Signing day has arrived, and LSU is looking to sign over 30 high school and transfer recruits. Brian Kelly’s 2023 class is currently ranked fifth in the country, which is pretty good for a guy that apparently isn’t a cultural fit for LSU. Yesterday I covered the offensive players currently committed to this class. Today I’ll go over the defensive recruits, including an elite cornerback group that has the potential to get better during the early signing period.

Defensive Line

DE 4* Dashawn Womack (6’4″/240) Baltimore, MD

• Strong and explosive prospect with verified 4.7 speed
• Top prospect in the state of Maryland

DE 4* Jaxon Howard (6’4″/245) Minneapolis, MN

• Possesses high end athleticism and versatility
• Also played tight end in high school

DE 3* Dylan Carpenter (6’3″/240) St. Amant, LA

• Multi-sport high school athlete

Transfer DE 3* Paris Shand (6’5″/240) University of Arizona

• Seven starts as a sophomore
• 2.5 sacks in 2022

Transfer DE 3* Bradyn Swinson (6’4″/245) University of Oregon

• Played in 30 games for Oregon
• Two years left to play

Transfer DT 4* Jalen Lee (6’3″/294) University of Florida

• Former LSU commitment in high school
• Watson, LA native

Linebacker

4* Whit Weeks (6’2″/205) Watkinsville, GA

• Physical player with above average lateral movement
• Older brother, West Weeks, currently plays for LSU

3* Christian Brathwaite (6’1″/225) Cypress, TX

• Uses hands well to shed blockers
• Shows ability to sift through traffic when blitzing

Cornerback

4* Javien Toviano (6’0″/185) Arlington, TX

• Versatile prospect with ability to also play safety

4* Daylen Austin (6’1″/180) Long Beach, CA

• Great ball skills
• High ceiling as returner
• Commitment not 100% solid, possible flip candidate

3* Jeremiah Hughes (6’1″/175) Las Vegas, NV

• Lengthy corner with multiple SEC offers

3* Ashton Stamps (6’0″/170) Metarie, LA

• Under the radar prospect who earned offer at LSU’s elite camp

Safety

4* Kylin Jackson (6’2″/200) Zachary, LA

• Elite run supporter with coverage skills

4* Ryan Yaites (6’0″/190) Denton, TX

• Smart player who showed off athleticism at cornerback in high school

4* Michael Daugherty (6’1″/180) Loganville, GA

• Flashes the ability to play both in the box and in coverage
• Acceleration contributes to his effectiveness when blitzing

Kelly has mentioned that he’s expecting the team to be young at cornerback in ’23, so that leads me to believe that he won’t add to that position group from the portal unless it’s an elite prospect. Texas A&M transfer and former five star recruit Denver Harris fits that description, but he won’t be an option unless Kelly is confident Harris’s off the field issues are behind him. LSU is also heavily in the mix for Desmond Ricks, who is considered by some services to be the top high school cornerback in the country. He’ll announce his decision Thursday. The defensive line group will be supplemented by transfers, as LSU needs both edge rusher and defensive tackle depth. I have bad news for the “stars don’t matter” crowd. The last three CFB national champions’ average ranking of their four recruiting classes leading up to their championship season was no lower than seventh. Georgia’s classes had an average of 2, Alabama 2, and LSU was the outlier at 7. However, LSU also had a coaching change within those four classes. Obviously, teams don’t have to have the top class every year. Teams have to identify, evaluate, and develop players on campus. LSU had a top 10 class in a transition year; I can’t wait to see what they do with continuity on the staff. Geaux Tigers!!