LSU is off to a hot start in recruiting for 2016 after making a late run up the 2015 recruiting rankings. With No. 1 cornerback Saivion Smith, four-star quarterback Feleipe Franks and five other players already committed, the Tigers are already in a strong position for next February.

With several needs already looming for the 2016 roster, we look at who Les Miles and LSU’s biggest targets are for next year’s recruiting class.

  • Five-star OLB Keion Joyner — The top-rated outside linebacker in the class is one of the top-10 players in the country and plays a position of need for the Tigers, as they only have seven scholarship linebackers on the roster this year after coming up with none in recruitment and will lose at least two more after 2015. Joyner is on the light side, at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, but he has excellent speed and has good instincts as a rusher off the edge.
  • Five-star DT Edwin Alexander — This Hammond, La. native plays another position of need for the Tigers. Ed Orgeron is already after the disruptive DT, and LSU would do well to keep his explosive first step and strong instincts close to home. LSU has a few young prospects already on the roster, but Alexander would provide depth and a major talent boost.
  • Five-star S Eric Monroe — LSU recently had Monroe, the No. 2 safety in the class, on campus for junior day (along with the Nos. 1 and 3 safeties, Brandon Jones and Deontay Anderson). The Houston-area product already shows good instincts and mobility in pass coverage and is a strong tackler, fitting the mold of LSU’s star safeties.
  • Five-star OT Willie Allen — The Tigers missed out on the last elite tackle prospect to come out of New Orleans, Cam Robinson, but they’ll do their best to land Allen. Recently on campus for Boys from the Boot, Allen is a massive prospect at 6-foot-7 and seems built to be a road-grading run blocker, but Allen has room to improve in pass blocking.
  • Four-star QB Dwayne Haskins — The Tigers already have a quarterback committed for the 2016 class in Franks, but with the way they’ve struggled under center for most of Les Miles’ tenure they could use the help. Haskins is a pro-style quarterback, which fits Cam Cameron’s preferred type for signal callers. Haskins is drawing interest from all over the country, including reigning national champion Ohio State, but Haskins tweeted (and then deleted) his commitment to LSU, blaming it on a friend.