LSU set to host five-star Chris Cenac on official visit this weekend

LSU is set to host five-star plus Chris Cenac this weekend on his final official visit of his recruitment for the fall. Cenac is the No. 7 player in the country on the On3 Industry Rankings and a unanimous five-star prospect across all recruiting services after having a dominant summer in multiple settings.

Cenac is from New Orleans, spending his high school years playing at Isidore Newman before transferring to play his final season at Link Academy in Missouri, one of the top prep schools in the nation. At 6-foot-10, Cenac is an outstanding all-around player and someone LSU has been recruiting since Matt McMahon arrived in 2022, hosting him on multiple unofficial visits, and now Cenac’s recruitment has reached the final stage.

To this point, Cenac has already taken official visits to his other top schools in Tennessee, Houston, Auburn, Kentucky, and Arkansas, but now comes home for the Tigers to make their pitch.

Cenac arrives in Baton Rouge on Friday and will be in for the LSU football game against Alabama, but the Tigers’ staff was also able to get him to stay for Sunday’s home men’s basketball game against Alabama State in the PMAC. LSU head coach Matt McMahon ended his postgame press conference on Wednesday night asking fans to show up on Sunday, saying it’s going to be a “big-time recruiting weekend” as the Tigers look to make the biggest splash in recruiting of the McMahon era.

“I want to thank our fans. The student turnout was awesome. I know there’s an important game on Saturday night here in Tiger Stadium, but we have a really talented Alabama State team coming in Sunday afternoon at 4:00 and your ticket for the football game gets you in for free Sunday afternoon. We also have a big-time recruiting weekend going on, so I want to invite everybody out on Sunday at 4 against Alabama State.”

On3’s evaluation of Cenac

On3 has been higher on Cenac the entire year, being the first outlet to put him inside the top 10 over the summer and now having him inside the top five. The New Orleans native has been a wrecking ball in every setting this year, showing out against the top players in the country consistently. Whoever lands him will be getting an immediate impact starter and potential NBA lottery pick. Here’s what Jamie Shaw of On3 wrote about Cenac on Wednesday:

“Another player who could end up outplaying, their already lofty, ranking is No. 4 overall Chris Cenac. The 6-foot-10 forward simply has so many natural tools, and his game continues to compound and develop. The reason why Cenac could outplay his ranking is that he has as much upside as any player in this class. When you look at the natural tools he has, his size, his skill set, his athletic fluidity, and his continued trajectory, Cenac’s versatility and ability to create advantages around him are in line with what the NBA is looking for in players. With his tools on full display, he debuted in the top 25, at No. 23, for On3 in the October 2023 update. Certainly, at the current time, Cenac’s floor is a little lower than some others in the class, giving him a larger variance of outcome, but if he reaches his top-end ceiling, there is something unique, something we have not seen over the past few high school classes.”