LSU Football: Top 3 early targets in 2022 recruiting class

The 2020 LSU football season was forgettable for Ed Orgeron and Co. but he could turn things around quickly, starting with the recruiting trail.

What a rollercoaster of a couple of years it’s been for LSU football fans. After a memorable season in which Joe Burrow won the Heisman Trophy and then led the Tigers to a national title, LSU took about five steps back and finished with a 5-5 record, self-imposing a one-year postseason ban.

The Tigers had quarterback issues all season long with Myles Brennan getting injured early, going from the preseason No. 6 team in college football all the way to unranked in just a few weeks.

Now that things are looking up with a fresh start this offseason and a solid recruiting class coming in, LSU fans have something to look forward to. The future is still bright in Baton Rouge even if 2020 was a bit of a hiccup.

Recruiting is now center stage this offseason and LSU has some really good prospects at the top of its board.

Losing Arik Gilbert hurt the depth at tight end for the Tigers, but that blow would hurt a little less if the No. 1 tight end in the 2022 class were to commit to LSU.

Gilbert was the top tight end in the 2020 class and his decision to leave the Tigers was surprising, especially given the fact that he had a strong freshman season. He transferred to Florida so he still has a chance to haunt the Tigers in the SEC but Jake Johnson would be quite the replacement in the next class.

Johnson is a 6-5, 210-pound beast of a tight end from Georgia who’s ranked the No. 85 overall prospect and the top tight end, according to the composite.

If his recruitment ended today, he’s be an LSU Tiger but there’s still a long way to go. LSU holds a major advantage here as the favorite and he has to like how much the Tigers utilize tight ends on offense.