LSU football continues trending in a positive direction for top Indiana-based recruit

It hasn’t exactly been a dominant showing from coach Brian Kelly and his LSU defensive coaching staff thus far in the class of 2025 recruiting cycle, but there’s still plenty of time to make some noise. Among the top recruits that they’re in on include Indiana-based edge rusher Damien Shanklin, who looks more and more like a future Tiger with each day that passes.

LSU football continuing positive momentum with elite Indiana-based edge rusher

Warren Central High School edge rusher Damien Shanklin is officially listed at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, and he’s received interest from some of the top schools in the country. After first receiving an offer from home-state Notre Dame on August 9, 2023, he’s since seen a significant boost within his recruitment, garnering attention from the likes of Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee and Texas.

While more often than not, the top-rated player in Indiana will end up somewhere within the Midwest, it’s notable to mention that things appear to be trending in a slightly different direction in the case of Shanklin.

Since receiving an offer from LSU in late February, things have consistently moved in a positive direction for the purple and gold, with the talented four-star edge rusher most recently making his way to Baton Rouge, LA, for an official visit on May 31.

Hade an amazing time @LSUfootball pic.twitter.com/1XuFe6BCNV

— Damien “Dame” Shanklin (@D_shanklin42) June 2, 2024

Just one week later, momentum continued moving towards the Tigers, as national recruiting analyst Tom Loy of 247Sports released a crystal ball prediction for Shanklin to LSU football on June 6.

Since then, Loy has only further emphasized his prediction, recently saying, “It seems like LSU is the expected landing spot for him, and that would be a huge pickup for Brian Kelly and his staff,” while speaking on the 247Sports Football Recruiting Podcast.

“My crystal ball is on LSU. I feel great about the Tigers at this point.” 🐯@TomLoy247 on 4⭐️ EDGE Damien Shanklin pic.twitter.com/xEk04OxY8B

— 247Sports (@247Sports) June 12, 2024

Having recorded 66 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception this past season, Shanklin is currently rated as the No. 48 player nationally, according to 247Sports, as well as No. 5 among fellow edge rushers in the class of 2025.

While LSU football looks like the current favorite to eventually land his commitment, this recruitment in nowhere near over and could see plenty of change over the coming months. With upcoming visits to Tennessee (June 14), Texas (June 21) and Alabama (June 21), there are plenty of top programs still in the hunt, as Ohio State and Notre Dame also remain closely tied to the talented Indiana-based defender.

After originally setting a July commitment date, Shanklin is now expected to make his final decision just prior to the 2024 football season on August 29, 2024.

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