After coach Brian Kelly and LSU football had a major visit weekend, the Tigers got some wonderful news: 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong made an educated prediction that four-star class of 2025 edge rusher Damien Shanklin would someday wear purple and gold.
Rated as the No. 48 player nationally, according to 247Sports, as well as No. 5 at his position, class of 2025 edge rusher Damien Shanklin understandably has the attention of some of the top programs in all of college football.
In turn, it should come as no surprise that coach Brian Kelly and LSU football have been among his top suitors, and it appears to be paying off after a most recent visit over the weekend.
Immediately following his trip from Indianapolis, IN, down to Baton Rouge, LA, Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports went ahead and put out an expert prediction for the four-star defender to eventually end up with the purple and gold, showing that things might have gone better than expected during the visit.
Standing at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Shanklin possesses a rare combination of size, speed and power, indicating why he’s currently rated so highly across the board. If anything, he might actually be slightly underrated.
As a junior, the Warren Central High School standout put on a show for the entire state of Indiana, recording 66 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, three sacks and one interception. In short, he’s an elite playmaker and could come in as an immediate impact player for LSU football if they manage to land his eventual commitment.
While a 60 percent confidence prediction doesn’t exactly guarantee a future pledge for the Tigers, it certainly implies that things are at the very least trending in a positive direction with their efforts to improve recruiting on the defensive side of the ball.
As we stand today, the program has just three defensive commitments out of their 11 class of 2025 pledges (four-star linebacker Charles Ross, four-star cornerback Jaboree Antoine and four-star linebacker Keylan Moses). While this is undoubtedly a fantastic sign for offense and putting points on the board in the near future, defense has been a major concern over the last two seasons. At this point, any positive momentum in recruiting that side of the ball is a welcome addition for a revamped defensive coaching staff led by defensive coordinator Blake Baker.
Lucky for Tiger fans, coach Brian Kelly and his entire coaching staff has been in on several of the top defenders in the class of 2025. Even if they manage to land to just a fraction of their targets, it could mean big things for the future of purple and gold defense and would likely only further add to the list of positive additions for the program on that side of the ball.
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