Vadal Alexander
Alexander is a 6-foot-5, 320 lb offensive guard from Buford High School in Georgia. Alexander received 4 out of 5 stars from Rivals.com, and he was ranked 11th in the country at his position and 234th overall. At his size, he should fit right in to the future O-line in Death Valley, and according to ESPN, he “is a big strong athletic player who is capable of getting immediate movement as a run blocker.” With the multitude of young RBs in the Tigers’ backfield, there’s a solid chance that Alexander could be building a path for them someday.
Key Quote: “They see me as a tackle but I would play any position that they need me to play. I would play tackle or guard.” -Vadal Alexander
Torshiro Davis
Davis is officially listed at 6-foot-3, 222 lbs. He is an outside linebacker from Woodlawn High School, and he is ranked eighth at his position and 125th overall by Rivals.com. He clocked in at 4.56 for his official 40-yard dash time, and ESPN names pass-rushing, disruptiveness, and pursuit as his three key attributes. Compared to the current members of the Tigers’ defensive line, Davis is a little on the light side; however, he shouldn’t have trouble adding weight as he grows into the system. With guys like Michael Brockers, Barkevious Mingo, and Sam Montgomery being sophomores this past year, Davis should get plenty of time to learn from some of the more dominant forces in the country.
Key Quote: “Excellent straight-line speed. Runs like a linebacker. Has pure speed to chase down plays directed away from him and recovery speed to compensate for sometimes overrunning play in backfield.” -BurnOrangeNation.com
Jeremy Liggins
Liggins is a 6-foot-3, 270 lb quarterback from Lafayette High School. Rivals.com has him ranked 16th in the country at his position and seventh in the state (he received 3 out of 5 stars). Liggins is considered to be a “dual-threat” QB (I know what you’re probably thinking, “Is this another Jordan Jefferson?”). Now I know I’m not a scout, but this is what I’ve gathered from watching his tapes. First off, he looks too big to be effective at QB in the SEC. Think Daunte Culpepper or Steve McNair-type build. Second, he certainly isn’t the second-coming of J.J. His quick release is almost the polar opposite of Jefferson’s elongated throwing motion. Finally, I’m going to go ahead and speculate that he won’t be a QB when he gets to LSU. At 270 lbs, there’s a chance that he’ll be converted to a position that may better propel his college career (maybe fullback, D-lineman, etc.). Then again, that’s only my own personal speculation.
Key Quote: “Some teams recruited Liggins to play defensive line or tight end. But he is insistent that he will play quarterback. He has excellent athleticism for a recruit of his size, regardless of position, and has a lot of options.” -Bud Elliot, SBNation.com
Ronnie Feist
Feist is listed at 6-foot-1, 215 lbs. He is an outside linebacker from West St. John High School, and he received 3 stars out of 5 from Rivals.com. Rivals also ranked him 34th at his position and 18th overall in the state. ESPN officially listed diagnosing, inside run support, and tackling as his key assets, and he clocked in at 4.6 for his 40-yard dash. After looking through his tapes, Feist seems to have solid upper-body strength, as he able to consistently drive through opposing O-lines. Also, he is quick in pursuit, as he was able to successfully track down RBs and QBs on the run. The only worry that I could see is pure tackling ability, but it doesn’t seem to be a huge issue. All in all, Feist should fit in nicely on a defensive-oriented LSU squad.
Key Quote: “I watched a game last year when I first saw Ronnie and this kid took over the game with his ability to blitz downhill lined up 10 to 15 yards off the ball and chase and harassed and sacked the QB it seemed like every other play. I went back and counted 7 sacks, 10 QB hurries in that one game.” -Lee Brecheen, LAFootballMagazine.com
Lorenzo Phillips
Phillips is listed at 6-foot-1, 200 lbs. He is an outside linebacker from Patterson High School in Patterson, Louisiana. Patterson was ranked by Rivals.com as the 29th OLB in the country and 12th overall in the state (He received 4 out of 5 stars.). Phillips ran a 4.74 40-yard dash, and according to ESPN, he has a skill that several OLBs don’t possess: coverage ability. From what I’ve seen, Phillips is quick off the snap, and he looks even faster once he breaks past the line of scrimmage. Oh, and to make the deal that much sweeter, Phillips decommitted with the Florida Gators in order to join his former high school teammate, LSU freshman RB Kenny Hilliard, in Death Valley.
Key Quote: “Phillips is dynamic and productive playing on the line of scrimmage; displays the playing strength and speed necessary to dominate as a pass rusher and run defender. Has the size and athleticism for the outside linebacker position at the major level of competition.” -ESPN.com
Avery Johnson
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