Recruiting: Mandeville WR Landon Ibieta commits to LSU

The drought is over at LSU, sort of. After a lengthy hiatus, the Tigers are back to adding commitments for the Class of 2022.

The last commitment arrived July 30th but the Brian Kelly era has officially begun with the addition of Mandeville wide receiver Landon Ibieta.

Hold That Tiger🐯 pic.twitter.com/aeAMgOLVun

— Landon Ibieta✌︎︎ (@IbietaLandon) December 15, 2021

The 6-foot, 185-pound Ibieta has flown under the radar, having originally committed to Miami on June 20. After careful consideration, an official offer from LSU came on December 9th and a trip to LSU this past weekend followed.

Ibieta had an outstanding showing at the LSU camp last summer, but it was not enough to secure an offer from the previous administration.

His stats in 2021 were very good. He totaled 37 catches for 734 yards, good for a 19 yard average, with six touchdowns. He added 31 carries for 251 yards (8 yards/carry) and eight more scores. Ibieta also demonstrated his skills as a special teams playmaker by returning three punts for a 51 yard average including two of them for touchdowns.

“He could be in the slot or wide,” said Mandeville head coach Hutch Gonzales. “He is physical. He can take the top off (of defenses). He is really special. He does his best work in space.”

Ibieta is not a possession receiver. He has run a hand held 4.38 forty timing and runs consistently in the 4.4 range.

“He is the most explosive player I have ever coached,” Gonzales declared. “He’s at full speed in two steps. He is very, very, very special. Strong lower body, strong hips. He doesn’t mind blocking. He’s a tough kid.”

Gonzales recognizes speed and special talent, having been a 4.4 sprinter as a wide receiver at SLU and later in the CFL and Arena football.

“When you run fast, you don’t always look fast to others. He reminds me of Adam Thielen (Minnesota Vikings star). When he has the football in his hands, he is like Devonta Smith type of explosive,” noted Gonzales, who also said Ibieta is likely not done growing without losing speed.