Could More In-State Domino's Start to Fall for LSU Football in 2021 Class?

Future of the 2021 class will rely heavily on what the remaining in-state prospects ultimately decide.

LSU picked up its 14th commitment in wide receiver Chris Hilton out of Zachary High School on Friday, just 20 minutes down the road from Tiger Stadium. 

Of the 14 prospects that LSU has received commitments from, three have come out of Louisiana, including Hilton, defensive end Saivion Jones and punter Peyton Todd. On July 4, another top prospect out of the Pelican state took one step closer to making an ultimate decision on his collegiate future.

Defensive tackle Maason Smith, the No. 1 prospect in the state according to 247Sports, dropped his top-eight on Saturday and LSU was on the list.

THE END IS COMING……🎱 #1of1 pic.twitter.com/h3UHocYKfe

— MAASON SMITH (@maassoonn_) July 4, 2020

Alabama, Georgia, Florida, USC, Oklahoma, Miami and Oregon were also included in Smith’s final list of programs he’s considering.

The Tigers have long been thought to be among Smith's favorite teams, though it should be noted the highly-touted prospect is good friends with Korey Foreman, who is the No. 1 player in the country. The two have reportedly spoken on many occasions about the possibility of teaming up in college.

Keeping Smith in-state would be a big win for coach Ed Orgeron and the LSU program as it would extend a long tradition of keeping the top defensive line talent in purple and gold. Most recently, Rashard Lawrence, Tyler Shelvin and Jaquelin Roy have all pledged their commitments and signed with the Tigers after being top-50 players in their respective classes.

Orgeron talked about the level of talent that Louisiana consistently produces and the importance of keeping those players in-state.

“Most of the great defensive linemen at LSU have been from Louisiana," Orgeron said on 104.5 ESPN Tuesday. "We're excited about the class we could sign because I think this [the 2020 class] is the best defensive line class we've signed. In fact I know it is and we think 2021 is a strong defensive line class in Louisiana as well."

Outside of Smith, safety Sage Ryan and receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Destyn Pazon are the top recruits the Tigers would love to bring aboard to the class. 

Ryan, who is the cousin of LSU running backs coach Kevin Faulk, told LSUCountry back in March that Faulk doesn't pressure him to join LSU but does say that the culture Orgeron is building in Baton Rouge is special.

"He says of course he wants me to come to LSU but it's my decision and really just told me to continue to take it slow," Ryan said. "He'll give me key points on how to contact the coaches, what to say, what questions to ask and really at the end of the day, his main message is don't let anyone tell you where to go."

Because LSU already has three top-100 players that are all receivers in Hilton, JoJo Earle and Deion Smith, it's unlikely the program would land both Thomas and Pazon. If Orgeron and receivers coach Mickey Joseph can convince even one of the two to join the already stacked group, LSU would bring in possibly its most talented receiver class in recent memory. 

So far, the 2021 class has been highlighted by the Tigers ability to pitch and receive commitments from out-of-state prospects. The future of just how well this class finishes will be determined by what the top in-state prospects ultimately decide.