LSU Football Recruiting 2020: Top Recruits Landed, Class Predictions

After going 15-0 and winning the national championship in the 2019 season, LSU hasn't had nearly as much success in 2020. The Tigers are 4-5 entering their season finale against Ole Miss on Saturday, and they self-imposed a one-year bowl ban following an NCAA investigation into improper booster payments.

However, the lack of on-field success this year hasn't negatively affected LSU's recruiting efforts. The Tigers currently have the No. 4-ranked 2021 class in the country (behind only Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia) per the 247Sports team rankings.

It's possible that LSU's class is going to get even stronger over the next three days, as the early signing period is set to begin Wednesday. Many recruits have not only sent in national letters of intent during this time in recent years, they've also used the period to announce their college decisions. So, the Tigers could land a few new commits while also locking in some of those who have already committed this week.

Here's a look at the top recruits LSU has landed so far, followed by some predictions heading into the early signing period.

Top Recruits Landed

Bob Levey/Associated Press

5-star S Sage Ryan (Lafayette Christian Academy, Lafayette, La.)

4-star LB Raesjon Davis (Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana, Calif.)

4-star WR JoJo Earle (Aledo High School, Aledo, Texas)

4-star S Derrick Davis Jr. (Gateway High School, Monroeville, Pa.)

4-star WR Deion Smith (Jackson Academy, Jackson, Miss.)

4-star WR Chris Hilton (Zachary High School, Zachary, La.)

4-star QB Garrett Nussmeier (Marcus High School, Flower Mound, Texas)

4-star OT Garrett Dellinger (Clarkston High School, Clarkston, Mich.)

4-star DE Landon Jackson (Pleasant Grove High School, Texarkana, Texas)

4-star RB Corey Kiner (Roger Bacon High School, Cincinnati)

4-star DE Saivion Jones (St. James High School, St. James, La.)

4-star DE Keanu Koht (Vero Beach High School, Vero Beach, Fla.)

4-star LB Greg Penn III (DeMatha Catholic High School, Hyattsville, Md.)

4-star LB Zavier Carter (Hapeville Charter Career Academy, Atlanta)

4-star WR Jack Bech (St. Thomas More Catholic High School, Lafayette, La.)

A complete list of LSU's 2021 class can be found at 247Sports.

LSU Lands 1 5-Star D, but Misses out on Another

John Raoux/Associated Press

One of the top uncommitted recruits making a college decision on Wednesday is 5-star defensive tackle Maason Smith, who currently attends Terrebonne High School in Houma, La. If the Tigers can land him, he'd be the second 5-star recruit in their class, and both would be from in state.

Along with LSU, Smith is still considering numerous other schools, including SEC rivals Alabama, Florida and Georgia. 

Smith, who is announcing his decision at 4:30 p.m. ET, should be choosing the Tigers, who are a heavy favorite, per the 247Sports Crystal Ball. It'll be a huge addition to their class, as Smith is the No. 2 defensive tackle and No. 18 overall recruit in the 2021 class per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

LSU is also one of five schools still in the running for 5-star defensive end Korey Foreman out of Centennial High School in Corona, Calif., who is the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2021 class, per 247Sports Composite rankings. He's also considering Arizona State, Clemson, Georgia and USC, and he won't be making his decision until Jan. 2.

The Tigers are not as likely to land Foreman, though, as he recently canceled a scheduled trip to LSU. But it won't hurt the Tigers as much, considering they'll have landed Smith by then.

Top JUCO MLB in Country Will Head to LSU

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

For more than six months, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College linebacker Navonteque Strong had been committed to Mississippi State. Then, on Tuesday night, he announced that he was decommitting from the Bulldogs. And that could end up meaning good things for LSU.

The Tigers have been pushing to land Strong, and they're now the strong 247Sports Crystal Ball favorite to do so following Tuesday's news. A 3-star recruit, Strong is the No. 1 JUCO inside linebacker and No. 18 overall JUCO recruit in the 2021 class per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Most importantly, LSU could use another inside linebacker in this year's class. Right now, 4-star Greg Penn III (DeMatha Catholic High School, Hyattsville, Md.) is the only one who has committed to the Tigers. So, adding Strong to the mix could provide a boost at a key defensive position.

It's only been a few weeks since LSU gave Strong an offer, so it's an encouraging sign that he reopened his recruitment so soon after. The Tigers should soon land a commitment from Strong, perhaps even later this week.

LSU Will End Up with Top-5 Class for 3rd Straight Year

Sam Craft/Associated Press

In the 2020 recruiting cycle, only five of LSU's 22 commits came from Louisiana. It worked out for the Tigers, as they had the No. 4 class in the nation, per the 247Sports team rankings, marking the second year in a row they finished in the top five.

LSU has six Louisiana recruits among its 19 commits in the 2021 class, and head coach Ed Orgeron has indicated he's going to keep focusing on in-state talent and players from the Tigers' recruiting hot spots. But they've also been pulling in players from all over the nation to great success.

"Now, if a young man from the state of California is a great player, and he calls us and tells us he wants to come, I'm going to take him," Orgeron recently said, according to Brooks Kubena of The Advocate. "If a guy's from Washington, I'm going to take him. Florida. Atlanta. Whatever it is. ... So it's always going to be Louisiana, Houston and Dallas and then specific needs around the country."

Even with LSU's drop off in production from last season, it's clear that the program is still in good position to bounce back in future years. And that should be enough for the Tigers to add a few more talented recruits to their 2021 class (in the next few days and over the rest of the cycle) and solidify a top-five class ranking for the third year in a row.

Then, perhaps Orgeron and LSU will be back on the rise again for the 2021 season and beyond.