2024 4-star athlete Joseph Stone found the right fit at LSU

Between commitments from recruits in the 2023 and 2024 classes, LSU has picked up 10 commitments since June 18. Brian Kelly and the Tigers have lit up the recruiting trail over the last few weeks.

LSU is trending for other top targets that are expected to make decisions this summer, and they don’t have to wait any longer for one of the top rising juniors.

Joseph Stone has committed to the Tigers. The four-star athlete out of Loganville (Ga.) Grayson has over three dozen offers, and he chose LSU over the likes of Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

Since the new staff arrived in Baton Rouge, Stone has visited five times, and that feeling he had there was different from other places.

“I chose LSU because of how everything feels when I am there,” Stone told On3. “The culture and the people in Louisiana are different. It is a strong culture and it is like you are in a different world.

“Everyone loves LSU, the people on the same page, and LSU is the main focus for everyone in Louisiana. The people are welcoming, the tradition is great, the food is different, and it is something I want to be a part of.”

This decision came earlier than Stone expected it to. The No. 183 prospect in the On3 Consensus thought he would go into his junior season uncommitted. He was taking visits, doing his homework, and when he got that feeling, he decided it was time.

“That last visit (June 21) did it. That visit sealed for me. Me and the LSU coaches just connected. It was the right time to commit because I found the right school. I am going to recruit other players to be part of this class now, so we can bring LSU back to that 2019 team and win it all.”

Joseph Stone is a believer in Brian Kelly

Kelly enters this season with 263 wins. He left Notre Dame as the winningest head coach in the history of that program. Stone believes he will get LSU back to the top.

“Coach Kelly pushes the little things,” Stone said. “He is about the details. When talking with him, he has talked about learning from mistakes and getting better. … Although he has won all those games, coach Kelly doesn’t talk winning. He talks about what it takes to get there. It is about working together, being on the same page, for the coaches and players to be one accord, and things like that.

… Coach Kelly has the team working with that mindset. It is about the details for him. He will have LSU playing like the 2019 team soon.”

Stone likes the fit at LSU on and off the field

Kelly is an offensive-minded head coach. Cortez Hankton is a smart wide receivers coach that develops players. The offense will fit Stone’s skill-set, and he is excited about the people he will be around at LSU.

“I love their plan for me,” Stone said. “They want to get me in space, find ways to get the ball in my hands, and they want me to be a big part of their offense.

“From direct snaps to plays down the field to whatever it takes to keep me involved. They see no limit in what I can do in their offense. They will push me and develop me so I can get to the next level.”

He has established great relationships with coaches, he has met some of the players, and Joseph Stone is excited to be part of the LSU family.

“It is about the people at LSU. Everyone loves each other. I like the coaches and the people there a lot. That made a big difference for me. LSU just feels right for me. It has all that I was looking for.”