Ed Orgeron Discusses Approach to Filling Out Rest of 2021 LSU Football Recruiting Class

It's been a phenomenal month for LSU on the recruiting trail with the recent talent Ed Orgeron and company have pried away both out-of-state and in-state. The 2021 class, which is now up to 15 commits, saw defensive ends Naquan Brown and Keanu Koht as well as receiver Chris Hilton commit last week alone.

Two weeks ago, it was offensive tackle Garrett Dellinger who pledged his commitment to Orgeron and company. It's been a vital run to making this class one of the top in the country and doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

On a Tuesday edition of "Off the Bench," Orgeron does what he always does when something great happens with the program, he thanks the coaches and people around him. In regards to landing Brown and Koht, two speedy edge rushers with tons of potential, Orgeron thanked graduate assistant Christian LaCouture in particular.

"We are fired up. We are a national brand. Our guys have worked very hard," Orgeron said. "Christian LaCouture has done a phenomenal job helping us recruit the defensive line. Corey Raymond is our new recruiting coordinator and he has these guys headed in the right direction."

The start has been great for the staff in 2021 but the finish line will determine just how elite this class will be. LSU is still in on a number of high profile prospects on the offensive and defensive lines. Orgeron said the focus moving forward with the class will continue to be to stack both lines of scrimmage as well as attack the safety and running back positions.

On the defensive line, Maason Smith out of Terrebonne is one player the program would love to see in purple and gold while receiver Bryan Thomas Jr., athlete Sage Ryan, running back Camar Wheaton, guard Bryce Foster and tackle Tristan Leigh are other top end recruits the Tigers are pursuing.

"We are doing very good on the defensive line right now, but it’s always going to be about the line. We have more to come. We are on some of the top players in the country at offensive line," Orgeron said. "Cornerback, it’s a great year at cornerback. We want to get bigger safeties. And running back. So we still have a ways to go."

The ideal scenario that's still on the table for the Tigers would be to pair Dellinger with a prospect like Leigh, who LSU is thought to be among the leading candidates for his services. Those two moving forward would be the bookend starters at left and right tackle for at least two years if all falls into place.

Leigh also visited with "Off the Bench" on Tuesday to update his recruitment status and said what stands out to him the most about the staff is he feels like he can to them about anything.

"My relationship, I am very close with both Coach Cregg and Coach O. I can talk to them about anything and not just football," Leigh said. "I feel comfortable doing that. It’s a family thing to me. My mom has multiple sclerosis, and she was having trouble getting up to her seat (at the game), and people were ignoring the game to just help her get up to the seat. I think that shows the character of the people at LSU."

Relationships with the staff, player development, education and branding were the four main qualities Leigh pointed out when deciding on which school to commit to. He said LSU excels in all four categories.

While Leigh would ideally like to visit a few schools before committing, he understands that option might not come around. Another reason the Tigers are so intriguing is the fact that they lost four starters up front in 2019 and Austin Deculus is set to graduate after the 2020 season.

"I like the campus and I am cool with the coaches and all that, but there is opportunity. If that is where I am going, I plan to come in and compete right away on day one," Leigh said. "That would be my goal. The opportunity is there. I feel like I have gathered enough information over quarantine where I would be comfortable with a commitment. But, I would really like to take my five official visits.”

Expect Orgeron and company to keep the pedal to the metal as they try to stock up on big name prospects like Leigh and Smith. They may not land all of them, but make no mistake that the 2021 class is off to a very promising start.