As LSU’s signing class was coming together, recruit after recruit made the decision to remain in Louisiana.
A few outstanding candidates moved on, but even some of those who gave it considerable thought later had second thoughts. Eleven of the top 14 players in the state had been signed by LSU by the early signing period in December.
One significant target that LSU did not have at the time was Dominick McKinley, who was still committed to Texas A&M. However, the defensive lineman considered his options after Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher was sacked. He waited to sign, and it had a shot even though LSU was ready to make changes to its defensive staff.
Brian Kelly, the coach of LSU, stated, “We were fighting against it on both ends.” “We needed to establish some continuity there and strengthen our position. However, with A&M’s change, the door was open, and we were able to consistently reach him and his family and convince them that this was the right decision.
McKinley switched from Texas A&M on New Year’s Eve and signed with LSU on national signing day on Wednesday. After Texas A&M’s Terry Bussey, a five-star athlete, decided to stay with his promise, he was the lone fresh recruit to sign with LSU. The last 28 prospects from LSU joined in December, making up the class that the 247Sports composite currently ranks seventh nationally.
It was crucial to convince McKinley to remain in Louisiana. At 6 feet 5 inches and 273 pounds, he is the top player in the state and has the ability to completely ruin high school games at Acadiana High. As a senior, McKinley led his team to the state championship game and finished with 71 tackles, 15 hurries, and 11 tackles for loss. He was the kind of unanimous five-star recruit that LSU needed to develop its interior defensive line, but the job is not yet done.
For the upcoming season, LSU will still be looking for defensive tackles even after signing McKinley. There are currently just five players on the team: three-star freshman De’Myrion Johnson, redshirt senior Jalen Lee, junior college transfer Shone Washington, senior Jacobian Guillory, and McKinley. None of them has shown to be a game-changer. LSU needs to come up with new strategies to strengthen the position when retention did not work out.
Kelly on Wednesday proposed a few possible fixes. He claimed that during spring practice, LSU will evaluate newcomers and move “a couple” offensive linemen “over to the defensive side of the ball.” Kelly will not indicate who would take the other position.
Kelly stated, “I’d like to get these guys a little bit more time moving around.” Later in the month, when we begin some of our OTA work, we’ll get an opportunity to observe them in action and be able to determine with certainty whether they can adapt to the change in role. However, you should anticipate some movement there.
In the coming months, LSU may also add more defensive tackles to its roster. Jalil Muhammad, a junior college transfer from Garden City Community College in Kansas, who finished the previous season with 43 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and nine sacks, was just offered a scholarship.
Kelly went on, “We could have some other movement here” over the course of the next week, and when the transfer site reopens from April 15–30 following spring practice, players will undoubtedly use it. But after February 1, transfers inside the Southeastern Conference are prohibited by league regulations.
Kelly stated, “We still have some needs.” “We are still vetting candidates for the defensive tackle position.”
Kelly has faith in LSU’s incoming players overall. They will serve as the cornerstone of a curriculum that he intends to develop further with the incoming cohort.
In this group, the Tigers added three defensive tackles. They also signed Ahmad Breaux and Gabriel Reliford, two defensive ends. Last week, Reliford, who weighs 262 pounds and is 6-3, was measured at 20.77 mph. Kelly said the team needs to find inside depth, but he believes LSU will be in “a really good situation” with them.
“We’re on guard,” Kelly declared. We’re working on it. We like the players on campus, and we know where we need to keep adding depth. We understand where we still have room to grow.
