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Pair of decommits lead list of LSU high priority targets

Patrick Conn
·2 min read
3

We are less than a month away from the final signing period for the 2022 recruiting class. The LSU Tigers currently find themselves as the No. 17 team according to On3’s team rankings.

Of their initial signees, the LSU Tigers are missing a running back and have one safety committed to the class. We start at the top with Brian Kelly’s top targets, or at least who we view at the top.

Jacoby Mathews, Four-Star Safety (Ponchatoula)

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Mathews was expected to make his commitment during the All-American game but opted to wait as he still has official visits set. Many believe that he will still end up as an LSU Tiger. Adding Frank Wilson to the staff definitely helps with keeping in-state talent in the Boot. It doesn’t hurt when one of the guys recruiting him to Georgia is set to join the Tigers staff as well.

LSU is in need of a playmaker at the safety position. It was really evident as of late. While Jay Ward did provide some top plays, Todd Harris Jr’s ability was lacking. Not to mention he was injured for a good part of the season. The team opted to move Sage Ryan to nickel and they were without Major Burns as well.

Mathews could have a real chance to contribute early in the Matt House defense and the team could use his ability to create opportunities for the offense. LSU is viewed as the favorite at this point but one shouldn’t rule out another push by the Florida Gators and Texas A&M Aggies.

TreVonte’ Citizen, Four-Star Running Back (Lake Charles)

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Speaking of Florida, the other hot target is running back TreVonte’ Citizen. He decommitted from LSU following the regular-season finale and the Gators have been in hot pursuit along with the Auburn Tigers. Despite already landing Trevor Etienne, Citizen is on their list. LSU on the other hand is still lacking a running back commit for the 2022 class.

The team does have John Emery Jr returning in 2022 along with Tre Bradford, Corey Kiner, Armoni Goodwin, and Josh Williams. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if they don’t land a back but their depth was tested in 2021 and it could pop up again in 2022. Adding Citizen should be a top priority for Frank Wilson, who knows Lake Charles well from his time at McNeese.

Both of these prospects would help LSU immensely.