For 2022 Wide Receiver Shazz Preston, the Ties to LSU Football Go Back 30 Years
LSU receivers coach Mickey Joseph and Shawn Preston Sr. go way back. When Shawn was a high school coach at Thibodaux High School in the '90s, Joseph was a frequent recruiter of many of his players.
When Joseph got the job as quarterbacks coach at Nicholls State in 2001, that's when their relationship really became strong. Since that time dating back 30 years, Preston and Joseph have stayed in touch.
So when Joseph brought Shawn's youngest son, Shazz into coach Ed Orgeron's office in the summer of 2019 and made him an official offer, it was like getting an offer from a family member.
"Mickey Joseph and my dad, they're like this [crossing his middle and left index fingers]," Shazz said. "Growing up, they've been contacting each other and when I got the offer, it was just a great feeling, like getting an offer from a family member. When he told me I had the offer, I was just excited, my family was excited."
The Preston football family tree doesn't end with Shazz and his father as his older brother Shawn Jr., is about to enter his sophomore season with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs have shown interest in Shazz and are just one of seven schools to offer him a scholarship. Other schools that have offered or shown interest in Shazz include Texas A&M, Arkansas, Kansas, Colorado and Miami.
Preston views all the schools in the same light at the moment as he still has two years before a decision must be made. As the No. 48 ranked player and No. 7 wide receiver in the 2022 class, the offers should only continue to flood in for the Preston.
Despite not playing favorites at this time and smartly so, Preston did reveal that like most kids in Louisiana, he grew up a lifelong fan of the purple and gold.
"Growing up, all I did was talk about LSU," Preston said.
The next few months will be busy for Preston, who doesn't have any official visits planned as he focuses on continuing to showcase his skills at various camps. He plans to go to college camps at LSU, Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, FSU, Florida, Georgia, Clemson and Tennessee over the coming months.
As a result, Preston doesn't foresee any official visits in the immediate future but because LSU is so close by, it's never too hard to take the trip.
"I'm going all over the place with the camps and then also with the 7v7 tournaments so it'll be something that just has to play out in the schedule," Preston said. "It's easy traveling, it's right here.”
