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James Smith has been the recruiting analyst for NOLA.com and the Times-Picayune for the past five years and he remains the most connected person when it comes to recruiting in the state of Louisiana and any recruiting that involves the LSU Tigers.
LSU recently added an in-state four-star receiver — Stephen Sullivan, 6-4, 215 pounds — and is in the mix for IMG Academy wideout Drake Davis. Davis will decide between LSU, Ole Miss and Alabama on Saturday at the Under Armour All-America Game.
LSU has remained hot on the recruiting trail despite the hot seat that Les Miles sat on in the past few months and criticism of Miles’ offensive schemes.
Smith addressed LSU’s continued success recruiting wide receivers and the future of the quarterback position:
Q: Wide receiver Stephen Sullivan committed to LSU on Dec. 26. He pretty much solidified another strong wide receivers class for the Tigers in the 2016 recruiting cycle. Despite all the criticisms of LSU’s offense — they don’t develop quarterbacks, they only pass 30-35 percent of the time, etc. etc., why do the Tigers continue to have so much success recruiting skill players?
Smith: LSU’s ability to develop receivers that make impacts in the NFL stand out to many athletes. Every receiver wants to catch 100-plus balls a year, be the focal point of the offense, etc., but the Tigers staff sells development and getting them ready for the NFL. Most of those guys have been recruited by recruiter extraordinaire Frank Wilson, who could sell low fat bacon to a pig.
Q: Do you feel like the criticism Miles has faced over his offensive scheme is warranted? And given how connected you are with the recruits in Louisiana and all across the Gulf Coast, does that criticism register with those recruits?
Smith: Miles has been extremely successful during his tenure at LSU, so it’s difficult to accept the criticism because it really comes down to winning and he has done a lot of that since 2006. Yes, his offensive philosophy resembles that of 1950’s football and yes, it is a turn off to some recruits. However, many of them see the big picture and commit under the belief that they too will be developed into a NFL receiver like many have before them.
Q: LSU doesn’t have a quarterback commit in their class after Florida prospect Feleipe Franks flipped to Florida. They didn’t sign one in 2015 either. How important is it for them to get a quarterback in this class?
Smith: LSU’s woes at quarterback are well known. Many fans believe they have been solid QB play away from multiple titles over the past five years.
Sophomore QB Brandon Harris progressed this year, but not enough to quiet the naysayers. Harris may continue to improve and will be pushed by Purdue transfer Danny Etling next year, who has impressed many people around the program.
While signing a talented signal-caller would certainly help solidify the future of the offense and position, they may have who they need to compete for a championship in place with Harris and Etling.
With that said, they better hit a home run in the 2017 class.
Corey Long is a freelance writer for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow Corey on Twitter @CoreyLong.
