The way LSU’s season ended was not pretty: a defensive collapse in the bowl game, followed by defensive coordinator John Chavis bolting for SEC West rival Texas A&M.

At that low point, LSU’s recruiting class was in a shaky spot. It sat at the fringes of the national top 20, lacking star power at the top.

The turn for the better LSU took from that point is as good as any in the country, with SEC rival Florida and UCLA out west being the only two to rival the Tigers.

From the time Chavis left, just before New Year’s Eve, LSU added seven four-star-or-better prospects, two of them much-needed playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. The Tigers rose from their low-teens standing to the No. 5 class in the nation, according to 247sports’ industry composite rankings.

For that, LSU’s excellent recruiting staff deserves heaps of credit.

Chavis, for all of his prowess as a defensive X’s-and-O’s coach, was never known as an elite recruiter at LSU. The coaches who replaced him on defense certainly carry that kind of reputation. DC Kevin Steele and defensive line coach Ed Orgeron were both brought on in part for the way they bring in recruits.

When the two coaches were introduced, they stated their goal to go after all the top defensive recruits in the country. While they didn’t land the guys at the top, long-shot uncommitted players like CeCe Jefferson and Iman Marshall, the players they did end up with will certainly make their impact felt.

Arden Key, one of the top five defensive end recruits in the nation, should be a useful player for Orgeron along a defensive line that badly needs a boost after the departure of last year’s starting ends. Key, a former South Carolina commit, has the length and athletic ability to quickly become a disruptive player. And, look at his recruiting profile, and you’ll see that Steele and Orgeron were the coaches who reeled him him.

Donte Jackson, who was an LSU target for longer than Key, still provides just as much of a talent infusion in the secondary and on special teams. LSU’s incumbent ace recruiters, Frank Wilson and Corey Raymond, get much of the credit for bringing him, but the staff pitching Jackson on uses for him in all three phases likely played a big role as well.

Five-star receiver Tyron Johnson entered the fold just days after Chavis left, and four-star tackles Toby Weathersby and Chidi Valentine-Okeke were last-minute surprise commitments. So too were receivers Derrick Dillon and Brandon Martin, both of whom were reeled in by recently departed wide receivers coach Adam Henry.

All indications are that LSU’s late recruiting push was a team effort. Losing one of the best defensive coordinators in the country wasn’t a devastating blow to LSU’s recruiting efforts. Instead, the staff doubled down and ended up with a haul as good as any in the country.