LSU lands 2024 OL Joseph Cryer after Ole Miss decommitment

Joseph Cryer made the business decision to commit to Ole Miss at the start of June.

Business became personal when Brian Kelly and Brad Davis put an offer on the table for one of Louisiana’s best in the 2024 class about a month ahead of his senior season.

Cryer, one of the top offensive lineman from The Boot, committed to LSU on Monday, just 24 hours after decommitting from Ole Miss and a few days after landing an offer from the in-state Tigers. The 6-foot-4, 280-pound mauler from Natchitoches (La.) Central High School in Northwest Louisiana was on campus in Baton Rouge on Thursday.

His decision to flip his pledge to the Tigers came organically.

“This meant a lot to me,” Cryer told On3. “Being an in-state guy, it definitely means a lot when you’re growing up in Louisiana and watching LSU when I was little. Being born and raised here, the LSU offer goes deep. I’m a Louisiana kid who grew up watching the Tigers, and ever since I was a little kid I’ve wanted to be a Tiger.”

“This was my best decision yet,” he added on the flip to LSU.

Relationship with Brian Kelly was paramount

Kelly took a liking to Cryer during a spring visit to Baton Rouge, which included a conversation about the lineman’s fit at center.

Cryer, who lined up as a tackle for Many (La.) en route to a state championship last year, has been following Kelly’s advice to a tee for months. LSU’s head coach views Cryer as a centerpiece of LSU’s future offensive lines.

“Brian Kelly brought me up and helped me evolve into a center,” said Cryer, the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 83-rated IOL. “Since I was a sophomore he told me to start snapping, and ever since then, it’s helped me to develop. I remember Coach Kelly talking to me after that practice, about snapping, and I’ve been snapping every day since. I listened to him ever since that moment.”

“He loves me at center,” he asserted, “and that means everything coming from BK.”

Cryer adds to a deep in-state class for LSU

Davis has also been embedded in Cryer’s recruitment for years — as the process led the three-star interior OL to Big Ten schools early and eventually toward the SEC. The two Louisiana natives meshed well along the way.

“The relationship never died with Coach Davis,” he started. “He’s been talking to me ever since my recruitment started. He’s a great guy, but an even better coach. When he offered, he was so passionate about it and it meant more. My head was spinning.”

Cryer is the 14th member of the Tigers’ 2024 recruiting class who hails from The Boot. He joins a deep group headlined by On300 members Trey’Dez Green, Dashawn McBryde, Tylen Singleton and Joel Rogers. He joins fellow Louisiana-based IOL Khayree Lee among commitments along with On300 OT Ethan Calloway.

The Northwest Louisiana standout checks in as the No. 1009 overall player in the country, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Cryer is also tabbed as the No. 33 overall recruit from the state of Louisiana in this 2024 cycle.