The depth of the LSU football team’s running backs will be lacking next season after losing senior running backs Charles Scott, Keiland Williams and Trindon Holliday.
Freshman tailback Michael Ford has been the only running back to sign with the Tigers since 2006, but the promising prospects in the 2010 class may make up for lost time.
LSU has gained a commitment from Scout.com four-star running back Spencer Ware and have three more tailbacks on the radar — Scout five-star recruit Lache Seastrunk and three-star running backs Jakhari Gore and Alfred Blue .
“LSU needs another one or two running backs,” said Rene Nadeau, college football analyst for ESPN and TigerVision. “They need to be at least four or five backs deep.”
Gore comes from Christopher Columbus High School in Miami. Some sources say Gore was considering Miami, the alma mater of his cousin, San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore, but he has shifted his focus to out-of-state schools.
“Miami was never really in the picture,” said Christopher Columbus coach Chris Merritt. “It was created by everyone else besides [Jakhari] Gore and Miami.”
The 5-foot-8-inch, 175-pound running back came to Baton Rouge for the Florida game and declared LSU his No. 1 choice after the visit.
“Gore has LSU at No. 1,” Merritt said. “LSU is a proven program that he really respects.”
Merritt said California, Florida and North Carolina have reared their head lately, but the Tigers remain on top for Gore.
“He’s still strongly leaning to LSU,” Merritt said. “He wants to stay on this part of the country where he can see his family.”
Gore had 1,800 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in addition to 300 yards receiving this season.
Merritt said LSU and Gore would be a perfect fit because of how the Tigers use running backs. Merritt compared Gore to Holliday.
Nadeau said Gore can be physical when he needs to be.
“He runs between the tackles pretty well,” Nadeau said. “He’s not a pounder, but he can get out of a traffic area pretty well.”
Blue, a 6-foot-2-inch, 205-pound running back from Hahnville High School, is slightly bigger than Gore, but LSU still has some work to do on the in-state product.
Blue has narrowed his choices to LSU and Ole Miss, but the Rebels have a slight edge, according to Nadeau.
“Ole Miss is the team to beat,” Nadeau said. “LSU is up there though.”
Nadeau said Blue’s suitor will be determined late in the recruiting season.
Blue has recently burst into the scene as a premier running back.
He had 769 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns through his first seven games of 2009.
“Blue has gotten better as the years have gone on,” Nadeau said. “He has moved up from where he was.”
Sonny Shipp, recruiting analyst for Scout.com, said visits will determine where Blue will ultimately land.
“He still wants to see LSU and Ole Miss again,” Shipp said. “It’s going to come down to visits.”
Seastrunk is the highest rated of the three running backs, but he may be the hardest for LSU to lock up.
The Scout five-star back from Temple, Texas, is considering many schools, including LSU, Auburn, USC and Oregon.
Nadeau said Auburn and USC are the most likely destinations for Seastrunk.
Seastrunk was recruited by LSU running back coach Larry Porter, who recently accepted a head coaching job in Memphis.
But Shipp said Porter’s departure shouldn’t have too much of an effect on recruiting.
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Contact Michael Lambert at mlambert@lsureveille.com
Football: Running backs Seastrunk, Gore, Blue consider signing with LSU
Four-star back commited to Tigers
Published: Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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