Wednesday afternoon would have sent shock waves through LSU’s corner of the internet a decade ago.
Losing a five-star commitment was such a gut punch in the previous era. Those five stars were the backbones of championship teams. They separated LSU and Alabama and Ohio State from Vanderbilt and Ole Miss and Indiana. Without Ja’Marr Chase, Derek Stingley Jr., Reuben Randle, KeKe Mingo, Eric Reid, Keiland Williams, Glenn Dorsey, Chad Jones, Michael Clayton and Marcus Spears, there are no national title chances.
Jaiden Bryant bailed for Miami yesterday, and everyone online just kind of shrugged.
I’m sure the reaction wasn’t quite as muted inside LSU football operations. Sterling Lucas has recruited Bryant for years over two stops at South Carolina and LSU. Losing out to LifeWallet on that stinks. I’m sure Blake Baker and Lane Kiffin were disappointed, too.
Bryant is just more replaceable now than ever before. That’s not entirely new, but I’m still adjusting to the subdued reaction to what used to be headline news.
Kiffin absolutely took the LSU job because he knew he had better access to more talented players. The LSU brand carries more weight nationally than Ole Miss’s, and it’s a huge deal in Louisiana living rooms.
Right now, LSU is in a heavyweight fight with Lone Star cash for Easton Royal and Albert Simien from along the I-10 corridor of the state. If the Tigers lose out on one or both of those, the muted “mehs” from the internet will turn to a massive meltdown. It’s one thing to lose a player from the low country. It’s another to lose the top three (according to Rivals) from Louisiana.
Bryant’s defection likely frees up some money that can be used on the high school class or earmarked for the portal moving forward. That’s another silver lining everyone is now aware of.
Despite the fact that LSU currently ranks 26th in the country according to Rivals and only has four commitments, the obvious upside in this class is right there for Kiffin’s taking. Some of it was on campus over the weekend.
Signing Day has always meant more than June in recruiting terms, and that hasn’t changed. What has is the reaction when a high-profile defection hits.
This is an important high school class for LSU. Keeping players like Malik Nabers, Will Campbell, Whit Weeks, DJ Pickett and Trey’Dez Green in the program for multiple years carries value. When Signing Day does roll around, LSU’s group needs to be ranked in the top 10. Quality trumps quantity.
Bryant certainly would have helped, but the opportunity to replace him has never been more available.
