The Defensive Line Big Board: LSU Football Surging For Prized Targets

Bo Davis continues his pursuit of the top defensive linemen in America, 2025 Big Board taking shape.

LSU defensive line coach Bo Davis arrived in Baton Rouge with a tall task of retooling the Tigers' position group ahead of the 2024 season.

After signing five-star Louisiana native Dominick McKinley and a pair of transfers, Davis has pieced together a solid group for this fall.

But Davis is looking towards the future and it starts with the 2025 recruiting cycle. For the excellent recruiter, he's begun doing damage on "The Trail".

The Bayou Bengals have been in hot pursuit of five of the top defensive linemen in America with Davis piecing together his 2025 Big Board.

The 2025 LSU Defensive Lineman Big Board:

Damien Shanklin: No. 5 EDGE in America

The four-star EDGE took a visit to Death Valley over the weekend with defensive line coaches Bo Davis and Kevin Peoples making a major move.

The No. 1 prospect out of Indiana, LSU is going out of their southern region recruiting realm, but they have quickly circled Shanklin as one of their top EDGE prospects in the 2025 cycle.

Now, with a visit to Baton Rouge wrapped up, LSU is surging for the coveted Indiana native.

On3 Sports recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong logged a prediction for LSU to win out for Shanklin's services with his recruitment process ramping up.

For LSU, they've now hosted Shanklin for a much-needed official visit with the four-star talent still set to visit other programs. The Tigers will have to fend off Ohio State, among others, but appear to be the team to beat here.

Brandon Brown: Four-Star Defensive Lineman

Brown, a Texas Longhorns commitment, arrived in Baton Rouge for a multi-day on Friday where he had the chance to soak in the scenes of Death Valley alongside several prized 2025 targets.

In town for official visits included DJ Pickett (No. 1 CB), Kaliq Lockett (No. 2 WR) and Jaime Ffrench (No. 4 WR). For Brown, he had the chance to build relationships with the top targets on LSU's radar.

Now, the dust has begun to settle.

After the visit, LSU began to separate themselves from the pack, trending for the current SEC commitment.

Shortly after the visit, On3 Sports recruiting analyst Billy Embody logged a prediction for LSU to flip Brown from his Texas pledge.

Brown was accompanied by his family during last weekend's visit to Baton Rouge where sources feel the Tigers are certainly trending.

But it'll be a battle for LSU down the stretch in order to flip the coveted defensive lineman.

Brown has official visits locked in to Tennessee and Texas, but will likely check out another school or two before he wraps things up.

For now, LSU has begun trending in the right direction in order to flip the four-star defensive lineman with expert predictions beginning to be logged.

Bo Davis continues working behind the scenes on a handful of defensive linemen in the 2025 class.

Now, the prized targets have taken visits to Baton Rouge.

Damien Shanklin: No. 5 EDGE
Brandon Brown: 4-star DL
Zion Williams: 4-star DL
Dilan Battle: Coveted DL#LSU is pushing. pic.twitter.com/SP0PbEjjBr

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) June 3, 2024

Zion Williams: Coveted Defensive Lineman

The coveted defensive lineman is viewed as a gem by the LSU staff with this program rolling out the red carpet over the weekend. Williams made his way to Baton Rouge on Friday for a multi-day stay last week.

The Texas native has the TCU Horned Frogs squarely in the mix, but fresh off of an official to LSU, he's set a commitment date for July 4th. LSU feels they're in the lead here with the clock ticking until a decision is made.

A 6-foot-4, 315-pound menace up front, Bo Davis and his recruiting team have circled Williams as a major priority down the stretch with the Tigers out in front for her services. Both Davis and Blake Baker have been pursuing Williams heavily as of late.

Dilan Battle: Three-Star Defensive Lineman

LSU brought in Battle for an official visit last weekend with sources believing the Tigers moved the needle in order to climb up his list.

The Texas native has SMU and TCU squarely in the mix with LSU surging in his recruitment. He's now wrapped up an official with the Bayou Bengals rolling out the red carpet in a big way.

Look for LSU to keep their foot on the gas for the 6-foot-4, 300-pounder as his recruitment process nears the finish line.

Xavier Ukponu: Prized Defensive Lineman

Ukponu has had LSU near the top of his list over the last few months with the Tigers set to get an official visit on June 21.

The 6-foot-2, 290-pounder has LSU and and Arkansas pushing for his services down the stretch, but as of right now, the Tigers will get the final visit before Ukponu shuts down his recruitment.

A Texas native, Davis continues his pursuit of the top talents in the Lone Star State.

LSU has continued trending for several of their top targets with Shanklin, Brown, Ukponu and Williams circled as priority targets down the stretch.

Other LSU News:

Recruiting Roundup: The Buzz From LSU's Star-Studded Weekend, DJ Pickett Reaction

Recruits React: The Latest From LSU's Five-Star Official Visitors

How It Happened: LSU Comes Up Short Against North Carolina in NCAA Regionals

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Country: @LSUCountry_FN for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.