Friday brings Lane Kiffin’s first major LSU challenge: Closing the Early Signing Period

When you think of some of the greatest LSU teams of all time, a common thread is the fact that the Tigers had dominant defensive lines. While Lane Kiffin is known for his ability to put together high-flying offenses, he's going to need to build a defense that fits the LSU standard. As the Early Signing Period is almost over, Lane Kiffin is facing his first true test with this recruiting class.

As Lane Kiffin is trying to get the Nation's 10th-best recruiting class on campus, he's tasked with convincing some of the best defenders in the Country to sign while the coaching staff isn't set. Defensive Coordinator Blake Baker played a key role in bringing most of the Tigers' defensive class to campus, and as he's being courted by Tulane, the class is partially on hold.

Lane Kiffin was able to overcome the uncertainty on Wednesday when the Nation's top defensive tackle, Richard Anderson, announced he would sign with LSU, sending his paperwork in on Thursday. While signing Anderson was arguably Kiffin's top priority, he still has three crucial recruits he needs to lock in.

Lane Kiffin must sign these 3 LSU commits on Friday

When Lane Kiffin first got off the plane in Baton Rouge, you saw part of the reason why you made the decision he did, as he was greeted by the Nation's top-ranked recruit, 5-star Lamar Brown. While Brown was quick to meet Lane Kiffin, he's yet to sign with the Tigers as there's still uncertainty with the defensive staff.

If Lamar Brown doesn't sign this weekend and lets his recruitment run into the Winter, it could lead to a meltdown in Baton Rouge. Landing the top player in the Country who goes to High School on LSU's campus was the priority in this recruiting class, and allowing other programs to make a run at him would prove to be costly for the Tigers.

While the two Louisiana Natives headline LSU's recruiting class, the Tigers have a 3rd elite defensive tackle on board. Deuce Geralds is a Top-50 recruit, and while he's committed to LSU, other programs have turned up the heat. Landing all 3 of the elite defensive tackles would give the Tigers the foundation for one of their old-school elite defensive fronts, while losing him would serve as a crucial loss.

Along with landing the trio of star defensive tackles, Lane Kiffin still has an elite edge rusher's recruitment to close. Landing Trenton Henderson was a massive win for the Tigers this summer, and after signing just one edge rusher last cycle, he's a priority in this class. As is the case with the other recruits, the uncertainty around Blake Baker and edge rushers coach Kevin Peoples, who could follow Baker, is playing against the Tigers.

The task for Lane Kiffin is simple: landing his 3 remaining elite recruits would have LSU fans over the moon. Even if recruits push their recruitments, it wouldn't be great for the Tigers, but it would allow Kiffin to get a new staff in place to give the recruits answers. Lane Kiffin took this job in part due to the recruiting advantages, and letting it slip away would be a rough introduction.