Ben Simmons Featured in LSU's '25 Is Coming' Ad Campaign

LSU is pulling out all the stops to make sure top basketball recruit Ben Simmons knows he is a superstar on campus by featuring him in a massive marketing push. 

ESPN's Darren Rovell tweeted out a picture of LSU's release on its "25 Is Coming" campaign that officially began Wednesday:

The release states the goal of the campaign is to ensure that "fans wishing to become season ticket holders will have the opportunity to lock in their season tickets for the 2015-16 men’s basketball season in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center."

Simmons even tweeted his number so everyone would be sure the school built the campaign around him:

"

Can't wait to throw on the Number 25 this season for #LSU

— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) May 21, 2015"

As Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports' The Dagger noted, this isn't the first time a school has used a major recruit for marketing purposes. He specifically cites Memphis' 2007 campaign that featured a red rose on billboards, hyping the arrival of Derrick Rose. 

LSU has built a solid basketball program, winning at least 18 games in each of the past four seasons, but Simmons' arrival has raised the Tigers' expectations. One elite recruit can change the fortune of an entire program, so expect a lot more eyes on Baton Rouge during basketball season.