LSU trending for coveted 4-star running back James Simon
After signing 13 of the top 17 recruits in the state of Louisiana and notching the nation’s No. 7 recruiting class in 2024, LSU is looking to load up in its own state in 2025 as well.
The Tigers are already off to a blazing start, holding the country’s No. 1 class, which features commitments from seven of the state’s top eight prospects.
Shreveport (La.) Calvary Baptist four-star James Simon is the lone remaining uncommitted target on that list, but LSU is trending as the favorite to land him as well. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), the Tigers have a 94.1 percent chance of securing Simon’s pledge.
That follows an expert pick from LSU recruiting insider Shea Dixon, who explained his pick on Saturday:
“My prediction comes after LSU landed On3 RPM picks for Berry from The Bengal Tiger’s Billy Embody in July and On3 National Recruiting Analyst Sam Spiegelman in December. Simon is ranked as On3’s No. 3 prospect in Louisiana, and a commitment from the Top 150 recruit would give LSU verbal pledges from the Top 8 prospects in the Bayou State.
… The LSU football staff is off to a red-hot start in recruiting for the 2025 cycle, and multiple sources feel the Tigers have the lead and are inching closer to getting Simon on board. While there isn’t a timetable for a decision, I’m confident the Tigers have maintained the top spot in the race.”
Other SEC contenders in the mix for Simon
Simon visited Texas at the end of January and is set to visit Texas A&M this weekend. Both Lone Star State programs are gunning for his pledge, but will their work cut out for them to beat out LSU.
“They’ve been emphasizing how bad they want me there, and if I were to go, what it would look like for me there, the plan for me system-wise, play-style wise, and depth-chart wise …. all the things if I was a player there,” Simon said of the in-state Tigers.
LSU is already on the cusp of an all-time recruiting class in the 2025 cycle, as it holds commitments from nine prospects, including the top-ranked overall prospect and quarterback Bryce Underwood, as well as the No. 1 running back (Harlem Berry) and and No. 1 wide receiver (Dakorien Moore) in the cycle.
Simon, the No. 190 overall recruit, No. 14 RB and No. 5 player in Louisiana in the 2025 cycle — per the On3 Industry Ranking — could be the next from the Boot to join the fold.
“It’s been fun having them talk to me and as all the guys in Louisiana start committing,” Simon said. “They’ve been trying to jump on that and the push has always been coming harder since (they) committed.”