Why LSU Refused to Pay a Louisiana 5-Star

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A Louisiana five star is leaving the state. How did it happen? We'll tell you. Locked on L.S.U.

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here we go.

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You are Locked on lsu, your daily podcast on the LSU Tigers, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day.

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Okay, let's get it. It is Locked on lsu. Your team every day. I'm your host, Matt Moscona. Five star offensive lineman Albert Simeon from Lake Charles, Sam Houston has committed to Notre Dame. Now, if you watch the announcement, you saw him sort of jostle with the LSU hat, the old Miss hat. I don't love that component of it. If schools spend a lot of time and resource and coaches spend time and resource recruiting, you I him more respect than that. But regardless, there's a couple things that I think are important to mention as we start. Number one, Albert Simeon is a fantastic football player and prospect. Okay, before I go any further, what I will never do is sit here and tell you the guy that doesn't commit to lsu, he's not that good. You didn't really want him. No, he's a good player and they wanted him. When you look at Albert Simeon, his profile tells the story. He is 63295 in the Rivals industry ranking, the number 20 overall prospect. So that's regardless of position. He's a top 20 prospect, the number two interior offensive lineman. If you look at the rating services, Rivals ranks him the number two interior offensive lineman. ESPN ranks him the number one interior offensive lineman. 247 ranks him the number three interior offensive lineman. So regardless of what service you're looking at, they all think he's awesome. And he had offers from everyone. Because I often talk about it's not necessarily the rating of the star ranking or Any of that sort of stuff. It's about who offered. Well, he committed to Notre Dame and Nebraska, A&M, LSU, Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Auburn, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida State. Everybody, I mean everybody wanted this kid because he's a giant athletic interior offensive lineman and he's a five star. And normally LSU goes all in to make sure five star players from the state of Louisiana stay in the state of Louisiana. You put the fence around the state, as Nick Saban was fond of saying when he came to Baton Rouge. And something that his predecessors, excuse me, his successors have done a great job since it's y LSU has had the success largely that it has over the last two and a half decades. Well, we are seeing just a change, a change in the approach in the way that you go about recruiting. And I wanted to start by saying Albert Simeon is a great player and you would love to have Albert Simeon at lsu. Make no mistake about that. That is true. But two things can be true at the same time, which is one, you would love to have Albert Simeon and two is how Lane Kiffin and this staff approach high school recruiting.

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I challenge our guys to make sure we evaluate who they are really, really well who is the player as they're coming out of high school because how, what is their mindset, how competitive are they? You know, because what's going to happen is most likely it's not going to go like they want in the first year and then get into your analytics of okay, well if they're going to or you're going to pay them and then they're going to leave after year one, then what did you really get out of them from a business sense versus the money going somewhere else. So I really tried to find that in tight ends, but in all of our players who really are they in nowadays set up that it is so that they are competitive enough that this is the place they want to be at and not come into a place for a check because then all of a sudden doesn't go well, they'll get another check somewhere else and are they going to stay through some adversity which is what they need to play through to as a good player. So obviously character was always part of the evaluation, but I've moved it a lot higher now because of the ability to leave where before you got the 17 year old, well, he was really stuck with you for four years so he had to eventually buy Henry, which just was never going to play. Now they really don't have to. They should go somewhere else.

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We've Played that clip on this show, I don't know, ten bajillion times. But it continues to be true. And it's why I keep playing it, to hammer into your head the new way that LSU is going about recruiting. It's a five star from Louisiana. Do you want to keep him here? Yes, absolutely. Are you willing to spend the money it will take to get a five star to your campus knowing he's not going to play as a freshman? And the answer to that unequivocally is no. We've seen it now already with two prospects in this class, five stars that LSU wanted that were in the mix and ultimately they, they let fly. Joshua Dobson was the first five star cornerback from North Carolina. All throughout his process, LSU was the leader. And when it came time to talk money, all of a sudden Dobson puts out his five finalists and LSU isn't on the list. What happened? Well, you look to 2027, where DJ Pickett's going to be a junior and PJ Woodland's going to be a senior and Jakeem Jackson's going to be a senior and you're returning Haven Finney and Nate Nandy coming off of injury. And where does he fit at bet? At best he's your number three. At best you're gonna pay a five star like a number one when he's gonna come in to be your number three? No, you're not. So you let him go somewhere else. And then in 2028, when Pickett and Wooden, Woodland and, and, and Jackson are all gone and you need to supplement that room. Now you can go spend either in the Portal or the freshman ranks to get a guy that you really want, but you're not gonna spend for the vanity of getting a five star when you understand that player is not going to play. And if you don't believe me, fine. I mean, Shay Dixon told you this was happening earlier this week.

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That's Friday. I do not expect it to be lsu. And that's not a shock to anyone. I don't think that pays attention to high school recruiting. He. If you can remember, there was a wave of official visitors back in mid April and then there was like a big gap and then we hit June and it was like back to back to back to back. Well, he was in that first wave. We haven't seen him back on campus since. He's made for a long time. I mean he probably made 10 visits to a and M over the course of his recruitment. And everyone had thought A and M and it may well be but Notre Dame's always hung around. Freeman came down to Louisiana to recruit him. His family's liked Notre Dame. I mean, I think that obviously they're picked. Are they preseason favorites to win the Natty? Like they're in a good spot as a program. He makes his official visit this past weekend. Matt, I often say watch what they do, not what they say. When all of a sudden, Ford, he got home on Monday and told Steve Wiltfong, by Wednesday I can have a private decision. And then hours later tells Hayes Fawcett that he will announce a decision by Friday. That means your decision is probably made and if you're doing it that quickly, coming off a Notre Dame visit, if I'm A and M, I'm a little bit nervous now knowing that, okay, hold up. This is probably not as quickly as we anticipated this decision happening. So everybody's picks have been on A and M. I wouldn't be shocked if Notre Dame ends up pulling this off. But LSU's put the focus elsewhere and again, like I said, not a big surprise. He visited in April and hasn't been back since. And if you're kind of watching what guys do, that's not the actions of a kid who's likely to commit to you.

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Jay Dixon told you the answer to the test earlier this week. If you, if you're an everydayer that this wasn't going to be lsu and for all the reasons we've talked about now, I will say that you never want to see Louisiana guys leave, ever. You want to keep them home. However, it's inevitable some guys are going to leave the state and that's okay when it happens. But you'd rather a Joe McKnight situation than a Devonte Smith situation. You'd rather the late, great Joe McKnight go to Southern Cal where you never see him again, then devonte Smith go to Alabama where he comes into Tiger Stadium and goes off for 200 yards receiving, right, and wins a Heisman Trophy at your division at the time division rival. So for Albert Simeon, while it stings watching him leave the state, it's better that he's going to South Bend, pack a parka Albert, then go on a College Station or Oxford. So you'd much rather see him go to Notre Dame where the only way you ever see him is if you see him in the playoff. And in that situation. Okay, but you know, I'll bring your attention back to the Lane Kiffin cut we played a bit ago and the best example is Lance Hurdle. Lance Hurd was a five star offensive tackle from Neville in North Louisiana. He signs with lsu. He sits for a year as a freshman and he leaves and he goes to Tennessee and plays for a couple of years. Hits the portal again. Now he's at Kentucky. What did LSU get for the money they spent on Lance Hurt his freshman year? Nothing. Nothing. So it doesn't make sense to pay a a freshman or any player that is not going to contribute. What finite amount of resources you have to spend on your roster, you have to spend on players that are going to play and contribute. Think of it like the NFL model. If you make the team and you're dressed on Sundays, you are playing. Everyone that's dressed on a Sunday is playing. And similar here. If you are going to pay a player to be on your team, they've got to be able to contribute. Now the other part of this is what this means for LSU's offensive line moving forward. And that's the more important thing. I'll never cheer against a young player. Wish Albert Simeon all the best, hope he goes Notre Dame and has a great career and is awesome. But what does this mean for LSU's offensive line in 2027? There's a really interesting dynamic because the parallels with Notre Dame and LSU really tell you the story, and I'll get to that here in a second as we continue. It's locked on lsu, your team, every day. The biggest stage in world soccer is here, and every match feels like it has the potential for a memorable moment. One goal can completely change the energy of a game, shift momentum and alter the outcome in an instant. That's what makes tournament soccer so exciting, from the opening whistle to the final kick. And now FanDuel is giving fans another reason to stay locked into every match with every goal pays. Bet on a match and get bonus bets for every goal scored in that match. More goals means more bonus bets. All you have to do is turn on your token. You're watching the United States. Maybe you're obsessed with the Dutch soccer fans, the Orange army like I am, or Norway with their rowing, and you want to bet on those teams as well. You can do it. And you can benefit from each goal scored from the opening whistle to the final kick. Let there be goals on FanDuel. Visit FanDuel.com to get started. That's FanDuel.com to get Started. Running a business shouldn't feel like you're on a connect a bunch of systems that were never really designed to work together anyway. 1. You know, one app for accounting, another for inventory, another app for sales and somehow none of them talk to each other. Well, that's where Odoo comes in. Odoo is an all in one business management software that brings every part of your business together in one powerful platform. From sales and accounting to inventory and marketing, everything works in one place, helping your team move faster, stay organized and focus. Focus on growing the business instead of managing software. The best organizations know success isn't just about talent. It's about having everyone working toward the same goal. That's true in sports, just like it is in business. Think about Lane Kiffin staff from his recruiting staff, the support staff, Billy Glascock having the financial conversations, the assistant coaches talking positionally about how that player is going to fit in during a recruiting visit. And then you've got Lane Kiffin. You've got the emotion of all of it. Guys that know LSU's culture, culture like Jeff Martin and J.R. belton. All of it works together because great organizations win. Because operations matter. And that's why you should get Odoo. Try for free today@odoo.com LockedOn that's O D O O.com LockedOn finding ways to

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So Albert Simeon has picked Notre Dame. And we've already seen now every elite offensive lineman in this class of 2027 that LSU has been recruiting. Every single one of them has picked another school. And it's not because LSU doesn't have a lot to offer. It's because LSU is not going to pay. Elite level freshman offensive lineman Albert Simeon picked Notre Dame. Kennedy Brown has committed to Texas A M. Mark Matthews, the offensive tackle out of Fort Lauderdale picked Texas A M. You can go down the list. Kennedy Jackson has picked Georgia. You can go down the list of players that LSU has courted during this this recruiting cycle. And the elite level offensive linemen are not picking lsu. And it's not because there isn't an opportunity long term at lsu. It's that the way LSU built their offensive line. If you if hop in the DeLorean crank that thing up to 88. Go back to when Lane Kiffin and his staff showed up here, LSU's offensive line in 2026, listen, or 2025, excuse me, if you watch this team like I did, was inarguably the weakest position group on the team. Not even a debate. It was the worst position group on the team. So Lane Kiffin and his staff come in and they have a decision to make. Do you retain this group of guys that has a lot of experience but has not played well or do you blow it up? You know, do you bring back all the guys from DJ Chester and all of the players that have been multi year players on this offensive line that have played a lot of games, Tyree Adams, all of them. Or do you let all these guys walk and you start over with guys that you think fit what you want and they made the decision to say blow it up. Okay, so they go in the portal and they end up adding double digit offensive linemen with varying degrees of experience and varying degrees of eligibility remain. You go in the transfer portal and you add Jordan Seon to be your starting left tackle, knowing full well that after this season Jordan Seaton's going to the NFL. He's going to be a top 10, top 15 pick. You go add Aluba, he's in his fifth year, his final year of eligibility, start his career at Georgia, took a red shirt, went to Maryland, two year starter in the Big Ten, immediate plug and play at your right guard spot. You brought back, brought back Braylon Moore, who's your best offensive lineman a year ago. But you add William Satterwhite from Tennessee, Jaquan Sprinkle from NC Central, Jamar Jones from Nichols. You added Jacobi Jones from Colon, Kapiah Lincoln, Sean Tompkins from Baylor. You had a Darren Stray from Kentucky, Devin Harper from Ole Miss. You get my point. You went and added a bunch of dudes, interior lineman, center tackles with varying degrees of experience and remaining eligibility as well to build your line. And one thing that I've been told from people within this program is they have begun working on multi year contracts with players, not just one year deals, but two and three year contracts. So they are in a sense trusting their evaluation. Because think of it this way, if you want to give a player a two or three year deal, you are guaranteeing you're going to pay them for two or three years. So put yourself in a professional sports mindset. If you're going to pay them, if you're going to guarantee them multi years, you're trusting that this is going to be a good player that contributes for you over multiple years. You're contributing future money already to this player and there's a risk reward. The risk is the player's not any good, the player gets injured, doesn't contribute for you. The reward is the player comes and maybe outplays the contract you gave them, but you were willing to bet on them and give them multi year deal. And think back to what Kiffin said. Character who wants to be here. That's what they're banking on right now. It's not just about who's going to get a check, it's who wants to be here that'll be here for the longevity. That's how you build stability and a foundation on this, on this roster. So think of it this way. Notre Dame this year is returning from its offensive line four starters. They're losing left guard Billy Shroud, so they will return Anthony Knapp, Ashton Craig, Gerby Lambert, Emil Wagner. Well, when you Fast forward to 2027, they're going to have massive turnover on that offensive line at Notre Dame. So Marcus Freeman can look at Albert Simeon and say, hey, look, we're returning four starters in 2026, but when you get here in 27, we're turning this thing over big time so you'll have an opportunity to come in and play right away. Look at LSU, we know this starting line for 2026. Seaton at left tackle, borderline or Harper at left guard, Braylon Moore at center, Alubad right guard. Right now it looks like Weston Davis at right tackle. Well, Seaton's going pro, Moore and Bar out of eligibility. That's at least three starters on the offensive line that are out after this year. But remember what I just told you. The way that Lane Kiffin and his staff have built this roster is multi year deals and guys they know that are going to stay. So you've got Sean Tompkins already on the roster. Sean Tompkins was Baylor's starting left tackle last year. So he's going to come to LSU, sit in 2026 behind Jordan Seaton and then be your left tackle in 2027. William Satterwhite was a freshman at Tennessee this past year. He leaves Tennessee, comes to LSU knowing Braylon Moore is back because he knows he's going to sit this year. But in 2027 he's your starting center. Devin Harper might very well play either right tackle, left guard this year. We'll see. But he's going to be a starter in 2027. Regardless of what happens, Darren Stray, sat at Kentucky this past year, follows Eric Wolford to LSU knowing he's not going to play this year. We'll have an opportunity to play guard or tackle at some spot on either side in 2027. Should you see my point? My point is, while Notre Dame hasn't is thinking, okay, we're set for 26, we're not sure what's going to happen in 27. So Simeon, come in, here's your bag. We think you can start as a freshman. Okay. If you're laying kiffin. How they have built this roster in this offensive line is to say we don't want the 18 year old starting. We don't want to be in that spot. So what they did in January was have the foresight to say bring in these dudes with multiple years of eligibility, let them come and sit and learn and grow and develop and then start in their second year. So while LSU is going to lose at least three starters, Seaton Moore, BA from 26 into 27, they already have their replacements on the roster ready to step into those spots. So Albert Simeon would be coming in as a backup in 2027. And you're not going to pay a five star to be a backup. So Albert Simeon will go to South Bend. Maybe he plays initially, let's say hypothetically he goes to Notre Dame, doesn't win a starting job as a freshman, sits the bench and then goes back in the portal. Well, maybe at that point LSU is interested now, Persimmon at a lower dollar amount to come in and compete for or walk into a starting job. Or maybe Albert Simeon starts as a freshman at Notre Dame and is awesome. I don't know. But it's less about the kid being within the borders of Louisiana, so being pot committed to him because he's a Louisiana kid, that's a five star. And it's more about building a roster that has veteran, experienced players that you're going to pay instead of paying young, inexperienced guys who can leave. And that's the way they're doing it. I'm not telling you definitively this is the best way to build a roster. I don't know if it is. Indiana did a very. Indiana used a very different strategy with Kurt Signetti. They just went out a bunch of old transfers, 22, 23, 24 year olds, just a bunch of old dudes who played a bunch of football. They won a championship, now they got to do it all over again this year. We'll see how it works. I don't know. Everybody's trying to figure out, but it's very clear what Lane Kiffin's strategy is. What we don't know is if it's going to work, but it's gonna be a lot of fun watching them figure it out. Okay, that'll do it for us here on this bonus episode of Locked on lsu. Do me a favor. If you're on podcast, please subscribe on your favorite podcast app, Radius. Leave a review. If you're on YouTube, smash the like button, subscribe to the channel, hit the bell so you're notified whenever we post a new video. Let a friend know that they love the Tigers. We got you every single day. It's Locked on lsu. Your team every day.

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Thank you for making Locked on your first listen every day. For your second listen, find the Locked on SEC podcast host Chris Gordy blends the local coverage you love with a conference wide view of where your favorite team stands. Find Locked on sec on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts, part of the Locked On Podcast network. Your team every day.

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