BREAKING: 4-star WR Derek Meadows commits to LSU
LSU has landed another marquee prospect for the 2025 class, this time reeling in a commitment from 4-star wide receiver Derek Meadows.
Meadows, a Top 50 prospect on the On3 Industry Rankings, announced his commitment on July 20, choosing the Tigers over a final group that included Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia and Michigan.
LSU has moved up to 18 commitments, and 16 of the commits are ranked as either 5-star or 4-star prospects, giving the Tigers the best blue-chip ratio in America.
Meadows made an official visit to LSU in June that gave the program the boost needed to move to the lead group, and the Tigers closed strong in a recruitment led by wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan.
While Notre Dame had been viewed as the longtime favorite, LSU’s track record of development and the feeling the Meadows family had during June’s visit to Baton Rouge was enough to push the Tigers over the top and land his verbal pledge.
“(Hankton) played in the pros,” Meadows’ father told On3. “He has a pretty good idea how to build a wide receiver as you see from history. I like their attitude. The way they run practice, it’s very quick, very firm, making sure everyone is running from point to point. Definitely the environment. They’re a family over there. It’s a great family environment.”
Meadows becomes the fourth Top 50 prospect to join LSU’s class, and he checks in as the No. 7 wide receiver prospect in America.
LSU holds a top three recruiting class on the On3 Industry Team Football Recruiting Rankings, and the Tigers sat in the No. 1 spot for months and have yet to fall out of the top five this cycle.
Meadows is the second wide receiver to commit to LSU for the 2025 class, joining Louisiana 4-star TaRon Francis.
En route to a state title as a junior Meadows turned 15 receptions into 391 yards and eight touchdowns for the high school national champs. He was also the 2023 Gatorade Nevada boys track and field athlete of the year, as he won the Class 5A state title in the 300-meter hurdles (36.73) and ran a leg in the Bishop Gorman’s winning 4×400 relay team. Meadows has been invited to play in the All-American Bowl following his senior season.
