LSU Football 'Definitely Leads' in Recruitment for the No. 1 Player in America

The Bayou Bengals ramping up their push for the top-ranked signal-caller in the country, Louisiana star.
Courtesy of Elijah Haven's Instagram.

In this story:


Baton Rouge (La.) Dunham School five-star quarterback, Elijah Haven, continues his meteoric rise as one of the most prized prospects in the 2027 Recruiting Cycle.

Haven, the No. 1 overall player in the rising-junior class, has secured offers from the "Who's Who" of college football with the likes of LSU, Alabama, Michigan, Florida and Ole Miss, among several others, extending scholarships.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder already attains the ideal frame of an SEC signal-caller despite recently wrapping up his sophomore campaign in December.

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers are certainly making their presence felt early in his recruiting process after multiple in-person visits across the recent months.

LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan provided Haven with an open-invite to attend any home game on the program's 2024 schedule and the No. 1 player in the country certainly used that this advantage.

After carving up the prep scene on Friday night's, he'd routinely take game day visits to LSU on Saturday's.

Haven was named the MaxPreps National Sophomore Football Player of the Year after accounting for over 4,000 yards of total offense and 58 total touchdowns last season while leading Dunham to a 14-1 record and an appearance in the Division III Select state title game.

The dynamic quarterback completed 206 of his 324 passing attempts (63.6%) while tossing for 3,137 yards and 37 touchdowns with only seven interceptions.

On the ground, he showcased his dual-threat ability with 937 rushing yards on 170 carries for 21 touchdowns.

It's no secret Haven's name is on the map at the helm of the Dunham program after accumulating 4,074 yards of total offense and 58 touchdowns as just a sophomore for his prep squad.

He ranks as the No. 1 overall player, according to 247Sports, and the No. 2 overall player, according to Rivals.

Haven is a consensus five-star signal-caller in the 2027 Recruiting Class with Rivals most recently chiming in on his process and outlook as a recruit.

Rivals' Adam Gorney's Take: "Elijah Haven has everything top college coaches and NFL decision-makers look for in a quarterback from intelligence to accuracy to arm strength to decision-making and beyond. In many ways, Haven has some uncanny similarities to former five-star quarterback Jameis Winston, but Haven might be even a little more athletic.

"His stats might be a little muted – he threw for 1,847 yards with 27 touchdowns and ran for 429 yards and 12 more scores – but the Baton Rouge (La.) Dunham standout only threw 191 passes all season. Dunham had more rushing attempts than throws even with an elite talent like Haven leading the way."

But the main takeaway from Rivals' update on Haven is what's happening behind-the-scenes in his recruitment. Gorney believes the LSU Tigers sit atop others in his process.

"LSU definitely leads in his recruitment," the Rivals Recruiting Director said.

Haven is the No. 1 player on LSU's 2027 Big Board at the quarterback position with the program rolling out the red carpet as they battle for his services.

The Bayou Bengals are also in the mix for another coveted Louisiana signal-caller after Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian quarterback Peyton Houston made his way to Baton Rouge last month for a visit.

LSU Pushing for a Coveted Louisiana Quarterback: Peyton Houston

Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian four-star quarterback Peyton Houston continues his rise in the 2027 Recruiting Class as a prized prospect by Southeastern Conference programs.

Houston, who has reeled in offers from Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas and more, has become a household name in the rising junior class.

The Bayou State star is a player that LSU has firmly on the program's radar after extending an offer last fall with coach Joe Sloan making the call.

The 2027 Recruiting Cycle is loaded with talent in The Boot at the quarterback position with Houston and Elijah Haven being a pair of names to keep tabs on.

For Houston, he dominated the prep scene for his Evangel Christian squad.

Houston completed 310/443 passes (70%) for 4,480 yards with 38 touchdowns with only six interceptions while rushing 105 times for 690 yards and seven touchdowns.

It was monster game after monster game where he had seven games of 300+ passing yards, including a whopping 817 yards on 53/65 passing for eight touchdowns and zero interceptions in a 77-76 loss to Captain Shreve High School on October 10.

Houston set the Evangel Christian Academy single-season record with 5,170 yards of total offense during the 2024 season.

The impactful season has caused a meteoric rise for Houston where he has already reeled in 25+ offers including LSU, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Texas A&M.

The 6-foot-0, 195-pounder visited LSU prior to the NCAA Dead Period at the end of January where he continues building a relationship with Brian Kelly's staff.

More LSU News:

The Breakdown: LSU Football Holds No. 1 Recruiting Class in the SEC

LSU Football "Firmly in the Mix" for Coveted Oregon Ducks Quarterback Commitment

Three Observations From LSU Baseball's Opening Weekend Sweep

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.


Published
Zack Nagy
ZACH NAGY

Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of LSU Country, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Tiger Football, Basketball, Baseball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving LSU athletics. 

Share on XFollow znagy20