LSU Cornerback Commit Daylen Austin Planning Fall Official Visits
LONG BEACH, Calif. — The LSU Tigers have been recruiting at a high clip in the 2023 cycle, landing four commitments in August, with prized in-state safety Kylin Jackson being the latest addition out of in-state powerhouse Zachary (La.) High School.
Brian Kelly's first full recruiting cycle has so far netted him the No. 14 class in SI All-American's recruiting rankings, which debuted earlier this month, with the chance to move up in next month’s update.
One Tiger commit that has received ample national attention is Long Beach (Calif.) Polytechnic High cornerback Daylen Austin. He announced his verbal pledge to the Tigers in May, noting a prior relationship with Kelly as one of the factors that is driving him to play his college football in the Boot.
"Brian Kelly moved from Notre Dame and he had already recruited me when he was up at Notre Dame," Austin said. "And then Coach (Robert) Steeples, he started recruiting me as soon as he got there."
While the coaching transition spelled the departure of some notable coaches to other programs, Austin is more than confident about the future of the Tigers program, specifically in the secondary.
"I knew they wanted me and when I got up there I felt the vibe," he recalled of his visit to Baton Rouge. "Just the history behind LSU, the culture and everything. They already got the name 'DBU.’ Even though Corey Raymond still left they're still gonna be on a pedestal. I already pictured myself playing in the SEC."
Many seniors like Austin have already made their commitments ahead of the 2022 season, but that's not stopping other programs from circling back to try and shake things up. One of those schools is Michigan State, which clearly has his attention following a summer official to East Lansing.
"Mel Tucker is like family to me,” he said. “He's real close with my uncle. He's been showing love since day one."
The interactions he was able to have during his visit are a key reason why the Spartans are one of a handful of schools that still have his attention.
"Just the other recruits, all the players up there they told me the real," Austin said. "Everything is real up there. He (Tucker) never tells me anything false. He's gonna tell me what it is straight up."
Austin said he plans to set up his four other official visits for during the season, but remains solid with his LSU commitment.
"I'm still strong with LSU but I wanna get my full high school recruiting experience and take all of my official visits. So that's all that is," he said.
With four more trips in the works, Austin has a handle on which schools are best positioned to earn those officials.
"I'm trying to get up to Oregon, Oklahoma, LSU of course and then Penn State."
The Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits are the defending Moore league champions and open their 2022 season against the Clovis Cougars on Thursday. Arguably the top defensive player in the league, Austin has big plans for his last ride.
"This my senior year so I'm feeling good about my team," he said. "I gotta trust everybody around me on my team. We won a championship last year, it's hard to repeat ourselves but we're gonna try to do that again, even get state this year."