LSU Football: The Tigers’ biggest remaining 2022 recruiting target

LSU football is well on its way to putting together one of the top 2022 recruiting classes in the nation.

The Tigers currently have 10 players committed to their 2022 recruiting class, which is ranked No. overall.

Of course, with 10 players committed, that means LSU’s work isn’t even halfway finished yet.

The Tigers still have a lot of recruiting left to do.

And one of their biggest remaining targets is an in-state player.

LSU football’s biggest remaining recruiting target?

A lot of folks probably feel like five-star defensive tackle Walter Nolen is LSU’s top remaining recruiting target.

I certainly understand the logic behind that thought process.

Nolen is ranked as the No. 2 overall player in the 2022 recruiting class in 247Sports’ composite rankings. He’s also the top uncommitted player.

But I don’t think he should be LSU’s top remaining 2022 target (though it’s worth noting that LSU is a factor for Nolen).

I think that distinction should belong to five-star safety Jacoby Matthews, the nation’s No. 32 overall player.

Mathews is the top remaining uncommitted player in the state of Louisiana. And he’s a five-star player.

Those two factors combined make Mathews a must-get player for the Tigers (LSU simply can’t lose five-star in-state players).

But just because Mathews is from Louisiana, doesn’t mean he’s automatically on his way to Baton Rouge.

Mathews recently told Rivals that Florida is “definitely” in his top three schools. The Gators appear to be a legitimate threat to LSU for Mathews’ commitment.

Now, do I actually think that Florida can go into Louisiana and steal Mathews?

I tend to think no. Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron doesn’t usually miss on elite in-state talent.

And I ultimately think Mathews will choose to sign with LSU — the program widely considered “DBU”.

But there are no sure things when it comes to recruiting, which means the Tigers need to put the full-court press on Mathews to make sure he stays in-state.