2022 Linebacker Wesley Bissainthe Felt “Honored” To Receive Offer from LSU Football, Talks Campus Visit
It wasn't all that long ago that Wesley Bissainthe was on LSU's campus. The 2022 linebacker prospect out of Miami was one of the last groups to visit the campus and LSU facilities in March, right before the recruiting dead period was enacted as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Even though he wasn’t able to spend time with the coaching staff, Bissainthe said the experience with his 7v7 travel team was thankful he was able to have before everything shut down.
"It was awesome, it was something I've never seen before," Bissainthe said. "LSU is just a really beautiful campus. It must have the best locker room in college football and it was just a cool experience."
Holding double digit offers from a number of top programs in the country, it's Miami, Florida and Florida State that are the main schools showing the most interest in Bissainthe. In regards to LSU specifically, he hasn't heard from anyone at the school with the lone exception of when they made him the scholarship offer back in late January.
The offer meant a lot to the Miami native, who said LSU was one of the teams he watched growing up.
"They were definitely a team I watched, the bowl games over the years, it just meant a lot to me. I felt honored to receive an offer from LSU and I look forward to continuing to build that relationship with the coaching staff over there," Bissainthe said.
In regards to his game, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound linebacker immediately points to his versatility on the field, saying he can play both inside and outside of the box. Currently ranked as the No. 12 linebacker and a top-150 player overall on 247Sports, Bissainthe also feels his athletic ability is a big part in why programs are interested.
"I can run and that's something I'm really excited about," Bissainthe said. "I can cover really well and my ability to read what the offense is doing based on the formation is something I feel I have a good knack for."
Improving on what he was able to accomplish last season at Miami Central is of vital importance to Bissainthe. In the offseason, he's primarily worked on explosiveness and strength because he knows a big part of taking on that outside linebacker role is being able to attack bigger and stronger offensive linemen.
Last year at Miami Central, Bissainthe had 69 tackles, 7.5 sacks, four interceptions and three touchdowns. Within his game, Bissainthe feels he's grown stronger mentally throughout the offseason, mainly through pushing himself to his limits during workouts.
"Football is 90% mental and you have to have the right mindset every time you take the field," Bissainthe said. "You have to workout when you're tired because that pushes you mentally. When I'm out on the field in a game situation, knowing that no matter how tired I get that I'm mentally strong helps in my play."
With his recruitment heating up with offers USC, Michigan State, Florida, Kentucky and Miami all coming since the beginning of the year, Bissainthe wants to take his time and continue to evaluate the schools that are showing him interest.
Getting back down to Baton Rouge in the fall is the ultimate goal, this time for a game With the recruiting dead period extending through August and likely longer, that opportunity may not present itself this year.
In the immediate future, getting on the phone with Orgeron and starting to build that relationship with the coaching staff is the next step for LSU and Bissainthe.
"I want to have a great relationship with all of the coaches that are recruiting me so making sure I talk with coach O and get more of a feel for them is important," Bissainthe said. "It hasn't happened yet but hopefully soon."
