LSU attractive job because of massive recruiting base, players that stay home

LSU under Ed Orgeron hardly struggled on the recruiting trail, producing top-five classes in 2021, 2020 and 2019. Even with the struggles this season, the Tigers were on track to sign one of the nation’s best classes in 2022.

But the inconsistency from Orgeron’s teams – a 9-8 record since the 2019 national championship victory over Clemson – meant it was time for a change in Baton Rouge.

And whoever inherits the job will land one of the best-recruiting foundations in the country.

Louisiana is home top talent

The most recent data from the NFL, indicates that Louisiana produces the fourth most NFL players per capita in the country.

When compared to the average population of 4,627,002 people, Louisiana has produced 21.2 NFL players per capita. It’s the birthplace to NFL stars like Landon Collins, Andrew Whitworth, Anthony Levine, Odell Beckham Jr., Tyrann Mathieu and many, many more.

Plus, some of the most successful players in NFL history have come from Louisiana. This includes Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl winner Peyton Manning.

There are also 16 players in the On300 for the Class of 2022 and eight players in the On3 Top 100 from the 2023 class. The list of top juniors also includes No. 1 overall recruit Arch Manning out of New Orleans Isidore Newman.

All of this means whoever gets the job will walk in the door with a long list of blue chips recruits in his backyard. It’s a situation that’s rivaled only by the biggest states like California, Florida, Texas and Georgia.

LSU’s NFL track record

Recruits want to play in the NFL, especially the ones that are needed to win in the SEC. It’s one of the biggest recruiting lures out there. Every school talks about how they can get you into the league. But few schools can back it up like LSU.

From 2011 to the start of the 2021 season, LSU (77) ranks only behind Alabama (95) and Ohio State (78) in producing the most amount of NFL players.

The new coaching staff will be able to walk into living rooms and sell prospects on the new vision for the future. But also with the accurate enticement of getting to the league.

LSU has tremendous recruiting resources

It should come as no shock, but the Tigers have invested heavily in facilities and recruiting operations to keep up with its peers in the NFL.

The Tigers’ newly upgraded $28 million football locker room was unveiled in 2019. It features all the bells and whistles, including sleeping pods.

LSU was also one of the first schools in the country to hire a general manager. The position works on the day-to-day operations of the program. It also has a focus heavily on talent acquisition.

Austin Thomas, the Tigers’ current general manager, is considered one of the best personnel managers in all of college football. It would be smart for whoever is hired to keep him around.

Louisiana players want to stay home

Savvy recruiters will tell you that getting a top player out of Louisiana is one of the most difficult recruiting tasks. That’s true unless your name is Nick Saban.

LSU has dominated local recruiting for decades. There’s a sense of local pride instilled in the top players early on that the best players in Louisiana stay home and play for LSU.

The Class of 2022 is a good example of that success locally. Of the Tigers’ 15 commitments, 10 are from in-state players. This includes six On300 players from Louisiana and one of the nation’s best quarterbacks in Walker Howard of Lafayette (La.) St. Thomas More. Many of the top undecided players in the On300 from Louisiana were also trending toward the Tigers before Sunday’s news.

“It’s unlike anywhere else in the country,” one longtime SEC recruiter told On3 Sunday morning. “You see it some in Alabama with Bama and Auburn. It happens some in Georgia, but many of those kids in Atlanta are open to looking at other schools. You see it a little bit in Texas with the Aggies and Longhorns.

“But nothing, and I mean nothing, is like how it is in Louisiana. It’s in their DNA to stay home and play for LSU.”

Another SEC recruiter said that is why he thinks LSU is one of the best recruiting jobs in the country.

“You do have to fend off Alabama when they come after a kid. But LSU still wins almost all of those battles,” the coach said. “When you combine that with all the elite talent in their backyard, the facilities, the fan base, the NFL success, it’s easily one of the most attractive jobs from a recruiting standpoint in the country.”