LSU Football Bags Commitment From Top Louisiana Receiver Brian Thomas

LSU is finalizing its 2021 recruiting class in a major way as the Tigers secured a commitment from receiver Brian Thomas nearly a week after the signing period began, becoming the fifth receiver in the LSU class. Thomas will sign with the Tigers and join an absolutely loaded receiver room for the 2021 season.

Landing Thomas is a big get for the program this late in the recruiting cycle and for him to choose Baton Rouge over rival Alabama and Texas A&M, making it another win for Ed Orgeron and company. The Walker High School product is a tall, athletic wideout who joins Chris Hilton, Malik Nabers, Deion Smith and Jack Bech in the receiver corps.

In addition, the Tigers return veterans Kayshon Boutte, Jaray Jenkins, Jontre Kirklin, Koy Moore and Trey Palmer to the program.

Thomas becomes the 23rd player to commit and sign with the Tigers' program as LSU also signed defensive end Saivion Jones and offensive lineman Kimo Makaneole to round out the class. Orgeron said that he hoped to leave two scholarships open for graduate transfers.

"We have one or two guys we're kind of 50-50 with, we'll see what happens tonight, we've still got some recruiting to do," Orgeron said on Off the Bench. "I need to leave at least two scholarships for transfers and we've done great with graduate transfers and we're going to continue to do it."

Thomas said the new coaching staff, the quarterbacks and the existing players on the team were all reasons LSU ultimately won out for his services.

Here is Thomas' scouting report and player profile from SI All-American:

Frame: Angular frame with great length. Has substantial room to add mass and bulk.

Athleticism: Dual-sport athlete who also excels on the basketball court as a shooting guard. Good overall athlete with very good balance. Coordinated and agile with gliding movement skills. Faster than quick with good build speed and fluid open-field stride. Can generate surprising force in space.

Instincts: Will attempt to utilize a shuffle release versus tight press coverage. Has a solid bam step when stemming to separate on slant routes. Good concentration and tracks throws well with his eyes to play the ball in air. Solid creativity after the catch and capable of making the first defender miss. Can sense open doors when gliding downfield and runs with toughness and competitiveness.

Polish: Nearly exclusively aligns to the left of all formations. Occasionally aligns as inside-2 in trips sets. Has much rawness in his game at this stage. Size and athleticism compensate for releases, hand usage, route running all needing to be refined. Has to improve sinkage and ability to motor down at breakpoints.

Bottom Line: Thomas is a high-ceiling prospect as a receiver who will also likely play basketball at the school he ends up at. He’s raw, but is an ideal blank canvas for a receiver coach at the next level to mold. With his size and athleticism, Thomas’s best days are ahead of him, as he has the potential to develop into a very good “X” receiver or “big slot” in college.