LSU Football Boasts No. 2 Recruiting Class in SI All-American 2022 Rankings
For months on end, the SI All-American crew has been dissecting every commit and every rumbling of news to put together a top 25 ranking for the 2022 class. The Tigers were always viewed as a top-five class in the rankings for the 2021 class but because of the stellar start to the 2022 recruiting cylce, LSU stands at No. 2 in the initial rankings.
The class is headlined by quarterback Walker Howard, offensive tackle Will Campbell and safety JaCoby Mathews, all local prospects who figure to be among the top prospects in the country heading into their senior seasons. It's a class that includes 13 total commitments and with the month of June expected to be an onslaught of visits and commits, the Tigers could just be getting started on more additions.
Most recently, the purple and gold added tight end Jake Johnson, the brother of current quarterback Max Johnson to the group. A nice balance of offensive weapons and defensive depth have propelled the Tigers to the kind of start that could challenge for the No. 1 spot, currently held by Ohio State, by year's end.
With the recruiting dead period now over, the Tigers are hitting the ground running with recruits on campus over the next several days.
"There's excitement to get people on our campus. One of the things you enjoy as a college coach is recruiting and that's the lifeblood of your program," Orgeron said Tuesday. "So to get the people to campus, get them to camps, get them evaluated."
Here's what the SI All-American experts think of the Tigers start to the 2022 class:
LSU has the biggest college football recruiting class of 2022 to date, in terms of verbal commitments, at 13 (Tied with Notre Dame). Part of the volume can be attributed to the 2019 College Football Playoff title run while more than most would realize has to do with Ed Orgeron rebuilding the Tiger coaching staff and in large part, reputation, following a less-than-satisfactory title defense. The state of Louisiana, where Coach O has been public and private about prioritizing like never before, is also responsible for the haul.
About two-thirds of the 13 verbal commitments hail from within state lines, including class headliner and St. Thomas More quarterback Walker Howard. Having the clear top arm in the state on board for nearly one year has paid tangible dividends, with two wide in-state receivers among those having committed since. Nine of the 13 prospects committed to the program hail from the state, not including legacy prospect Jake Johnson, younger brother of Tiger QB Max Johnson.
Howard was known as a national recruit before he popped for LSU and has showcased his talent on a national stage since and he will continue to do so at the Elite 11 Finals next month among the nation's top passers. It's not a surprise to see the offensive skill position wins to date and similar could be said on defense, with four secondary projections on board to one of the 'DBU' candidates. Two of the four are Louisianans and there could be more secondary targets in the mix like in-state stars Kendrick Law and Derek Williams along with Texas' Denver Harris and south Florida's Earl Little still among the undecided.
The momentum isn't expected to slow any time soon for LSU and the first weekend in June will reflect as much with elite talent in the trenches expected to make official visits to Baton Rouge in edge rusher Shemar Stewart and offensive tackles Julian Armella and Kelvin Banks, among others. Additional national recruits slated to see campus, likely for the first time, include Harris, Nick James and Omari Abor, among others.
While skill and in-state domination have been the theme for LSU's start, the stride of the 2022 class will be largely shaped in June with national prospects and an emphasis along the offensive and defensive front, where LSU has recruited among the nation's best for years.
