Aaron Anderson’s Bama commitment caps October recruiting movement

What October lacked in quantity of recruiting movement, the month had quality or prominence. Edna Karr wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="128242" first="Aaron" last="Anderson"] could have assured that almost single-handedly. Here are Louisiana’s half-dozen notable recruiting developments of an altogether slow month in that regard. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138486" first="Rickie" last="Collins"] — 6-3 180 QB — Woodlawn (Baton Rouge)</strong> Louisiana’s first big recruiting news to break in October came from the junior class. Woodlawn (Baton Rouge) quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="138486" first="Rickie" last="Collins"] felt like he had held off on a commitment announcement long enough Oct. 8 and surprised many home-state fans with a pledge to Purdue despite a long list of offers that included hometown LSU. But the Boilermakers had made an immediate and constant impact on the talented passer from early in the summer and made him feel like a clear priority of their 2023 class and program as a whole to a degree to which the Tigers and few other staffs matched. So Collins joined 2021 signee [player_tooltip player_id="63572" first="Jah’Von" last="Grigsby"] (Scotlandville) and 2022 commitments [player_tooltip player_id="136508" first="Curtis" last="Deville"] (Iowa), [player_tooltip player_id="136609" first="Roman" last="Pitre"] (University Lab) and [player_tooltip player_id="136550" first="Malachi" last="Preciado"] (Warren Easton) in Purdue’s growing pipeline from Louisiana. And LSU, at least for the time-being, missed out on another member of the state’s talented 2023 quarterback class, which had already seen Zachary star [player_tooltip player_id="138485" first="Eli" last="Holstein"] commit to Texas A&amp;M. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="186947" first="Justin" last="Washington"] — 6-0, 165 DB — St. Paul’s</strong> The speedy defensive back quietly moved to Louisiana from Allen (Texas) this summer to a private school about a 45-minute drive across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans and earned a scholarship offer from nearby Southeastern Louisiana before kicking off his senior season. Within a few months, Washington announced his commitment Oct. 16 to the Lions after a successful visit. Southeastern Louisiana, the current leaders of the Southland Conference with a lone loss to FBS Louisiana Tech, added a steal to its class in the versatile, track-fast athlete with strong ball skills. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128242" first="Aaron" last="Anderson"] — 5-10, 180 WR — Edna Karr</strong> Alabama had made a strong and long-standing charge at the the speedy and constantly developing Edna Karr receiver despite his immediate December commitment to LSU upon receiving that in-state offer. The continued rapport with the Crimson Tide had left Anderson fairly torn on his college decision from the summer. And the day following the announcement by the Tigers and coach Ed Orgeron that they would part ways after this season, the Cougars’ star decommitted and re-opened his recruitment Oct. 18. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136630" first="Jordan" last="Allen"] — 6-0, 180 DB — Lafayette Christian</strong> A week after Anderson’s announcement, another of Louisiana’s top seniors also reopened his recruitment. Lafayette Christian defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="136630" first="Jordan" last="Allen"] backed off his July commitment to Penn State. The decision came Oct. 25, on the heels of a visit to Ole Miss for the Rebels’ home victory against LSU. And where the next couple months take Allen becomes a high-profile storyline to watch for Louisiana’s 2022 class. Allen has been a lifelong LSU fan and now has close relationships in freshmen [player_tooltip player_id="63550" first="Sage" last="Ryan"] and [player_tooltip player_id="63555" first="Malik" last="Nabers"] and commitment [player_tooltip player_id="136627" first="Laterrance" last="Welch"] either in Baton Rouge or headed that direction. And he had leaned toward Georgia and Miami at earlier junctures in his recruitment and became a high priority for Louisville before his pledge to the Nittany Lions. Watching how current coaching circumstances develop for the Tigers or even Hurricanes and others develop could play a major role in Allen’s ultimate landing spot. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128247" first="Zyion" last="Claville"] — 6-3, 180 WR — Huntington</strong> Marshall may have pulled a steal out of Louisiana in its own right Oct. 25 with a commitment from [player_tooltip player_id="128247" first="Zyion" last="Claville"]. The Huntington standout’s high school career has been a bit of a rollercoaster having his flashes of speedy playmaking ability and intriguing potential cut short by injuries his sophomore and junior seasons. He and his teammates are having a memorable season thus far this fall and should have some interesting playoff matchups on the horizon. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128242" first="Aaron" last="Anderson"] — 5-10, 180 WR — Edna Karr</strong> After months of a growing appreciation for the opportunity in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Anderson wasted little additional time before making public his ultimate change of plans. Just 11 days after his decommitment from LSU, the electric athlete had Edna Karr’s public address announcer share his commitment to Alabama with the fans during his and his classmates’ halftime senior night celebrations Oct. 29.