How LHSAA Delaying High School Season Affects LSU Football 2021 Recruiting
Finding those diamond in the rough prospects in Louisiana will have to be put on hold for coach Ed Orgeron and the LSU program. On Wednesday, LHSAA executive director Eddie Bonine sent a memo to all schools that the start of the high school football season will be pushed back to Oct. 8.
The decision comes on the heels of Governor John Bel Edwards extending Phase 2 of the state's reopening plan by three weeks. During a Zoom conference with the media after the announcement, Bonine revealed that the fall plans hinge on Louisiana moving past Phase 2 and onto Phase 3 by the end of August.
If Louisiana moves into Phase 3 before the end of the month, Bonine said the LHSAA will petition state officials to allow for collision drills over a 21 day period before the season starts. Teams started practice this week in helmets, shoulder pads and appropriate footwear but minimal contact is allowed in those practices.
That 21 day period would allow high school athletes' bodies time to adjust to the violent hits that come with a sport like football.
“It’s ambitious but you know what, if you’re not ambitious you don’t get anything done,” Bonine said. “We want to play football. I want kids to play football.”
This is currently the "best case scenario" plan as the two primary options being considered are a six-game season with the playoffs wrapping up in the Superdome at the normal time from Dec. 10-12, or an eight-game season with a delayed finish to the postseason. The plan rolled out Wednesday doesn't leave a ton leeway for issues to crop up as it requires 35 days to be completed with only a 42-day window.
“Keep in mind that this is what we have today. We feel good about it,” Bonine said. “But what we do can change by something that happens tomorrow with this (virus).”
What all of this means is that the LHSAA is essentially doing everything in its power to ensure that a 2020 season will take place, which is good news on the LSU recruiting front. Orgeron has said countless times how the program's recruiting starts and ends in Louisiana.
Currently LSU has three commits from Louisiana out of the 2021 class in Chris Hilton, Saivion Jones and Peyton Todd. But the Tigers are in on a number of top level prospects including receiver Brian Thomas, safety Sage Ryan and defensive tackle Maason Smith.
LSU knows relatively what it has in those players but what about the unknown prospects, the guys that pop as seniors? Orgeron said that if a season is flat out cancelled, there's no way to receive evaluations on "late bloomers." States like California and Virginia have already delayed the starts of its seasons to next spring.
"The guys we've already evaluated and offered scholarships, that's off their junior year, obviously we won't have senior film," Orgeron said on Off the Bench. "As far as late bloomers from California or Virginia, that won't happen and it probably won't happen in the state of Louisiana either because it's tough to evaluate if they don't play football."
Even in a shortened or delayed season, not getting those evaluations of senior film is an obstacle that’s tough to work around. Despite the possibility of a season not being played, Orgeron said he and the coaching staff feel well about the top prospects that the program is pursuing.
"We feel good in the state of Louisiana, there are some guys that we're on in the 2021 class that we've done a good job evaluating," Orgeron said. "I do believe we're in the lead for most of these guys and we're always going to start in Louisiana."
A delayed season with only six or eight games of footage also affects how the program could attack future classes in the state. The 2022 class in particular has a number of top recruits in all positions that the program would love to see competing as juniors.
With quarterback Walker Howard and receiver Decoldest Crawford committed, offensive lineman Will Campbell, running backs Leveon Moss and Trevor Etienne, receiver Shazz Preston and safety Jacoby Matthews are just a few prospects the Tigers have made offers to.
While there’s work still to be done, Orgeron said on Marty and Magee a few weeks back that he thinks the national championship run has helped the Tigers immensely through the pandemic.
“We have a lot of guys that we feel like we're going to get and I think we're going to have a great class,” Orgeron said. “The spring recruiting hurt because we couldn't get extra evaluation so mostly all of our evaluations are coming off of tape right now. I do believe the season that we had last year has helped us in a way I've never seen before at a national level.”
