In case you missed it over the weekend, LSU landed a commitment from Pontotoc, Miss., offensive lineman Cole Smith. Smith did not have a 247Sports recruiting ranking before his commitment but has since seen his status upgraded to a three-star prospect.

No big deal, right? Well, apparently in Starkville it is.

Smith would be considered a legacy recruit for the Bulldogs, as his father Brent Smith was an All-SEC lineman for Mississippi State. However, while MSU did recruit Smith, the team has yet to offer him a scholarship.

The decision has some questioning whether offensive line coach John Hevesy knows what he’s doing.

By following this logic, an SEC offensive line coach that has been coaching the position in the toughest conference in the nation since 2005 — before entering the SEC, Hevesy had a decade of experience coaching college offensive lines including stops at Utah and Bowling Green, has coached two offensive lines to national championships and another to an undefeated season capped by winning the Fiesta Bowl, doesn’t know how to evaluate linemen.

This reaction begs the question, how much do SEC schools owe local and legacy prospects? Should coaches consistently bring in players that don’t fit what they want in a prospect, regardless of tight scholarship limitations? If SEC coaches starting doing that and losing on the field, those brownie points earned on signing day won’t be saving their jobs.

For what it’s worth, Smith’s only major scholarship offers currently come from LSU and Oregon.

Calling out a coach for losing a recruiting battle is one thing but to call out his judgment/evaluation of talent comes off as a desperate reach without knowing the intimate details of the situation. Is it possible LSU and Oregon, which run completely different offenses than Mississippi State, see something in Smith that the Bulldogs don’t? Certainly, but that doesn’t mean MSU should run to offer the local lineman after the fact.

Fans of MSU seem to be redirecting their anger after following two seasons of brutal offensive line play after having one of the league’s best units during the 2014 season. While it may be difficult to understand why a local prospect isn’t pursued with more gusto, especially when he commits to a rival division opponent, not all team needs are equal in college football.

Follow Michael Wayne Bratton / SEC Mike on Twitter.