LSU Football: Tigers viewed as favorites to land elite 5-star recruit

LSU football appears to be the team to beat for an elite five-star recruit.

LSU football appears to be the program to beat for one of the nation’s top-rated 2021 recruits.

Five-star offensive tackle Tristan Leigh, 6-foot-5/270 lbs from Fairfax, VA (Robinson Secondary), is rated in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 2 player in the state of Virginia and the No. 3 offensive tackle in the nation. He’s also rated as the No. 11 overall recruit in the nation.

Rivals recruiting analyst Adam Friedman recently “ranked the contenders” for Leigh and he has LSU as the most likely program to land the elite offensive lineman.

“This is a very tight race but the Tigers hold an edge right now. There is a lot that Leigh likes about LSU but what will get him to eventually commit to Ed Orgeron’s squad is the consistent communication,” wrote Friedman.

The Rivals recruiting analyst added that Leigh’s family “feels very comfortable with the program as a whole”.

Leigh doesn’t currently have an expected commit date.

Why landing Leigh would be such a big get for LSU football

A commitment from Leigh would instantly vault the Tigers’ 2021 recruiting class up the team rankings. LSU currently has the No.6 rated class in the nation, but they’re poised to finish near the top of the rankings.

Leigh would also give LSU a dominant tackle on the offensive line.

Tigers offensive line coach James Cregg told a recruit recently that LSU didn’t have a true offensive tackle on the offensive line last year. Imagine what Cregg could do with a player like Leigh?!?!

Leigh is described by 247Sports director of scouting Barton Simmons as a “nasty, blue collar, effort player”. Simmons also notes that Leigh has the “upside to be a multi-year impact Power Five starter with the potential to develop into a mid to early round draft pick”.