BREAKING: 5-Star OT Zalance Heard Signs with LSU

Tigers secure the No. 1 offensive lineman in the state, pair him with former high school teammate Will Campbell.

It’s official. The top player in Louisiana is an LSU Tiger after 5-star offensive tackle Zalance Heard signed his letter of intent on Wednesday morning.

The blue-chip prospect chose LSU over Florida, Nebraska and Florida State , among others. The Louisiana product will now join a program which has an embarrassment of riches in their 2023 class, headlined by 5–star wide receiver Shelton Sampson Jr.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pounder had been a high-priority target for the Tigers over the last couple of months, with the Tigers looking to keep him close to home. Heard received significant buzz on social media the last few weeks with this LSU program starting the hashtag trend #Lance2LSU

Heard has been a name the LSU community is beginning to know very well with the Tigers in an all out pursuit for the Louisiana native. A top-10 prospect in the state, Heard has received significant buzz to LSU. A former teammate of current LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell, Heard could help this 2023 class significantly.

The State Of Football

Offensive lineman @lanceheard2 is staying in The Boot.

🔗https://t.co/yTskScFmzS pic.twitter.com/QL00RxMfav

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) December 21, 2022

Brian Kelly’s Recruiting Message:

“We’re going to identify the best prospects throughout the country and you’ll see that in this signing class. We’ll have players from the northeast, the midwest, the west coast. But our base will be Louisiana and the south,” Kelly said. “When you’re LSU and you have a brand that’s so recognizable, you can’t have blinders on either. Our scope and vision is national but it’s not like we’re pulling four guys out of every state. We’re gonna have a heavy influence in the state of Louisiana, like we should.”

“I think within a calendar year we could be looking to turn over 70 scholarships,” Kelly said. “I certainly don’t think it’s going to be in the mid to high 30s [as the norm]. I think that’s outside the lines. I do believe the high 20s is going to be the norm. I remember years where it was 18, I think those days are over.”

“You don’t want to jump every year into the transfer portal when it comes to the cornerback position. We did this year because there was such a need to put together a representative group. I think there’s gonna be a heavy influence on freshmen and that’s the way we want to build,” Kelly said. “Does that mean we won’t look at transfers? No, it doesn’t mean we’ll close the door on that, but last year they were one year and done. We’re not looking in that respect. Corners would have to have more than one season of competition left if we go that route.”