Brian Kelly and the Louisiana State University football staff are in the midst of a major recruiting drive, with some of the best prospects in the country coming in and out of Baton Rouge.
With two player commitments in the past three days, Kelly's program is expected to be busy recruiting over the next few weeks.
LSU currently holds the No. 2 enrolling class for the 2025 cycle and the No. 1 class in the SEC, according to On3 Sports.
But as the dust settles after a hectic June official visit, business is likely to be booming on “The Trail” for the Bayou Bengals.
Below are the LSU 2025 Big Board prospects, decision dates and who could be the Tigers' next big star.
Hot Board:
Damien Shanklin: EDGE
The four-star EDGE made a big move for defensive line coaches Bo Davis and Kevin Peoples, taking a visit to Death Valley in early June.
The No. 1 prospect out of Indiana will be outside of LSU's recruiting reach in the Southern region, but LSU quickly took notice of Shanklin as one of the top EDGE prospects for the 2025 cycle.
Now, coming off a trip to Baton Rouge, LSU is in the running to land the coveted player from Indiana.
On3 Sports recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong predicted LSU will be successful in landing Shanklin as the recruiting process accelerates.
LSU will welcome Shanklin on his highly anticipated official visit, with the four-star talent set to visit other programs, and the Tigers appear to be the team to beat here, though they will have to fend off Ohio State, among other teams.
Zion Williams: Defensive Line
The popular defensive lineman is considered a talent by the LSU staff and the program rolled out the red carpet for him during his official visit this month. Williams traveled to Baton Rouge in early June for a multi-day stay.
The Texas native has the TCU Horned Frogs as a possible option, but has just made his commitment with LSU official, with signing day set for July 4. LSU feels they have the lead in this one as time is running out for a decision to be made.
An intimidating forward at 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, Beau Davis and his scouting team have the Tigers targeting her as a major late-round priority as they try to get Williams at the front of the line. Both Davis and Blake Baker have been pursuing Williams avidly as of late.
Xavier Ukponu: Defensive Line
Ukponu has made LSU his top priority in recent months, with the Tigers scheduled to take an official visit this weekend.
The 6-foot-2, 290-pound player has been linked with late-round acquisitions by LSU and Arkansas, but as of now, the Tigers will be the final visitor before Ukponu calls off his pursuit.
Davis, a Texas native, continues to pursue the top talent in the state.
Jace Thomas: Defensive back
Destrehan (Louisiana) defensive back Jase Thomas has dreamed of an offer from LSU for the last few years, and his dream became a reality a week ago after an impressive performance at LSU's elite camp.
After chasing offers from local schools, Thomas earned a scholarship offer from Brian Kelly and the Tigers.
The 2025 defensive back has been on the radar of LSU safeties coach Jake Olsen after a couple of unofficial trips to Baton Rouge.
Heading into the summer, the expectation was that offers would come soon if Thomas showed up during training camp in Death Valley.
That moment happened last week.
Thomas reportedly had an all-around strong performance during drills and ran the 40-yard dash in the 4.4 second range twice.
LSU has developed an efficient pipeline from Destrehan to Baton Rouge for years, but the most recent success story comes from Justin Jefferson.
Jesse Harold: EDGE
The 6-foot-5, 207-pound edge rusher took his official visit to LSU in June, and the Tigers quickly gained momentum after the trip to Louisiana.
Harold, a top 100 prospect in the nation, lists LSU as a favorite to win the championship, along with schools like Texas A&M, Illinois and Colorado.
Scouting experts expect the Tigers to win here, but will LSU be able to secure a coveted defensive lineman who is quickly emerging on the scouting scene?
Brandon Brown: Defensive Lineman
LSU brought in four top defensive line targets in early June: Damien Shanklin (No. 5 EDGE), Zion Williams (coveted DL), Dylan Battle (3-star DL) and Brandon Brown (4-star DL).
Brown, who is committed to the University of Texas Longhorns, arrived in Baton Rouge for a few days and got the chance to soak up the views of Death Valley with a group of other 2025 standout players.
Players taking his official visit included DJ Pickett (No. 1 CB), Kalik Lockett (No. 2 WR) and Jayme French (No. 4 WR), and it was a chance for Brown to build relationships with some of LSU's top targets.
Now the commotion is beginning to die down.
After the visit, LSU stepped away from the other teams and began its journey towards joining the SEC today.
Shortly after the visit, On3 Sports scouting analyst Billy Embody went on record predicting that LSU would steer Brown away from committing to the University of Texas.
DJ Pickett: Cornerback
The Bayou Bengals continue to ramp up their efforts to acquire top-ranked cornerback DJ Pickett of the 2025 class, with the coveted target scheduled to take his official visit the weekend of May 31st.
The No. 1 defensive back for the 2025 class has already been to “The Boot” three times this year, inspecting the site in Death Valley as Raymond and company investigate their top targets.
After his visit in February, Pickett arrived in Baton Rouge for another unofficial visit the weekend of March 8 along with several other notable recruits, including Bryce Underwood, Harlem Berry and DaCorine Moore.
Then came a third visit during the LSU spring game in April.
Now that several official visits have concluded, all focus has shifted to Pickett's fall schedule. It's been a busy time for the five-star defensive back, but Louisiana State University is pulling out all the stops for the coveted Sunshine State native.
CJ Jimcoile: Cornerback
LSU hosted four-star cornerback C.J. Jimcoiley for an official visit last weekend, and secondary coach Corey Raymond immediately made an impact in recruiting the popular defensive back.
Now the dust has settled and LSU is one of two final schools, along with Stanford, competing to land Jim Coiley.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound player has LSU high on his list, and sources familiar with the situation are confident the Tigers will get the deal done.
Other prospects to look out for:
– Kalik Lockett: Five-star wide receiver
– Jamie French: Five-star wide receiver
– Anquon Fegans: 4-star safety
– CJ Wiley: Four-star wide receiver
Decision dates to know:
– CJ Wiley (four-star wide receiver): June 25
– Xavier Ukponu (3-star defensive tackle): June 29th
– Zion Williams (4-star defensive tackle): July 4th
– Anquon Fegans (4-star safety): July 29th
– Damien Shanklin (4 Star EDGE): August 29
– Jamie French (5-star wide receiver): August 30
More LSU news:
LSU Football: Who do you think could be the next player to commit to LSU?
National No. 1 quarterback, Bryce Underwood, who committed to LSU, visits LSU
LSU football team acquires No. 1 offensive lineman in the nation
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