How Important is This Weekend for LSU Football and the 2021 Recruiting Class?

With seven uncommitted players in Baton Rouge, this weekend a vital piece in potentially landing a few of the top prospects

By now the news has circulated and many know that 14 LSU commits and highly valued prospects will be in Baton Rouge this weekend. Here's a refresher on who will be in attendance this weekend:

Garrett Nussmeier (QB)

Tristan Leigh (OT)

Landon Jackson (DE)

Jojo Earle (WR)

Savion Byrd (OT)

Maason Smith (IDL)

Korey Foreman (IDL)

Keanu Koht (DE)

Chris Hilton (WR)

Brian Thomas (WR)

Naquan Brown (OLB)

Raejson Davis (OLB)

Michael Trigg (TE)

Sage Ryan (S)

It's a diverse list that includes local uncommitted prospects like Smith, Thomas and Ryan as well as a few out-of-state prospects like Leigh, Foreman, Byrd and Trigg. LSU currently has 18 commitments in the 2021 class, meaning there are seven available scholarship spots left. 

Seven players will be making the trip down to Baton Rouge who remain uncommitted. It's unrealistic to think the Tigers will snag all seven but a weekend spent with seven committed 2021 prospects will only boost the chances of landing a couple of on the fence guys. 

Take Foreman for example. One of the reasons he decommitted from Clemson was because he wanted to see other campuses he hadn't previously seen. LSU and Georgia were at the top of that list and with his visit to Athens out of the way, heading to Baton Rouge will be an eye opening experience for the California native. 

SI All-American national recruiting analyst John Garcia gave his thoughts on what is set to be an important weekend in Baton Rouge.

We’ve seen some gatherings like this at Oklahoma, Georgia and Nebraska and they’ve each been relatively productive in their own right. Some have resulted in commitments while others have recalibrated the high-end of a top prospect’s list. They’ve all been organized by high-profile quarterbacks, too. 

In LSU’s case it could be especially strong given how well Garrett Nussmeier knows Baton Rouge. Despite moving all over America as a coach’s son, he considers himself a Louisiana native and Baton Rouge is one of his favorite places to spend time at. The charismatic commitment has had several weeks to look into an event of this scale and as its leader, I’d imagine he’s got some must-see stops planned. 

It must be a big deal if the nation’s No. 4 prospect, Korey Foreman, is willing to get on a flight back to the South. He was on that Georgia version of this a few weeks back, so hearing him give a bit of a comparison could be the most telling reaction of any individual prospect on hand. The second setting often has the chance to be most impressive given the extra time allowed ahead of it kicking off. 

Of course, the prospects will have no contact with anyone involved with the LSU program as they tour campus with family members and one another. A number of recruits, including Foreman recently visited Georgia and Oklahoma over the weekend. 

Coach Ed Orgeron was asked about those kinds of visits, saying it's a grey area that he was sure the NCAA would investigate. 

"We have not done that. Obviously, we want to follow the rules, I’m not gonna comment on other stuff," Orgeron said. "Let’s see how the NCAA handles it, but I think it’s getting, it’s pushing the line a little bit."

There's no evidence that any coaches from either of those programs funded or contacted the prospects while in town and the same will be the case at LSU. What these guys do in Baton Rouge remains to be seen.

LSUCountry reached out to several of the players who will be on campus this weekend.

"It's crazy to go hang out with some of the top recruits this weekend," Ryan said. 

Boot fans @koreyforeman54 out there. Make em feel the love..We need him. On da way 🧟‍♂️

— Raesjon Davis (@raesjon1) September 5, 2020

More details on the visit will become clear after the weekend but the one thing that is clear is that this is an important weekend for the 2021 class. And it's odd that the coaching staff will have absolutely nothing to do with it.