Louisiana recruiting notebook | August 9

[player_tooltip player_id="136477" first="Jacoby" last="Mathews"] turned a fairly quiet end of July on its head when he backed off his commitment to LSU in the final days of the month. And the moment of surprises and twists carried right into the early days of August. With high school camps starting up around the state, several prospects filled the news cycle with commitments, decommitments, flips and even a feather-ruffling fake-out. Here are a half dozen of the top developments to start the month. &nbsp; <strong>Another top pledge leaves LSU class, Louisiana </strong> Just when the Tigers had climbed to the top of Rivals’ national class rankings, a pair of in-state prospects withdrew their names from the cohort in a matter of about a week. As mentioned in the list of the state’s top 10 uncommitted prospects entering August, the 2019 national champions remain well-positioned with the aforementioned Mathews. But the details surrounding wide receiver A.J. Johnson are far more complicated. The long, springy pass-catcher confirmed he is not only no longer a member of LSU’s 2022 commitment class, but also that he is in the process of transferring to Cardinal Newman in West Palm Beach, Fla. Johnson leaves a talented, title-hopeful Isidore Newman in New Orleans, where he was a top target for 2023 star [player_tooltip player_id="138484" first="Arch" last="Manning"], in the immediate future. And his longer-term outlook has quickly become uncertain. &nbsp; <strong>An old-school Big XII flip</strong> A final summer trip was enough to re-route one of Louisiana’s top defensive back prospects from one former Big XII powerhouse to another soon-to-be former Big XII power. Texas finally made its move on Ronald "Champ" Lewis III in the first couple days of August, setting into motion a quick defection Colorado’s 2022 class. The Warren Easton safety decommitted Aug. 4 from the Buffaloes, who moved to the Pac-12 during the previous major round of conference realignment in 2011. Lewis announced an offer from the Longhorns later that evening and then a commitment the following day to the program now scheduled to join the SEC in 2025. &nbsp; <strong>Tangipahoa trickeration</strong> Getting a read on [player_tooltip player_id="136480" first="Javae" last="Gilmore"]’s recruitment had been tricky enough during the past year. Home-state LSU had been a favorite for the Amite star during his childhood in Tangipahoa Parish — 50-60 miles northeast of Baton Rouge — and loomed large when coach Ed Orgeron and company extended a scholarship offer in January. Particularly when an offer never arrived from Alabama, where former Warriors star DeVonta Smith had just won the Heisman trophy. Gilmore announced a top seven July 2 that included the Tigers, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Florida State, Georgia Tech and South Carolina. And when he posted a commitment video via Twitter one month later, a few local fans even mistakenly celebrated his apparent decision to stay in state. But, as the glowing and growing purple "LSU" logo came into full focus midway through the video, a Mississippi State edit burst through announcing Gilmore’s commitment to "Hail State" as the latest addition to a tricky recruiting history in the area. Many LSU fans still express frustration over Smith spurning the Tigers for Alabama — further compounded when former Kentwood star Shyheim Carter and former Amite star Ishmael Sopsher followed the same path. Wide receivers Trey Palmer, from Kentwood, and Devonta Lee, from Amite — and, for that matter, Ponchatoula T.J. Finley – each signed to begin their college careers in Baton Rouge the past in the past two and a half years. Gilmore, whose older brother Amani signed with Kentucky in 2019, now plans to head to Starkville, Miss., to follow a proposed versatile defensive blueprint similar to former Clemson star Isaiah Simmons. &nbsp; <strong>TCU continues Louisiana pipeline</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="136795" first="Anthony" last="Allen"] Jr., nicknamed A.J., had been among Louisiana’s more underrated 2022 prospects throughout the summer, with only a quick string of opportunities from Louisiana College, Arkansas-Monticello and Southeastern Louisiana from April 23 to May 12 to choose from. But TCU extended a first FBS offer to the explosive Neville running back on Aug. 2, and he announced his commitment the next day. The Horned Frogs have a long-standing track record under coach Gary Patterson of recruiting Louisiana, including the addition of former Neville offensive coordinator Brett Lemoine to their staff in 2017 as the director of high school relations. Wide receiver Derius Davis, from West Feliciana, and cornerback C.J. Ceasar II, from Richwood, are the current elder statesmen of the pipeline to Fort Worth that has nine players on the active roster, including Mississippi State transfer Geor’Quarius Spivey (Richwood) and incoming freshman [player_tooltip player_id="63577" first="Da’Veawn" last="Armstead"] (Central). Former Neville stars such as John Diarse (2016-17), who transferred from LSU, and KaVontae Turpin (2015-17) also previously played at TCU. And former John Curtis star Garret Wallow is the Horned Frogs’ most recent NFL Draft selection, by the Houston Texans in the fifth round this spring. &nbsp; <strong>Navy dips back into The Boot</strong> For the second time in less than three weeks, one of Louisiana’s top senior athletes announced plans to continue his academic and athletic career at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Speedy two-way standout [player_tooltip player_id="136482" first="Herman" last="Brister"] III of Southern Lab shared his decision July 19, and Red River quarterback Zyntavious Smith, nicknamed Tre, shared his commitment Sunday. The always run-heavy, option-based offense could be a perfect fit for the athletic prospect. And Smith and Brister are paced to follow the paths of other former Louisiana standouts playing for Midshipmen, including former Parkview Baptist running back Nelson Smith, who completed his eligibility this past fall, and former University Lab defensive tackle Donald "Biscuit" Berniard Jr. and former John Ehret guard Ahmad Bradley currently preparing for their sophomore seasons. &nbsp; <strong>Ivy League aspirations</strong> Another talented senior prospect announced an Ivy League commitment Monday. University Lab wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="136531" first="Edan" last="Stagg"] shared his plans to play at Columbia at the next level after recently enjoying a memorably trip to the New York-based university. The Lions also signed a pair of New Orleans standouts in De La Salle lineman [player_tooltip player_id="63648" first="John" last="Martin"] and John Curtis safety [player_tooltip player_id="63627" first="Jackson" last="Wallace"] in 2021. Stagg earned all-district recognition as a junior at Southside, just south of Lafayette, before his family moved to Baton Rouge earlier this summer.