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LSU Adds Hardeman to 2014 Class; More Camp Notes
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| Chris Hardeman |
The good news keeps coming for LSU during their second summer camp. On Monday afternoon, 2014 defensive back Chris Hardeman committed to LSU. Despite some initial confusion over whether the commitment would be accepted by Les Miles, Hardeman is indeed on board and LSU's second commitment for next year's class.
Hardeman is on the smaller side, listed at either 5'8" or 5'9" but he is filled out, at around 180 pounds. He's got good speed and good cover skills as you would expect. He's pretty highly thought of in recruiting circles. Lone Star Recruiting's early Texas Top 100 for the Class of 2014 ranks Hardeman as the #12 player in the state of Texas. Typically, players ranked in the 10-15 range in the state of Texas are right on the fringe of being national Top 100 prospects. So Hardeman is no slouch. He is; however, different from what LSU typically targets at the cornerback position, and he'll have some obvious limitations due to his height. The general thought is that LSU has him pegged as a nickel/dime back that can match up with slot receivers and blitz the quarterback effectively. In other words, they're hoping he'll fill the roles played by other smaller defensive backs the last two years in Tryann Mathieu and Ron Brooks.
Hardeman also held early offers from Texas A&M, Ohio State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Baylor to name a few.
Here is some video I found on Hardeman.
Here are some other notes from Monday's camp action:
- East Felciana linebacker Kendell Beckwith was at camp and was working out. LSU is locked in a heated recruiting battle with Alabama for Beckwith, who some services rank as the top prospect in Louisiana. It was good to see him back at LSU spending time with the coaching staff and LSU's committed players. He also reportedly looked really good in workouts. Several different onlookers observed that he has shed some bad weight and was much more effective in coverage than he was at LSU's camp in June. According to David Helman of ESPN, Beckwith will be back at LSU tomorrow.
- Hawaii defensive tackle Scott Pagano is visiting a number of schools in the southeast including LSU, Alabama, and Florida. He was at LSU today and will continue his tour throughout the week. His visit supposedly went great.
Rivals 250 Honolulu (HI) DT Scott Pagano says #LSU visit was great really set the bar high for other visits. Leaving tomorrow to see #Bama
— Blake Alderman (@MistaAlderman) July 16, 2012
- Houston, TX defensive end Torrodney Prevot was in attendance today but did not work out due to a sprained ankle. He met with Les Miles late in the afternoon but did not commit. He wasn't expected to commit, so that's no surprise but hopefully he enjoyed the visit. He maintains that he wants to decide prior to the start of his senior season, and it's expected his decision will come between Texas A&M and LSU.
- Florida cornerback Rashard Robinson worked out again today, and the rumors persist that he could be LSU's next commitment. We've had one so far each day of this camp. Could Robinson be Tuesday's?
- LSU commitment Michael Patterson, a defensive end, reportedly performed very well in 1-on-1 drills on Monday.
Class of 2014
- John Curtis wide receiver Malachi Dupre was one of the big head turners of the day. He might be a little raw but showed off some outstanding speed and athleticism and made some big plays. Dupre doesn't have much for stats in the run-oriented system at John Curtis, but he's still ranked as the #77 overall player in the nation by 247 Sports. Dupre is listed as 6'2" 185. Per Sonny Shipp of 247 Sports, he earned an offer from LSU on Monday evening.
- Barbe's Trey Quinn had another outstanding day and continues to be a favorite to land an offer from LSU.
- Barton Simmons of 247 Sports was on hand and had a few comments about Dupre and Quinn:
2014 WR Trey Quinn is a stud. Kind of a poor man's Jarvis Landry.
— Barton Simmons (@bartonsimmons) July 16, 2012
Malachi Dupree with one of the catches of the day with a rare catch over TreDavious White.
— Barton Simmons (@bartonsimmons) July 16, 2012
I don't know how many WRs #LSU is taking in 2014 but if I'm them, I'm wrapping up Malachi Dupree and Trey Quinn right now w/o hesitation.
— Barton Simmons (@bartonsimmons) July 16, 2012
- Westlake tight-end Jacory Washington was in attendance and worked out, though he couldn't go full speed due to a tweaked hamstring. Regardless, I'd be really surprised if he didn't receive an offer from LSU soon.
- Defensive end Davon Godchaux had his second straight good day at camp. I suspect the offers for Godchaux will start rolling in soon.
- Neville defensive back Laurence Jones was on campus working out. Jones is one of the top five prospects in the state next year and could be a five star prospect.
- Another tight-end, Jeb Blazevich, from Charlotte, NC was in attendance and stood out. Blazevich already holds an offer from LSU, along with about a dozen other schools.
- Lancaster, Texas defensive back Nick Harvey was in attendance though he wasn't working out. Harvey will be one of the top defensive back prospects in the nation next year. He projects as a cornerback.
- Karr defensive lineman Gerald Willis is at Alabama but may be at LSU tomorrow.
- In a non-camp note, blue chip cornerback Jalen Ramsey committed to USC on Monday. LSU and USC are both hot in pursuit of Arizona defensive back Priest Willis. And while I don't believe USC would turn away Willis, they are really filling up with elite talent in the secondary in this class. Maybe that is enough to sway Willis away from USC and possibly to LSU. Willis is supposed to visit LSU on an unofficial visit sometime next week. If that actually takes place, then he'll definitely be one to watch. I think LSU would find a spot for Wills in this class.
