Considering the talent they’ve had recently, it’s no surprise that Les Miles can reel in another elite defensive end, and they have one in five-star Frank Herron. He’s officially signed to the Tigers after briefly being 50-50 with Texas.
Frank Herron signs with LSU over Texas
Five-star defensive end Frank Herron could fill in after LSU loses studs Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery at the same spot.
Bud Elliott, SB Nation Recruiting
Some services have Herron as a five-star, others a four-star, but all agree that Herron is an elite defensive end recruit in a class full of them. He’s 6’5, 260 pounds, and has run the 40 in a shade over five seconds -- not a common combination. Rivals is most enthusiastic, naming him the No. 3 player at the position in the class, as well as the No. 23 prospect in the nation. Scout agrees, putting the Army All-American slightly behind at No. 5 among defensive ends.
Herron’s from Memphis, an area rich with talent, but not typically for LSU. Herron chose the Tigers back in June over a host of other schools including Clemson, Ole Miss and Tennessee, and stuck with it after a late surprise visit to Texas.
LSU has a tendency to turn out top defensive line prospects -- Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo tore things up for LSU, and now are both likely to be top NFL Draft picks -- and Herron’s physical attributes fit into that prototype. Here’s what LSU blog And The Valley Shook had to say about Herron after he committed:
Herron fits well with what we’ve recruited lately at DE. A long, lean, raw athlete with all sorts of tools that need to be sharpened. He gets by on crazy athletic ability for now, but what I love hearing is that he’s a relentless competitor.
Great, great get for this class.
SB Nation’s recruiting expert Bud Elliott was equally enthusiastic.
He’s 6’4.5, 240 pounds and plays with a lot of power and quickness. I don’t know if Herron always shows these traits, as all I’ve seen is highlights and not game tape, but the important thing is that he has shown these traits. It’s LSU’s job to bring out those qualities on a consistent basis.
Herron is one of two five-stars the Tigers are bringing in and is considered to be the best of four incoming defensive end prospects by a good margin. Herron might not play right away, but he has the physical skills to be a contributor. And The Valley Shook was concerned about his decommitting in their signing day preview, but now that he’s in the fold, they’re excited about that size and quickness.
Twitter: Herron tweets at @FRANKHERRONjr
Recruitment timeline: Herron committed to the Tigers back in June, and despite a scare, remained so.
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