Saturday Blitz
Fansided

LSU Football: 3 instant impact signees from 2020 class

By Connor Muldowney

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Head coach Ed Orgeron of the LSU Tigers prepares to take the field with his team to start the second half against the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Head coach Ed Orgeron of the LSU Tigers prepares to take the field with his team to start the second half against the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next

LSU football signed one of the best 2020 classes in the country and there’s a good chance it’ll have some immediate impact players.

Winning a national title for the first time since the Les Miles era was a breath of fresh air for a program that felt as if its good fortune was running out.

But Ed Orgeron changed that with his golden touch in Baton Rouge and he’s proven to be one heck of a recruiter for the Tigers, signing the fourth-best class in the country for 2020 and third-best in the SEC. It’s tough to pinpoint exactly what led to LSU’s comeback to the national spotlight, but Orgeron has been nothing short of a godsend.

The Tigers lose a lot from the 2019 national title team but bring in a talented recruiting class that should help keep the momentum going.

Which incoming freshmen will have an immediate impact for the Tigers?

LSU’s depth chart on the defensive side of the ball looks a little questionable in terms of returning experience with guys like Rashard Lawrence, Patrick Queen, Jacob Phillips, K’Lavon Chaisson, Kristian Fulton and Grant Delpit all departing.

There are still some stars coming back like JaCoby Stevens, Derek Stingley Jr. and Tyler Shelvin, but it’ll be a massive overhaul on this side of the ball in 2020 — especially at linebacker.

Three out of four starters are heading to the next level with Queen, Phillips and Chaisson gone and two of those guys are inside linebackers in a 3-4 defense. That’s why an incoming freshman four-star like Antoine Sampah could be so valuable. He’s listed as the No. 96 overall recruit and sixth-best inside linebacker in the 2020 class, according to 247Sports.

Sampah, an Under Armour All-American, has a solid 6-foot-2.5, 220-pound frame and he is quick to diagnose plays and could be one of the better inside blitzers at the position in the class. He will fit right in with this defense and I’d be shocked if he didn’t play from day one.

Home/LSU Tigers