Will LSU football land their two biggest remaining recruiting targets?

LSU football head coach Ed Orgeron is hoping for a strong finish to the Tigers’ 2020 recruiting cycle on National Signing Day.

The early signing period in December has caused National Signing Day to lose some of its luster, but LSU football head coach Ed Orgeron is still hoping for some fireworks on Wednesday.

Orgeron made it clear during a recent interview on WWL Radio in New Orleans that he’s targeting two highly rated defensive linemen.

“We’re after two of the top defensive linemen in the country right now….so things are looking up”, said Orgeron during a radio interview on Monday evening.

The two defensive linemen that Coach O referenced are five-star defensive tackle Jordan Burch and four-star defensive tackle McKinnely Jackson.

Burch is committed to South Carolina. And he visited the Gamecocks during the final weekend before signing day. It’s been widely reported that Burch’s mother would prefer that he go to South Carolina (closer to home), but LSU has certainly given Burch plenty to think about.

At this point, it’s hard to see Burch flipping from South Carolina. But if his heart is set on Baton Rouge, then perhaps he dons a LSU hat on Wednesday.

As for Jackson, it appears that Alabama is the favorite there. Jackson visited LSU last month, so maybe the Tigers were able to do enough to convince the four-star recruit to join the reigning national champions. It’s always tough, though, to be out Alabama for any recruit — even when Alabama was seemingly “down” in 2019 (if two losses are considered being down for a program).

It’s always best to expect the unexpected on signing day. So while it seems like LSU might miss on their two biggest remaining targets, I wouldn’t be shocked if they land both, either.