SI All-American Watch List Consists of 25 Louisiana Prospects, Includes LSU Football Targets and Commits
Louisiana, despite its relative small size in terms of population, has been a breeding ground for successful college football players for decades. It's why LSU and coach Ed Orgron put such a premium on recruiting the best of the best from the state.
Of LSU's 16 current commits in the 2021 class, three are out of Louisiana. Defensive end Saivion Jones out of Saint James, receiver Chris Hilton out of Zachary and punter Peyton Todd out of West Monroe make up the current Louisiana natives that have decided to commit to the Tigers.
On Tuesday, Jones and Hilton were two of the 25 prospects out of Louisiana selected as SI All-American candidates. In the weeks to come, SI All-American will release its preseason top-10 for each position group and the Pelican state is sure to be featured.
Here are the 25 candidates out of Louisiana nominated to be an SI All-American:
- Devon Manuel - 6-8 / 300 / OT from Arnaudville, La.
- Maason Smith - 6-5 / 316 / DT from Houma, La.
- Keenan Landry - 6-2 / 295 / DT from Jennings, La.
- Jack Bech - 6-1 / 203 / WR from Lafayette, La.
- Malik Nabers - 6-0 / 190 / WR from Lafayette, La.
- Sage Ryan - 5-11 / 195 / ATH from Lafayette, La.
- Iverson Celestine - 5-10 / 198 / RB from Mandeville, La.
- Andrew Jones - 6-0 / 200 / LB from Marrero, La.
- Kaine Williams - 6-2 / 205 / S from Marrero, La.
- Kolbe Fields - 6-1 / 205 / PLB from Metairie, La.
- Logan Diggs - 6-0 / 195 / RB from Metairie, La.
- Barryn Sorrell - 6-3 / 250 / DE from New Orleans, La.
- Byron Turner Jr. - 6-3 / 237 / DE from New Orleans, La.
- Casey Cain - 6-2 / 175 / WR from New Orleans, La.
- Destyn Pazon - 6-0 / 170 / WR from New Orleans, La.
- Kenneth Bannister - 6-2.5 / 255 / OT from New Orleans, La.
- Kolbe Cage - 6-0 / 205 / OLB from New Orleans, La.
- Montrell Johnson - 5-10 / 185 / RB from New Orleans, La.
- Tyrese Johnson - 6-1 / 190 / WR from New Orleans, La.
- Ahmonte Watkins - 5-10 / 175 / ATH from Reserve, La.
- Jackie Marshall - 6-2 / 230 / ILB from Reserve, La.
- Saivion Jones - 6-5 / 240 / DE from Saint James, La.
- Brian Thomas - 6-4 / 185 / WR from Walker, La.
- Jardin Gilbert - 6-1 / 175 / S from White Castle, La.
- Chris Hilton - 5-11 / 175 / WR from Zachary, La.
With just 10 spots remaining in its 2021 class and just three committed out of the homestate, LSU figures to hit the Louisiana area pretty hard to close out the class on a strong note. The three big names that have yet to commit and could certainly wind up on the SI All-American top-10 at their positions are receiver Brian Thomas, defensive tackle Maason Smith and safety Sage Ryan.
All three are highly regarded prospects across the recruiting spectrum and the Tigers will have to fight off the usual suspects to keep each one in-state. For Thomas, Alabama currently seems to be the biggest threat while Florida, Georgia and Alabama are all heavily recruiting Smith.
Ryan, the nephew of LSU running back coach Kevin Faulk, would certainly be a welcomed addition to the class as the Tigers currently have just one safety, Khari Gee, committed in 2021.
“Most of the great defensive linemen at LSU have been from Louisiana," Orgeron said on 104.5 ESPN Tuesday. "We're excited about the class we could sign because I think this [the 2020 class] is the best defensive line class we've signed. In fact I know it is and we think 2021 is a strong defensive line class in Louisiana as well."
