The LSU basketball program has landed a commitment - and, shortly thereafter, a signed letter of intent - from Baton Rouge standout Brandon Sampson.

Johnny Jones is all smiles thanks to his impressive 2015 haul

Sampson, a standout guard at Madison Prep and the unanimous No. 1 overall prospect in the state, announced his decision to stay home and play for the Tigers during a ceremony at his school on Monday morning.

And while the football program has become synonymous with pushing for No. 1 classes each recruiting cycle, it’s now Johnny Jones and his staff’s moment in the sun.

With Sampson on board, LSU has moved ahead of Kentucky and into the No. 1 spot in the 247Sports Team Rankings. The Tigers, who were previously ranked No. 16, have now signed both Sampson and No. 1 overall prospect Ben Simmons, and a signature is expected soon from fellow five-star Antonio Blakeney, who has been committed to the Tigers since January.

At 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, Sampson is ranked as the No. 52 overall prospect in the 2015 class. He’s also ranked as the No. 14 shooting guard in the country.

Sampson had been previously committed to St. John’s, but he reopened his process in March after the Red Storm and head coach Steve Lavin went separate ways. St. John’s hired Chris Mullin as his replacement, and while Mullin made Sampson a priority for the Red Storm, the push from Jones and the LSU staff was evidently too much to overcome.

Sampson was also considering schools out West like California, UCLA and USC, as well as Lone Star State programs TCU and SMU. Virginia Tech had also entered the mix after extending the Baton Rouge native an offer earlier this month, and Oklahoma State turned into a player in the back end of his process.

It’s unclear as to whether or not the Tigers will add another name to the three-man 2015 class. LSU is still in the race for five-star guard Malik Newman, but it appears Mississippi State and Kentucky are the teams to beat. College of Southern Idaho power forward Ray Kasongo is another name that could come into play if he makes a campus visit in the near future. There are a handful of potential transfers who have come into play for the Tigers, so the shuffling of pieces in this year’s class might not become complete until the summer.

Stay tuned to Geaux247 for more on this breaking news.