LSU WBB: Kim Mulkey, LSU Tigers Hosting Five-Star Forward for Official Visit

Mulkey and Co. will get Ayla McDowell in Baton Rouge, five-star forward set to check in with the Tigers.

Kim Mulkey and the LSU women's basketball staff will host five-star forward Ayla McDowell for an official visit this weekend, sources tell LSU Tigers On SI.

The 2025 prospect arrived in Baton Rouge on Thursday night to begin her multi-day stay with Mulkey and Co. this weekend.

McDowell, a Top 25 prospect in America, will catch up with the staff, hold a one-on one with Mulkey, check out a game day in Tiger Stadium on Saturday and more before she departs on Sunday.

The 6-foot-2 wing is a versatile prospect with several top programs in her ear. Now, the LSU Tigers will get a crack at the coveted target this weekend with McDowell making her way to Louisiana for an official.

It's been a busy September on the recruiting trail for Mulkey and Co. after hosting a trio of five-star prospects earlier in the month as well.

The busy schedule carried into this week when the LSU coaching staff went in-home with a pair of five-stars.

#LSU is set for a monster weekend on the recruiting trail with a number of top prospects ready to be in Baton Rouge.

🏈 DJ Pickett: No. 1 CB
🏈Harlem Berry: No. 1 RB
🏈Blaine Bradford: No. 1 S
🏈Elijah Haven: No. 1 QB

🏀 Ayla McDowell: 5-Star

The stars will be in Death Valley. pic.twitter.com/d7ve3nDPqx

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) September 19, 2024

LSU Holds In-Home Visits With Pair of Top 2025 Prospects

Five-Star LSU Commit Bella Hines

On Sunday, the LSU staff held an in-home visit with five-star commitment Bella Hines, sources told LSU Tigers On SI. On3 Sports revealed the visit first.

Hines, a Top 25 prospect in the 2025 class, revealed a commitment to Mulkey and the Tigers in April after the staff turned up the heat.

The New Mexico native is an elite-level bucket-getter who's shined on both the high school scene and AAU schedule over the summer.

Now, LSU is keeping its foot on the gas for the five-star commitment after holding an in-home visit with Hines on Sunday.

Mulkey has proven to be one of the top recruiters in college basketball with high hopes in the 2025 Recruiting Cycle.

“In this business, you’re going to win some of those battles and you’re going to lose some,” Kim Mulkey said in February. “The crazy thing is you never know why a recruit chooses a school. Sometimes it’s close to home, sometimes it’s the players on the team, sometimes it’s being able to play quickly. Now, after being here for three years, it’s good to be a part of the conversation. Now, I don’t like just being in the top five. I don’t want to chase a wild goose, I want a legit shot at you.

"I think as we grow as a staff, I don’t care about numbers in front of kids’ names. There are so many overrated kids, then you watch those that don’t have a number in front of their names and they have great careers. I’m more into doing our homework, seeing who we like and let’s go after them and quickly eliminate those we don’t have a shot at."

Grace Knox: No. 8 Prospect in America

LSU held an in-home visit with the Top 10 player in America on Monday night, a source tell LSU Tigers On SI, with the program turning up the heat for the West coast star.

Knox released her finalists consisting of LSU, Texas, USC and Tennessee with all four looking to get her in town for official visits this fall.

The California native has four official visits locked in with the LSU Tigers getting the first crack at the five-star in early September. Following her trip to Baton Rouge, Knox wil visit to Texas (Sept. 14), USC (Sept. 28) and Tennessee (Oct. 28) before looking to reveal a commitment decision.

The 6-foot-2 forward is one of the more intriguing prospects in the 2025 class due to her elite ability to get shots off the dribble. A coveted target, Mulkey and Co. are ramping up the heat for one of the top players in America now taking an official visit to LSU and getting an in-home visit all in a two-week span.

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