By Kris Brauner
SouthernPigskin.com

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LSU recruiting continues attract blue bloods from out of Louisiana and instate like Newman wide receiver Odell Beckham.

Recruiting news has been a little slow since the season started, and that’s not atypical for this time of year. Most prospects either want to make a decision prior to their season, or they want to take some visits after their season and decide in December or January. However, we do have some interesting things to report.

First, we’ll take a look at the numbers:

LSU is sitting at 17 commitments. I find it hard to believe that junior college punter Dalton Botts will be a part of this class come February. LSU took his commitment when it looked like Brad Wing would not be eligible. Since Wing became eligible, I think Botts ends up elsewhere. However, current offensive lineman Cameron Fordham is currently walking on but will go on scholarship next year. So he will count against the Class of 2011. Therefore, we’ll still go with 17 as the number for now.

By my count, LSU is at 79 scholarship players right now, and they have nine seniors on the team. It’s probably safe to assume that Patrick Peterson will leave early for the NFL too. That leaves 16 spots available to add with the Class of 2011. However, we’ll of course see some attrition during the off-season and I fully expect LSU to sign around 22 to 25 players in this class. So that means they can take around five to eight more.

The primary focus of the remainder of this recruiting class is on the uncommitted targets within the state of Louisiana. The “Big Four” will dictate just how special this LSU class can be.

Newman wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. seems the most likely to end the process soon. Most have considered him a lean to LSU for a while, but Beckham has also been seriously considering Miami. With the Canes struggling a bit on the field and suffering some instability in their coaching ranks, Beckham may be leaning even more towards an LSU Commitment.

Thibodaux offensive lineman Greg Robinson is trying to decide between LSU and Auburn. While Auburn held a solid lead over Robinson at one point, he now admits things are even. He and his family have made multiple visits to LSU since the season started, and the word is that his family prefers him to stay close to home. My gut feeling is that Robinson slightly prefers Auburn, but the family may be enough to keep him home. Robinson is taking official visits to both schools and then deciding soon after. His visit to Auburn is this weekend for the LSU game. He will visit LSU when they play Alabama in a couple of weeks.

Evangel defensive end Jermauria Rasco is the toughest to figure out. He does not tip his hand as to where he’s leaning. Texas, LSU, Alabama, and Florida State are all in the picture. He’s very important to LSU’s class since the Tigers do not have many other defensive ends on their radar. Hopefully, he has noticed the play of smaller defensive ends in LSU’s defense such as Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo. Brick Haley is recruiting Rasco for LSU and reportedly has an outstanding relationship with Rasco.

St. Paul’s defensive tackle Mickey Johnson has notably been all over the place during his recruitment. He seemingly names a new leader and a new top five with each interview. But I get the feel that Johnson is LSU’s to lose. After all of the visits have been taken and all of the fun has been had, a lot of reasons point to Johnson ultimately landing at LSU.

LSU is still taking a look at a couple of other in-state players as well.

East St. John defensive back Floyd Raven shot up the recruiting rankings after a couple of very strong camp performances this summer. However, he was unable to work out at LSU’s camp due to an injury. Most of his junior film was from him playing linebacker so LSU’s coaches have not seen him in action as a defensive back. They are still evaluating him, and we could see some movement on that front sometime soon. I like Raven a lot personally. He’s a guy that was tough enough to play a season at linebacker, yet wowed multiple scouts with his coverage at two different camps. It sounds like the makeup of a physical cover corner or even a free safety at the college level. Whether Raven gets offered may depend on the amount of room left in LSU’s class as much as his ability.

Despite several off the field incidents, the Tigers are apparently still recruiting Benton safety T.K. Fleming. Fleming’s talent is obvious, but he has struggled to keep things together in the classroom and in society. LSU is still talking to him, though it is unclear if they would be willing to accept a commitment from him right now. Several other schools have backed off.

LSU is also looking out of state to fill out some of the remaining spots.

First and foremost is probably the most important prospect in this entire class, quarterback Zack Mettenberger. The former Georgia Bulldog is now at Butler Community College, and he offers an instant solution to the huge gap on LSU’s roster at the quarterback position following the departure of Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson. Mettenberger has an LSU offer and is planning to visit for the Ole Miss game. Things look very good for the Tigers right now, and I fully expect Mettenberger to commit to LSU on his visit or shortly after. Texas A&M is LSU’s biggest competition for Mettenberger at this point. Zack will be a mid-term graduate and will be on campus for spring practice. He will then have three years of eligibility remaining. He could compete for the starting position next year. Through eight games at Butler, Mettenberger is completing 57% of his passes and has 1,820 yards with 23 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He has a very nice 9.57 yards per pass attempt.

Mettenberger is not the only quarterback still interested in LSU. West Palm Beach prospect Jacoby Brissett is still very much on LSU’s radar. The 6’5″ 225 pound prospect continues to look at Florida State and others in addition to LSU. Brissett’s teammate, linebacker Curt Maggitt is also considering the Tigers and both plan on visiting Baton Rouge together. The two have expressed a desire to play college ball together, and that may help LSU’s chances. Would LSU take both Brissett and Mettenberger even with Stephen Rivers already committed? I think they would.

The most recent rumors have Miami quarterback prospect Teddy Bridgewater re-considering his commitment to Miami due to the negativity around their program right now. One of the schools rumored to possibly enter the mix is LSU. Bridgewater’s high school teammate, receiver Eli Rogers, has already de-committed from the Canes and may be considering LSU as well. It’s unclear whether LSU has any interest in Rogers. We’ll see if this pair of teammates decides to visit LSU at some point too.

Florida defensive tackle Tim Jernigan has consistently listed LSU among his favorites, and the Tigers are doing a great job recruiting him. Jernigan is a blue-chip prospect and is on nearly every national Top 100 list. The Gators have been LSU’s biggest competition for Jernigan thus far. However, their recent struggles as well as some recent comments by players could have Jernigan cooling on the Gators. Florida State could also be in the picture for Jernigan.

With Anthony Johnson and Quentin Thomas already on board, would LSU take both Tim Jernigan and Mickey Johnson? That’s a very good question. Finding stud defensive tackles is pretty difficult. If it were up to me, I would take them all. LSU signed just one last year, JC Copeland, and he is currently playing fullback. (Ego Ferguson may ultimately end up inside as well).

Though mentioned above, West Palm Beach linebacker Curt Maggitt is now a possibility. The staff has been trying to find a big-time linebacker to go with Trevon Randle, and Maggitt fits the bill. These smaller linebackers from Florida (Ali Highsmith, Ryan Baker) have worked out well for LSU recently.