Alabama pushing into the mix for five-star LSU football linebacker target

Brian Kelly has quickly needed to get used to the feeling of competing with Alabama and Nick Saban. Last year, the Tigers hosted the Crimson Tide and pulled off the upset, beating them 32-31. Now, Saban is looking to get back at Kelly by targeting class of 2024 LSU football linebacker target Colin Simmons.

LSU football linebacker target Colin Simmons visited Alabama over the weekend

One of the best players in the class of 2024 is Duncanville, TX, linebacker Colin Simmons. According to ON3, he’s rated a five-star prospect and the No. 4 player in the country.

He also happens to be one of, if not the No. 1 player LSU football is recruiting for the class of 2024. While recruits are expected to take official visits throughout their recruitment, you want to avoid seeing players visit your rival school.

For the Tigers, that’s precisely what happened over the weekend, as Collins visited Alabama. He also has a visit to Texas scheduled this coming weekend.

Alabama hosted Five-Star Plus+ EDGE Colin Simmons for an official visit this weekend🐘https://t.co/oXygPsWG9F pic.twitter.com/iic4RYesfX

— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 19, 2023

For Simmons, this was just his second time in Tuscaloosa for a visit. Tigers fans will be thrilled to hear that he already has a sixth visit scheduled for Baton Rouge later this fall.

As things stand, the purple and gold are favored to earn his commitment, with ON3 giving him a 43.3 percent chance to land in Baton Rouge. Still, while this is a good sign, it is no guarantee.

Especially with Simmons having visited Alabama over the weekend, it’s hard to know exactly what’s happening in a recruit’s mind. Nick Saban easily could have worked some magic over the weekend, giving the Crimson Tide a better shot at winning him over.

Still, until we hear otherwise, it appears the Tigers are the favorites, with Texas hanging around as well. If LSU football can land the five-star class of 2024 linebacker, it would be huge for Brian Kelly now and into the future.

Simmons could quickly fill in as the heir to Harold Perkins Jr.

When thinking about LSU football in 2023, one specific player comes to mind for most fans – linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. The sophomore linebacker was elite in 2022 as a freshman.

Perkins Jr totaled 72 tackles, 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception this past season. As far as freshmen come, he was about as good as it gets.

Harold Perkins is going to be so good🐯

pic.twitter.com/Wg5FPrICuV

— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 12, 2022

Naturally, when you have someone that good on your team, it’s easy to worry about what the team might look like without them. After all, Perkins Jr is the kind of player that forces offenses to adjust based on where he is on the field.

That’s where Colin Simmons comes into play. He’ll be a freshman during Perkins Jr’s junior season. If Simmons elects to attend LSU, he would be the perfect player to fill in where Perkins Jr left off.

Plus, Tigers fans would have the pleasure of watching them terrorize offenses throughout the 2024 season side-by-side. Wouldn’t that be fun to watch?

At the end of the day, all of this is speculation, and there’s still plenty of time until Collins makes a decision. Still, there’s no doubt if Brian Kelly manages to get him to commit, it would be a major recruiting win for the program.

The five-star linebacker will be on campus on November 11, 2023, when LSU football faces off against Florida in Baton Rouge.

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