LSU Recruiting: Football looks to lock down Louisiana’s best in 2024, men’s hoops eyes coveted guard Pullin

LSU head coach Brian Kelly has stated that he wanted to lockdown the borders of the Pelican state from college football powers pilfering the state’s top talent when he first arrived. It looks like he is succeeding so far.

The Tigers hold commitments from five of the state’s top 10 ranked prospects for 2024 – TE Trey’Dez Green,DB Dashawn McBryde, CB Ja’Juan Johnson, OLB Kolaj Cobbins and OLB Ahmad Breaux.

Kelly and company are in the thick of things for the remaining five:

#1
DT Dominick McKinley (6-6, 285), Acadiana, had 86 tackles, 18 TFL, 10 sacks and 2 interceptions, returning one for a score last season That last nuggget just shows his athleticism for a big lineman. Insiders make comparisons between McKinley to former LSU star Glenn Dorsey at the same stage of development. LSU joins Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas, Ohio State and Texas A&M as the finalists. The Tigers may have a slight lead.

#2
DB Wardell Mack (6-0, 170), John Ehret, is best cover corner in the state and ranked in the top five for 2024 nationally. Matt House and Kerry Cooks are on the case for LSU, heavy favorite over Florida and Florida State. Corey Raymond is recruiting Mack for the Gators.

#4
DB Joel Rogers (6-0, 185), West Feliciana, is visiting this weekend. He could pull the trigger in favor of the Tigers very soon.

#8
LB Tylen Singleton (6-2, 200), Many, has Matt House and Sherman Wilson recruiting him for the Tigers, who appearsto hold the edge over Arkansas, Texas A&M, TCU and Tennessee.

#10
WR Koby Young (6-0, 180), Holy Cross, shows off blazing speed with 4.38 time. He snared 41 passes for 667 yards and 4 TD’s last season. LSU looks like a monumental favorite at this time over GA Tech and Florida State.

PORTAL MAGIC

In the NFL, you’re expected to use free agency as a supplement to improve your roster. At LSu, Kelly has done a masterful job crafting the depth chart. If the season were starting next weekend, potentially as many as 12 starters could be pickups via the transfer portal, including the entire secondary:

LG Miles Frazier, FIU
QB Jayden Daniels, Arizona State
WR Kyren Lacy, ULL
DT Mekhi Wingo, Missouri
LB Ovie Oghoufu, Texas
RB Logan Diggs, Notre Dame
LB Omar Speights, Oregon State
SS Major Burns, Georgia
CB Zy Alexander, Southeastern La.
NB Duce Chestnut, Syracuse
CB Denver Harris, Texas A&M
FS Greg Brooks, Arkansas

HOOP HELP

Kelly is not the only LSU coach trying to spin magic from the transfer portal.

Women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey has done a masterful job turning transfers into wins with one national crown and perhaps more soon to follow. Now LSU men’s basketball coach Matt McMahon is doing his due diligence to rebuild his roster for the upcoming season.

The Tigers have added six players through the transfer portal since the conclusion of McMahaon’s inaugural campaign this offseason – guards Jordan Wright (Vanderbilt), Jalen Cook (Tulane), Carlos Stewart (Santa Clara), Daimion Collins (Kentucky), Will Baker (Nevada) and Hunter Dean (George Washington).

LSU now has sights set on another potentially major addition. UC Riverside guard Zyon Pullin has the Tigers among a impressive group of finalists that include Gonzaga, Florida, Xavier and Michigan. He recently withdrew his name from the NBA draft. Pullin models his game after Trailblazers star Damian Lillard.

The 6-4, 195-pound sharpshooter averaged 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Highlanders last season, connecting on 39.4% from behind the arc and 48.6% from the floor overall. He is set to leave the Big West after earning second-team all-conference and all-academic honors in 2023-24. Pullin had 586 pick and roll possessions, second most in the country according to Synergy.

Pullin scored 20 points or more on 10 occasions, including a 30-point performance against the San Diego Toreros. He recorded nine assists against Cal State Northridge and snared 10 rebounds against Cal Poly.