LSU football close to sealing the deal with a major Texas recruit

LSU football is looking to stock up on wide receivers for the class of 2024. As things stand, they already have three committed to the class. Now, the Tigers are trending for another elite wide receiver prospect, this being major Texas recruit Jelani Watkins.

LSU football is trending for major Texas recruit Jelani Watkins

Over the years, there’s no question that LSU football has been one of the top schools at developing and producing elite wide receivers. Players like Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr, Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase all came out of Baton Rouge.

Now, with coach Brian Kelly at the helm, they’re searching for their next great group of pass-catchers. The Tigers already have three committed, with JoJo Stone, Michael Turner and Kylan Billiot. Still, they aren’t done yet.

Earlier today, Shea Dixon of On3 logged an expert prediction for LSU football to land four-star wide receiver Jelani Watkins.

LSU recruiting insider @Sheadixon has logged an expert prediction for LSU to land 4-star WR Jelani Watkins🐯

Intel (On3+): https://t.co/wA6GJsDz1E pic.twitter.com/Qe9ca8b1LH

— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 25, 2023

According to 247 Sports, Watkins is the No. 161 player in the country and the No. 23 wide receiver. He also stands at a slightly undersized 5-foot-9, 160 pounds.

His size is likely the main reason he is not ranked any higher. He’s easily one of the shiftiest wide receivers in the class, with hands like glue, allowing him to make one-handed catches with ease.

WOW. A one handed catch by Jelani Watkins!

He puts them deep into Humble territory looking to score.@laaared1 | #txhsfb pic.twitter.com/f5SKu76Hzl

— Walker Lott (@walker_lott) September 2, 2022

He’s also a stellar track athlete. Earlier this year, he clocked a 10.33-second 100-meter dash and a 20.39-second 200. Unsurprisingly, with times like that, he’s expressed interest in running track along with football in college.

Many of Watkins’ favorite players are former Tigers

You can learn a lot about a player based on his favorite players. Who do they watch the most game tape of? Who do they base their style of play after?

In an interview with the Defender Network in November 2022, Watkins had some good things to say about some former Tigers. When asked about his style of play, two of the biggest stars in the NFL came to mind for him: Tyreek Hill and LSU’s own Odell Beckham Jr.

He again went to the LSU football pipeline when asked who he studies most. He named Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase as his top players, along with Stefon Diggs.

For fans of the program, this has to be good news. All three former Tigers that he named were absolute studs in their time in Baton Rouge. Then, if you watch him play, it makes even more sense that these are some of his favorite players.

The class of 2024 wide receiver’s electric speed, paired with his elite catching ability, should translate perfectly with the LSU football offense. This recruitment is far from over, but the Tigers and coach Brian Kelly are in excellent shape with this recruitment.

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