LSU Football: Tigers will have to wait on elite in-state recruit

One of LSU football‘s top 2022 recruiting targets is four-star offensive lineman Emery Jones.

Jones is a player the Tigers absolutely have to land.

That’s because Jones is a Baton Rouge native.

And LSU obviously can’t miss on elite talent in Baton Rouge.

But it sounds like they’re going to have to do some work to convince Jones to commit to the Tigers.

LSU football recruiting target pushes back commitment date

Jones,6-foot-4/330 lbs, is a heavily sought-after recruit that is also being pursued by programs like Alabama and Florida. He’s ranked in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 5 offensive guard in the country.

This isn’t a slam dunk for the Tigers. And that’s evidenced by the fact that Jones pushed his commitment date back this week.

Jones was slated to commit on March 10, but the lack of visits this spring has prompted him to push his commitment back. He currently doesn’t have a timetable.

“I’m not going to commit March 10 anymore,” said Jones to Rivals this week. “We didn’t think they were going to push the dead period back again.”

It’s clear that Jones needs more time — and visits — before making his decision.

I still tend to think, however, that LSU is the favorite here. Jones was beyond excited when he was offered by Ed Orgeron and the Tigers last May.

“It was mind-blowing,” said Jones to Rivals after being offered by LSU. “I was speechless. All I could keep saying was thank you and yes sir. Coach Orgeron simply told me that he is looking forward to recruiting me.”

I think this is a situation where Jones wants to do his due diligence and make sure he’s covering all his bases. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that. This is a huge decision for the young offensive lineman.