Signing Day got even better for LSU with the Tigers’ recent flip of 4-star LB Jacob Phillips, an Oklahoma verbal commit. It helped keep LSU in the top 10 nationally and rounded out a very successful 2017 class.

Though Marvin Wilson chose Florida State over LSU, allowing the Seminoles to leap frog the Tigers in the national rankings, it was still a very solid class.

Overall rank: 7
SEC rank: 3

5-stars: 1
4-stars: 15
3-stars: 8

Here are five takeaways from the 2017 class.

1. Head coach Ed Orgeron brings in the talent: In his first recruiting class at LSU, it is clear that some of the top athletes in the country will continue to come to Baton Rouge. Known as a solid recruiter, Orgeron came through in his first recruiting class. Tiger Nation held its collective breath, however, until this first class was signed. It can now exhale in the satisfaction of knowing the Tigers are in good hands.

“What an honor it was for me to go out on the road recruiting as the head coach at LSU,” Orgeron told 247sports.com. “Obviously we are very pleased with the guys we signed. Our emphasis was to sign middle linebackers. We signed the No. 1 middle linebacker in the country along with two other great linebackers.”

The recruiting trail was a successful, as well as fulfilling one for Orgeron.

“In the first week — everybody knows I like gumbo — I ate 19 gumbos in one week,” Orgeron said.

2. The flip: Pulling Phillips, the top player in the country at his position, from Oklahoma was huge. He is definitely the future of Dave Aranda’s defense at LSU. Orgeron gave much of the credit for the flip to LSU Director of Player Personnel, Austin Thomas, who like Phillips is from the state of Tennessee.

3. Quarterback situation addressed: Desperately needing a quarterback who can win games, the Tigers went out and got two 4-star recruits who could conceivably fit the bill. Lowell Narcisse and Myles Brennan are exceptional talents with very different approaches and it will be interesting to see how that shakes out in the coming years.

While Narcisse is a dual threat, Brennan is a pro-style quarterback and Louisiana through and through.

“He’s got Louisiana in his blood,” Orgeron said. “He gets up in the morning at 4 o’clock and goes duck hunting, and then goes to class at 7:30. You tell me that’s not a Louisiana quarterback, man?”

4. Only eight from Louisiana: Of the 24 in this year’s class, only eight are from the state of Louisiana, including four of the top 12 recruits from the state. That can be viewed two ways. First, it can be disheartening that more of the local talent was not corralled. But it can also be looked at by taking into consideration that LSU is on the map nationwide and the top programs do go out of state to fill the cupboard.

5. Great haul defensively: Orgeron gushed over the defensive talent in this class. And despite the fast-paced high-scoring offense that college football has been trending towards, the old adage still rings true — certain in the SEC — that defenses win championships.

“We feel like we’re excellent along the defensive line,” Orgeron said. “We got two great free safeties, two great corners. It’s one of the best defenses we’ve ever recruited here.”

Although a top five class was certainly within reach, based on points scored for the overall class, it was one of LSU’s best ever.