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LSU Recruiting: Tigers looking to add some 5-stars to 2018 class

ByRyan Micklin|
BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 14: Rickey Jefferson
BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 14: Rickey Jefferson

LSU’s 2018 recruiting class is currently comprised of 20 uber-talented athletes, but it’s missing one thing. It’s almost August and LSU has yet to gain a verbal commitment from a 5-star prospect.

This is what LSU Tigers fans have come to expect. Every recruiting class that LSU has finalized dating back to 2014 has featured atleast one elite 5 star recruit.

Fortunately for Tiger fans, head coach Ed Orgeron has a plan in place to keep this impressive trend alive for atleast another year.

There are two 5-star prospects that have sat atop LSU’s 2018 big board for months now and they likely will be viewed as priority targets until National Signing Day seven months from now.

Let me introduce them to you.

Terrace Marshall

Terrace Marshall is a big-bodied receiver who stands at 6-foot-3. Marshall’s elite athleticism allows him to effortlessly highpoint balls over the backs of disadvantaged defenders.

The 5-star talent pitted his skills against elite competition at Nike’s The Opening Finals last week and Marshall did not disappoint. Recruiting analysts from around the country took note of his performance which led to a boost in his overall ranking. The 247Sports’s updated composite rankings now peg Marshall as the no. 8 overall recruit and Louisiana’s top ranked prospect in the 2018 recruiting class.

Marshall is preparing for his senior season at Parkway High where he plays alongside his best friend, Justin Rodgers. Rodgers, a 4 star QB, made national headlines in May when he committed to TCU over the in-state Tigers.

Because of the unique relationship that the two teammates share with each other, many recruiting analysts began to speculate that Marshall would follow Rodgers to TCU. These speculations were quickly aborted when TCU was excluded from Marshall’s list of top schools that included LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, and Miami.

Marshall wont be making a decision until Dec. 22, which falls on the last day of the NCAA’s newly minted early signing period. LSU currently owns 86 percent of the 247sports’ crystal ball predictions.

Patrick Surtain Jr.

Recruiting junkies are very aware that Florida is known for more than just sandy beaches and Disney World. The Sunshine State practically doubles as a factory that consistently manufactures some of the best high school talent in the country.

Patrick Surtain Jr. is a shutdown corner from American Heritage High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Last summer, Surtain generated enough buzz to earn an invite to Nike’s The Opening Finals as an underclassman and while the budding prospect was in Oregon he tabbed LSU as his leading school.

In an interview with SEC Country’s Sam Spiegelman, the 5 star CB admitted that at one point he was very close to committing to LSU.

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Surtain was invited back to Nike’s The Opening Finals last week where he showcased his defensive prowess. His performance at one of the biggest recruiting functions of the year prompted 247Sports to bump him up to No. 3 in the 2018 recruiting class.

Surtain hails from NFL pedigree. His father, Patrick Surtain enjoyed an 11-year career in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. Surtain’s father is a Louisiana native that played his college ball at Southern Miss.

Surtain recently told SEC Country that he will be taking an unofficial visit to LSU this weekend and will be returning to Baton Rouge for an official visit in the Fall.

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Surtain gave his verbal commitment to Orgeron and the LSU Tigers during one of his impending stops in Baton Rouge.

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