Ishmael Sopsher has been a major LSU recruiting target going on three years now. He’s not quite to Leonard Fournette levels of hype, but definitely in line with guys like Cam Robinson and Rashard Lawrence. His status seems to constantly oscillate. In the years leading up to his senior season, most experts firmly believed he would wind up at LSU. Throughout his senior year, Alabama began to trend. And now as his signing approaches, LSU seems to be moving back into pole position. The reasoning? From Sopsher’s own mouth: he will go wherever his older brother, Rodney, is also offered. Thus far, LSU and Oregon are the only schools to come through with that offer.

With that stage set, how do we feel about this tactic?

Corey

If you’re Orgeron, it’s a no brainer to do this. He’s been a five star since the recruiting sites first put out the lists for the 2019 class, he’s from a region of the state that LSU has struggled to recruit as Alabama’s success grows and it’s the position of expertise for your head coach, meaning it’s a guy he can not lose.

The staff (albeit a different one at the time) did the same thing with Leonard and Lanard when they probably didn’t even have to in order to get Fournette, it was more an act of generosity. Now, you have a chance to put a shot into Alabama’s dissipating armor. Yeah, Rodney will probably be a special-teamer at best, but this is even more than getting one of the top-15 Louisiana prospects since 2000. If this staff can start to put the fence posts further around in the state, there are future gains that can come from this decision.

Dan

I actually hate this idea tremendously, primarily because LSU legitimately is the only school that seems to be pursuing it. I hear your Fournette arguments, but Lanard had some other legit offers and he always projected to make some type of impact, which we started to see last year.

Rodney being a JUCO take would mean he’s in and out of the program in shorter order, but also means he doesn’t stand any real chance of contributing. We’re basically just giving a scholarship away just for the right to have Ishmael. Now, Ishmael is a good prize, but if we’re the only one paying that price, I don’t get why that’s our offer. Look, if others were doing similarly it would add up, but this seems to just be O and the staff going out on their own to snag a single top prospect. Hell if Ishmael had another younger brother that was a super stud, even that would change the math. Considering LSU doesn’t have the talent level of programs like Bama and Clemson, I’m not sure sacrificing a spot for one guy is truly worth it. Especially when that guy isn’t an elite QB.

So what do you say?