yaites Shuts Down Recruitment, Locked In With LSU
The LSU Tigers have been on a recruiting tear as of late, securing gifted 2023 prospects consistently over the last few months. Specifically in the secondary, this program has been putting in work, landing 4-star safety Kylin Jackson most recently who adds a different element to the defensive backs in this cycle.
Along with Jackson, blue-chip recruits Daylen Austin and Ryan Yaites are committed to the Tigers, but have been keeping their options open over the last few months.
Yaites had been entertaining the University of Oklahoma, but recently announced he’ll be shutting down his recruitment and is locked in on the LSU Tigers.
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The 4-star safety had Oklahoma in the mix, battling it out with LSU. One of the first commitments in the 2023 cycle, the Tigers have continued to keep their foot on the gas for Yaites.
In August, Yaites told On3 that the Sooners were making quite the push for him.
“At first, I was basically locked in [with LSU],” he said. “And then when OU came in, I was like, ‘I’m going to open it up just to them.’ And this right now is just a race for OU and LSU.”
The Tigers weren’t too worried when it came to Yaites taking visits elsewhere and keeping his options open, saying he’s spoken to the LSU staff about other visits with them giving him the thumbs up.
“They were very confident in me in this whole process, and they were the ones who let me go on these trips,” Yaites told On3’s Gerry Hamilton. “I think they stand pretty good still, and they’re still No. 1 on my list. That’s pretty much it. They’re very confident in me, I’m very confident in them, and we’ve brought in a pretty good class, and I was one of the first to commit. It’s kind of crazy to see how much the class has built up, and it just goes to show that Brian Kelly really can recruit.”
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After some uncertainty, Yaites will now put his sole focus in winning a championship in his senior campaign and preparing for the next level once in Baton Rouge.
At 6’2”, 175-pounds, Yaites has been playing cornerback in high school. His length and natural strength, however, will allow him to be more than just a cornerback candidate for the Tigers. Remember, this is the SEC West that he’s coming to play in. The number of future NFL wide receivers is incredible, and LSU needs players with the ability to adjust on the fly. That’s Yaites.
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As he continues to learn the LSU defense, Yaites will be like a yo-yo that’s back and forth between coming close to the line of scrimmage and being in the middle of the field to thwart passes into the second and third levels of the defense. Then, there’s also the position he’s been playing in high school.
Overall, the Tigers receive one of the top defensive backs from the North Texas area. Now it’s a matter of seeing where the talented defender from the Lone Star State ends up playing inside Death Valley.
