Recapping the Early Signing Period and What it Means for LSU Football Going Forward

Brian Kelly and the new LSU football era can cross its first big day off the to do list. On Wednesday, the purple and gold welcomed 13 new players to the LSU program as part of the early signing period, leaving plenty of room for further improvement down the line.

The day was highlighted by its morning as longtime star commits like quarterback Walker Howard and Will Campbell, as well as new receiver addition Landon Ibieta. But the real big news to come to fruition was the addition of defensive lineman Quency Wiggins to the group, one of the nation's elite pass rushers.

Wiggins, who was considering Alabama and Florida, actually pulled out an Alabama hat then tossed it aside to put on the LSU cap, sparking genuine cheers from those in attendance.

It was always going to be impossible for Kelly and this new staff to walk away with complete success and the loss of in state receivers Aaron Anderson and Shazz Preston to Alabama did sting. But looking at some of the returning talent LSU has at receiver plus the possibilities that are still out there through the portal as well.

On the plus side, LSU did have an eventful afternoon by locking in longtime commits in cornerback Laterrance Welch as well as tight end Mason Taylor. The purple and gold would also add safety Jordan Allen out of Lafayette Christian to continue bolstering the secondary.

“I really like this class and it’s one that fills some immediate needs for us especially on the offensive line,” Kelly said in a press release. “Louisiana is so vital to our success as a program and we were able to bring the best players in our state to LSU.

Most of the moves that occurred on Wednesday were expected and LSU has set it's itself up well for the next stage of filling out this class.

The one nice part about this early signing period is that LSU likely won't come close to the 25 players. There are also many of the top players holding off to sign/commit until January and February. That's a huge win for Brian Kelly and this new staff to fill out and continue hitting the recruiting trail making their case to interested players.

Among the players who are waiting to sign until February will be safety JaCoby Mathews and linebacker Harold Perkins. Highly touted Texas cornerback Denver Harris will be making his decision this week following his state championship game on Saturday according to one report from The Athletic.

Harris is considering LSU, Texas and Texas A&M with the latter two programs thought to have the inside edge but the Tigers and Brian Kelly are making a strong push. One local player who's expected to sign on Friday is athlete Kendrick Law, who was also one of 16 recruits on LSU's campus the weekend before the early signing period.

Law has been tricky to get much of a gauge on throughout his recruiting process but would undoubtedly bring a ton of athleticism to LSU's offense. Alabama is expected to be a big player for Law as well so losing him in addition to Aaron Anderson and Shazz Preston would be bitter pill to swallow.

Going forward the Tigers have really left themselves a lot of flexibility to continue filling out this roster. Some of the positions that will continue to be a focus are receiver, linebacker, cornerback, safety and most importantly, offensive line.

Because there are only 13 signed players at this time, LSU will have upwards of 19 spots to fill out the rest of this roster through the transfer portal and by bringing in more freshmen from the 2022 class. With more than 1,000 players currently in the portal, Kelly will have plenty of options to choose from, especially with many veteran players moving on from the program.

“We want to recruit great players, but it’s also vital to our success to have high character young men in our program who value the great education LSU offers," Kelly said. "We did that with this class. This is a group that will make LSU proud and lay the foundation for the championship program we are building.”