Latest LSU football de-commitment exposes annoying recruiting trend

Cornerback Zion Ferguson de-committed from the 2024 LSU football recruiting class on Sunday. It is further proof of an annoying college recruiting trend.

LSU football fans must come to terms with the annoying recruiting trend: players commit early, miss the attention, de-commit, and restart the process. Such is the case with the Tigers’ latest de-commitment, 4-star defensive back Zion Ferguson from Gainesville (Ga.).

https://twitter.com/zionferguson8/status/1672991053270360065?s=61&t=ESq0p3JtisyFxqWYGfdGLg

Ferguson committed to LSU football in September 2022. The 37-ranked cornerback in the 2024 class is a lifelong Tigers fan that claimed he “followed his heart” to Baton Rouge. But things (apparently) changed ten months, and a trip to Chapel Hill later.

Ferguson committed to North Carolina shortly after his official visit with the Tar Heels. In hindsight, such is not surprising considering Ferguson’s comments in May.

“They’ve had contact with me daily, Ferguson told On3. “They have been talking to me and my parents. Coach Mack Brown, I like that he has a plan for me.”

Ferguson’s de-commitment comes days after 4-star safety Maurice Williams reneged on his commitment to LSU football. But, of course, 4-star tight end Trayvon Galloway also departed Brian Kelly’s 2024 class on June 11.

The common denominator among Ferguson, Williams, and Galloway is that each claimed or alluded to no longer fitting into the LSU football program. This dynamic is interesting, considering few players in high school, if any, are guaranteed roles on a collegiate roster. Instead, college coaches like Kelly provide recruits with expectations and a glide path to such.

Ultimately, every player entering a college football program must work to secure their place on the roster. As such, there’s an argument that Ferguson, Williams, and Galloway aren’t willing to work as hard for LSU football to earn their roles. Indeed, there are simpler paths to playing time at programs in North Carolina and Orlando.

It appears that 2024 LSU football commit Ja’Juan Johnson gets it.

https://twitter.com/jujuanjohnson7/status/1673004114890948612?s=61&t=ESq0p3JtisyFxqWYGfdGLg

Regardless, we think the de-commitment trend is more about players seeking or reveling in the attention from college coaches. For example, it was no secret that Brown pushed hard for Ferguson’s attention after his LSU commitment. Conversely, the Tigers did not forget about Ferguson, but their focus understandably shifted to the next player.

Recency bias has much to do with situations like Zion Ferguson’s. His most recent visit was to North Carolina; thus, all the emotion he felt during his last trip to Baton Rouge is somewhat forgotten. We can say the same about Galloway, who was recently photographed during an official visit to UCF.

We’re not hating on the players whatsoever. Regardless of their reasoning, these young men can choose the program they want to play for. However, their situations are frustrating, becoming too frequent, and dampening our excitement toward LSU football recruiting.

The 2024 LSU football class drops a tad after losing Ferguson but remains ranked 13th in the nation.