Can Lane Kiffin and LSU PULL OFF the flip of BOTH Jalen Brewster and Easton Royal? | w/ Zack Nagy

We will continue the LSU football recruiting conversation with our guy Zach Nagy from Go247. He's great stuff over there. Make sure you go follow him on Twitter and check out everything they've got going on over at Go247. Zach, good morning. Thank you for joining us. Yeah, man. I appreciate you having me on. Man, that monster thing making me die laughing. Y'all are insane, bro. I appreciate y'all having me on, but that was hilarious, dude. That is LloydCourtney.com. I just want the Big 12 to know that they signed a lease with the devil. I couldn't believe that. I couldn't believe they did that. The SEC wouldn't have even taken that phone call for the amount of money that that deal was for, but nonetheless, man, y'all were killing me with that. That was my next question because my reaction wasn't, oh, I hate that the Big 12 is doing this or it's a bad look. Twenty million dollars doesn't feel like enough money to brand a conference. No, not at all. I mean, you look at the increment of money that each team is getting. I mean, it just doesn't make sense at all. So, yeah, I'm right there with you, Noah. SEC, I don't even think they would take that phone call, expand conversations at all. So, yeah, unique deal for sure for the Big 12. Yeah. I don't think a single, like, not just a conference, but I don't think a school would have taken a $20 million deal for that. Like, I don't think that's enough. I agree. I mean, I'm right there with you. It's not, especially when you look at what these rosters are costing the SEC right now. I mean, look, obviously, revenue is revenue, but I don't know, man. That deal just did not make much sense to me at all. And obviously, social media went crazy. And then Lloyd drops the gem this morning. So, yeah, no, that was hilarious. Every librarian from Alexandria I've ever seen. I got a presentation for y'all. Well, y'all sit down, check this out, the devil. But no, I was very, very surprised to see it. But yesterday, the big news on the LSU end was Jaden Anding officially announcing his commitment to the Tigers. This was obviously something that I think played out a little bit longer than anticipated. What all went on? And what does it mean for LSU to finally get this across the finish line and land the commitment yesterday? Yeah, it's a big commitment for the program. Nonetheless, I mean, now you're looking at a player that has a ton of positional versatility in the defensive backfield, can play, obviously, a ton of safety. That's what they're recruiting him primarily as. But he can play the nickel. He can slide down to the corner if you truly need him to. But Jake Olsen's recruiting him as a safety. And this is one that he really wanted. He wanted, obviously, a big out-of-state fish as well with Davion Jones. But I'll tell you what, Jaden Anding is one hell of a player. And behind the scenes, it was a little tricky last week, obviously, was supposed to commit a week ago today. That being Wednesday, July 1st, delayed his decision on kind of decision day. And a lot of people were sitting back and wondering, is Ole Miss trying to drop a bag here? What's the situation behind the scenes? And the answer is Ole Miss wasn't really trying to counter too aggressively here. It was a really confusing situation behind the scenes from what I can pick up. But at the end of the day, you get your guy. You get that in-state number one ranked safety in Louisiana. So a big time get. And obviously, his brother Aiden is on roster right now, recovering from that Achilles injury, suffered during spring camp. It's nice to get a brother in town, of course. So I love the addition. I love the pickup. A hell of a player. And I'm really intrigued to watch his senior season in 2026. In addition to that, last week, they land another DB. This one they flip from Texas and Greedy James. What does that mean for the Tigers, of course, adding to that defensive backroom? But in addition to that, just going head-to-head with Texas for a player out of the state of Texas and getting the commitment? Yeah, I love Greedy James. I mean, he is one hell of a ball player. I think he's super talented. And again, I'm going to double down on what I said about Jaden Anding, but the positional versatility of Greedy James is that much greater. I mean, he can do a ton in the defensive backfield. He's primarily played safety during his high school career, dropped down to the nickel a little bit, but LSU's recruiting him as a cornerback. And after catching up with him a couple of times over the last couple of months, his senior campaign is going to be where he is playing primarily the cornerback, getting his body right, getting prepared from a technical perspective during this upcoming fall before he makes his way to Baton Rouge. So a really big time get for this program. I think Greedy James is going to be a steal. I know he's rated as the number five safety on 24-7 sports, and he's slowly rising up the ranks here in that regard. But man, he is super special. He's a really good kid. I think he was really diving into the developmental aspect of LSU and what Corey Raymond can do for him. His dad's from New Orleans, went to St. Augs. So a ton of family ties in the state. I think Greedy James is a really good get for this program. And Noah, like you said, to go and compete with Texas on both the recruiting trail, the financial front, et cetera, and getting a win out of that, that's a really big, big, I guess we'll say, win again for this program to get that done. So I love the Greedy James pickup. Love that you're flipping him from Texas. I really think he's going to be a super talented ballplayer once he makes his way to Baton Rouge. What, obviously all the success LSU's had over the last month and a half in recruiting, what would you attribute that to the most? What have they been able to do that's made them so successful of getting guys to campus on official visits, getting them to leave committed or commit right after, and make sure they get these things across the finish line? Yeah, you can attest that to the recruiting efforts of the staff, but also what Billy Glasscock's doing as a general manager. They're investing in premium positions right now. And when they bring guys to campus, what, six times out of ten, seven times out of ten, they're pretty much committing to the program. I mean, it was a dominant, dominant June stretch for this program, leading that into July with 12 commitments since July 7th alone, starting with KJ Green, the five-star edge out of the Peach State. So yeah, they're getting guys to campus and they're getting them committed at a really strong rate, bringing guys in for surprise visits like Terrence Smith, the number five offensive tackle in the country, getting him committed after an unofficial visit. Chris Whitehead, a guy who's a borderline five-star on 24-7 sports as well. So yeah, you're dominating in recruiting right now. And I know a lot of people want to sit back and say relationships don't matter anymore. It's just money, this, that, and the other. But I'll tell you what, the relationships that this staff is building with these recruits is major. And when financial pieces are super close, right? If Texas is offering similar money to LSU and LSU is offering similar money to that program, well, relationships are going to win out in the end. Because when you look at the developmental piece with the coaches can present, and of course the culture, that's going to win out. And that's what we've seen with Sterling Lucas. That's what we've seen with George McDonald, et cetera. So to answer your question in short, relationships are really playing a major role here. And then, of course, the financial backing that this program has paired with how Billy Glasscock is investing in his players and really having a really strong strategy as well. And in addition to that, what is next for LSU football recruiting? Obviously, they've had the huge last month and a half, but I think especially for the fan base, you celebrate what happened and then it's always, okay, but what's next? Like, who's next? Who's the next addition? Where do they look next? Obviously, the names Jalen Brewster and Easton are going to loom large for LSU football. But when would you maybe expect to hear something on those two in addition to them? What or who is next for LSU football recruiting? Yeah, I think it's a million dollar question, right? You're up to 16 commitments right now. I always expected this hall to hover around 18 to 20. So they're on track to do that. I believe in the back of my mind, Easton Royal and Jalen Brewster are those two heavy hitters that the entire world is waiting to see when they make that final decision. Two other guys that I'm keeping close tabs on are Georgia commit Kelsey Adams and Arizona commit Devon Smith. I think that those are the four players that LSU is really keeping on their radar as senior season evaluations come into the mix. Let's tell you one though, like this Jalen Brewster buzz is getting super strong behind the scenes. Like, I don't want to come here and blow smoke and say anything like that. But man, I've caught up with him a couple of times over the last couple of weeks with these one-on-one conversations. And the relationship with Ed Orgeron is so pivotal here. I think if LSU were to get this one over the finish line, Ed Orgeron deserves so much credit. That relationship is strong and is building by the day. I mean, they talk every single day of that being Brewster's camp and Ed Orgeron and LSU. So I think when you look at that next kind of decision that needs to be made, I think Jalen Brewster's decision will be the one that comes before any of the other ones. And that being, will he stick with Texas Tech or flip ultimately to LSU? LSU is really giving him a lot to think about. I'm trying to word this appropriately here so that I'm not blowing smoke. But I'll tell you what, LSU is giving them a ton of things to think about. I think LSU is positioning themselves really well here. They're making their pitch, both on the financial front and of course the developmental front. And then the relationships are giving him a lot to think about. Will Texas come in in the final hour and provide that Godfather offer that he just cannot turn down? Surely they could. We know that they're not passing up a lot of money here. Jalen Brewster's not going to pass up a lot of money here. So I think Jalen Brewster's that next domino that is going to make a decision. And that decision is, does he stick with Tech or ultimately flip to LSU? And we talked about a little bit on our show yesterday, but I want to ask you, obviously all the momentum they've had, all the success they've had from a recruiting standpoint, if they're able to seal the deal with Brewster and Royal and bring in just a massive haul of commits, signing day is obviously in December. The entirety of this football season, regular season, will play out prior to that day. How much does the success of this staff and this team this season play a factor in the ability to close out that top-tier recruiting class or not? I think it's 50-50. I mean, I'm not going to say LSU's in rebuild mode by any means. I mean, when we caught up with Prenzel Umunmielan during spring, he was just sitting here saying that this team is in win-now mode and expectations are high for a reason. So I think it's 50-50 for me. You have guys that are in this 2027 recruiting class that can come in and make an immediate impact, and they know that. But at the end of the day, you've got to win ballgames in the SEC. Every year is a reload mode with the transfer portal. So yeah, I think the success is going to be important naturally in the recruiting game, but I still think a lot of these recruits know that they can come in and make an immediate impact in this system. And going back, by the way, Noah, we were talking about decision timelines. I think Jalen Brewster makes his final decision in the next couple of days. When I caught up with him a couple of days ago, the expectation was that this week was when he would probably make that final decision on where he'll sign moving forward. I would expect a decision from Eastern Royal this month as well. Whether it's the back end of the month, I still think it happens within this kind of July stretch. So I wanted to make sure that I got that answered for you as well. I appreciate that. It seemed like it was going to be a big month of July for LSU going into it, but with that timeline, the month of July would be absolutely massive from a news standpoint. So my next question to you, continuing on with the upcoming season as we're 59 days away, I believe, from game number one against Clemson. We talked a good bit this morning about the offensive line. Obviously, those videos of Jordan Seton came out, and Lord have mercy, I mean, moving 405 like it was nothing and then working and showing off the footwork at the beach. But the offensive line is a big topic of conversation. It was easily your worst position group last year for LSU football. You've massive changes to the staff, to the personnel. There are some familiar faces like a Bortolon and a Davis that are still there. But how much do you expect that room to improve from a year ago, and how vital will that be to this offense's success? Yeah, I hate to sound like that guy, but it cannot get worse. I mean, that unit sucked last year. I'm not going to sit here and blow smoke and say anything like they were decent or anything. No, they were bad. And so I think you bring in Eric Wolford, who's a really talented coach from a developmental perspective, pair that with the newcomers that you have. I mean, you're in a really good spot. I think Jordan Seton's the man. I think he's going to be such a pivotal piece naturally to this O-line. You put, of course, Bo Bortolon, who has a strong story. I mean, this is a fifth-year senior that we're talking about that's coming in and really pushing to start come week one against Clemson. Braylon Moore, that anchor in the middle. Ali Uba is a player that's not generating enough buzz, in my opinion. I think he deserves a lot more credit than he's receiving. You know, those within the building believe that he's going to be a massive block to what they do in the trenches this year. And then Weston Davis, you know, we saw the saga last year at the right tackle spot. It was not good. But there's a ton of improvement down the stretch of the year, and there's been a lot of praise this offseason as well and what he can provide. So, long story short, I think that this unit can be really special in 2026. I think they're going to be substantially better, and I think it's going to unlock a really, really strong offense. You know, Lane Kiffin loves to run the football. He loves explosive plays in the passing game, of course, but he loves a balanced attack. And he's going to utilize Dylan Jones, Harlan Barry, Caden Durham in the run game. And, of course, in order to get that off the ground, it starts with blocking in the trenches. And I think this unit's going to look a ton better than they did last year. Obviously, it's easy to say considering they were very bad last year in the trenches, but I truly believe that it's going to be a really, really solid step in the right direction this upcoming fall. And then we'll stay in the trenches, but on the other side with the defensive line, we talk about Brewster. He would be a huge addition, not just for that class, but to follow up what you did last year in recruiting that position. What do you expect from that defensive line group for LSU going into the season? Obviously, you talk about Uman Miel and Jordan Ross, those guys got out of the portal, but then you add those young guys on the line in Lamar Brown, Richard Anderson, Deuce Geralds, and what they could mean. What do you expect from the defensive line for LSU going into next season? Yeah, I think fall camp, Noah is going to tell the story here. I mean, that D-line got pushed around a little bit down the stretch of spring camp. You're looking at youngsters, man, like Deuce Geralds. He was supposed to be a senior in high school during spring camp. I mean, being an early enrollee is tough and yes, he hit the ground running, but it's going to take time before he can hit that stride. Same thing with Richard Anderson. So, it's going to take time for this unit. I think 2027 is going to be unbelievable in the trenches defensively, but 2026 is going to be one where we're going to see some question marks. We're going to see it take time for them to hit their stride, I think, but when you talk about the talent level that's in that room, whether it's Uman Miel and Jordan Ross on the outside, pair that with Lamar Brown coming in, utilizing your interior as well with Deuce Gerald, Richard Anderson, and Malik Blockton, who not a lot of people are talking about. I think you guys are actually the people that I saw talking about it a couple weeks back. It might have been Wyatt who said something, but he deserves some credit because Malik Blockton was sitting there running with the ones during the back end of spring camp. Really talented player right there next to Deuce Gerald. So, in short, man, I think fall camp is going to tell me everything I need to know about that defensive line, mainly the interior, but they have a chance to be super special. It might take a little bit longer than I want it to or LSU faithful wants it to, but nonetheless, super talented players. Just getting them in a groove might take some time and I'm really excited to see how they look come fall camp in the next couple of weeks. Well, we appreciate you. Always making some time for us. Lloyd, what you got? Quick question over here. So, I was asked the other day why, I guess you're seeing on the recruiting front, why it's heating up so much right now how it's turned into, it feels like July and August. These guys are trying to get, I guess, say that they're committed or hard committed or whatever you want to say. They can't necessarily sign, but that doesn't mean that the recruitment is going to stop. So, why is it like this hard date and maybe July or before the football season starts to say that I'm committed to a school whenever it doesn't necessarily matter? It just seems like there's been more of a rollout of more guys doing it recently. Yeah, budgets and offers on the table. You don't want to have these massive offers sitting there on the table that long. Whether you offer a guy, let's say, Jalen Brewster, seven figures in June or July, you don't want that offer necessarily hovering out there until October, November, December. I mean, you want to try to lock things down now and try to get this kind of situated. Obviously, they get those rev share agreements signed during the signing period. Now, it's no longer really those national letters of intent. It's those contract agreements when it comes to a financial piece. So, to answer that, Lloyd, it's about getting these offers signed, sealed, delivered, get them agreed upon, whether it's verbally, put a pen to paper, whatever it is. It's making sure these offers aren't on the table going into the fall. More importantly, getting your budget together because that transfer portal comes up quick. You have to know what type of money you're dealing with when it comes to that. So, locking things down in July. July is really the new national signing period, in my opinion. June and July is where all the money is made. All the offers are agreed upon. You're going to start to see less and less fall commitments, I feel like, unless it's those flips down the stretch in late November, early December. If you get a flip, that seems like a way of the past because it feels like you've already agreed to play somewhere. So, the way that I should look at recruiting, I guess, if somebody is committed to you or has a big announcement and a commitment in July, that's essentially them signing on signing day. I would naturally agree with that. I would sit there and agree with you. There's always going to be schools that might have a little bit of leftover money in the budget, in the tank, to where they can go and put together this godfather offer at the in November or December. You'll see those late flips. But surely, June and July is where these programs are going to make the money on the recruiting scene. We're going to lock in a majority of your class, which is what we've seen at LSU do with 60E Commitments. I don't see this class going above 20. So, your hall is pretty much locked in, except for these big-time guys that you're pursuing like Brewster Royal, Kelsey Adams from Georgia, etc. But yeah, Lloyd, 100%. You're trying to lock things down in June and July. It's kind of become that new national signing period for sure. Okay, good. Because somebody asked me that, and that's what I said, but I was bullshitting. I was like, I'm supposed to know because I'm the sports guy at the gym or whatever. And I was like, well, you know what? If you really look at it, it probably has something to do with NIO and the way we get these deals done. I was like, I have no idea what I'm saying. So, I feel like I got to ask you, somebody that does know. No, you're right. Budgets, contracts, offers, all this money on the table, you want to get that done before the season starts. It's a huge distraction. And this program wants to make sure their budgets are in check, leading up to the transfer portal in late December, early January for sure. So, yeah, no, you're not BSing. You're pretty much riding the money. Nice. And so, then next, we'll start doing microtransactions in real life. I'm so sick of it. No, I'm not. I'll keep it PG, man. That sucks. That sucks. Agreed. That sucks. Agreed. You're ruining the thing that I love. It was unbelievable. 100%. But yeah, no. How much of the video game have you played? Dude, I think I was looking last night. I think I played like 14 hours. Because I got it during that like 1st, July, 2nd day or whatever it came out. So, I was playing it day one. I think I'm up to like 14 or 15 hours that I've played so far. Me and a couple of the boys are in a dynasty, kind of doing what we can. But man, that microtransaction stuff. Shout out Bordo for doing what he's doing on social media. Well, how much do you feel like your knowledge of recruiting from work helps you in the actual recruiting and building your recruiting class and dynasty? See, all the boys think that I have this type of like ability to like build this dynasty in like a one year, two years. Hell no, man. Like, I don't have the financial backing. I'm like, I'm building San Jose State right now. It is not going well. My NIL budget is crap. So, it's taking some time. I'm looking like a fraud with all my friends. So, yeah, not looking good on this end. And the microtransactions obviously suck too. So, it's been rough. Your life must be awesome. He goes on his... The pictures were great, by the way. Yes. Goes on his honeymoon, immediately starts working. Gets back from his honeymoon and sees that, you know, oh, NCAA just came out. See ya. Dude, everybody keeps saying that. Like, you go from getting married to the honeymoon to getting back and you're just playing NCAA like crazy. They're saying, everybody's talking about life must be good. Man, I'm so worried about my butthole. But no doubt, dude, like getting to play NCAA right when I got back was awesome. So, yeah, for sure, Lloyd, you're spot on. Hell yeah, brother. Well, we appreciate you. Of course, congratulations on all the excess and your wedding as well and all of those things. And we appreciate you always make some time for us and we'll talk to you again soon. Awesome, fellas. I appreciate y'all. Y'all have a good week. Yeah, you too. There he is. Zach Nagy, of course, from Go247. Working his tail off. He is covering LSU recruiting and building San Jose State. And so, we appreciate all of you starting your morning with us.