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LSU Tigers football: Coach Prime’s loss is Death Valley’s gain

By John Fye

Nov 26, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; The LSU Tigers take the field before the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the LSU Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; The LSU Tigers take the field before the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the LSU Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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The LSU Tigers gained another major in-state recruit on Monday. 4-star athlete and former Colorado pledge Ju’Juan Johnson committed to the Bayou Bengals.

If there’s a sign the LSU Tigers have turned a corner with Brian Kelly, it’s their ability to close. Indeed, Kelly did just that by closing Ju’Juan Johnson during his weekend visit to Baton Rouge. Johnson, the 7th-ranked prospect in Louisiana, canceled his remaining visits and shut down his recruiting after his Death Valley trip. The Lafayette Christian Academy quarterback committed to the LSU Tigers on the Culotta Show.

Ju’Juan Johnson originally committed to the Colorado Buffaloes in February and attended their Spring game in Boulder. However, he reopened his recruitment after some personal reflection.

“Colorado is a great place. It was definitely more about my heart and a few other things that confirmed I made a decision too fast,” Johnson told On3.

The Buffaloes continued their efforts to reel Johnson back to Boulder, but ultimately, the prospect of playing in his home state was too much to pass up. The 5-11 and 185-pound athlete figures to play a position of need for the Tigers, cornerback. On3 recently ranked him the 21st cornerback in the 2024 recruiting class.

Adding Ju’Juan Johnson is enormous for the LSU Tigers defense. Johnson adds to a position group that has struggled to fill the depth chart since Kelly entered Baton Rouge. As such, LSU has relied mainly on the transfer portal to shore up its secondary since 2021. However, commitments from dynamic high school athletes like Johnson are a considerable step toward shifting the paradigm. Also, Johnson’s pledge to the LSU Tigers is another significant in-state gain for Kelly.

Kelly has secured commitments from half the top 10 high school football recruits in Louisiana’s 2024 class. Fans will recall the head coach’s promise to get LSU back to controlling in-state recruiting upon taking the job before the 2022 season.

Next. LSU’s ‘must get’ recruit for the 2024 class. dark

Thus far, Kelly continues to do just that.

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