LSU commitment Kolaj Cobbins is back on campus
The LSU football staff worked the team through practice on Tuesday morning, and one of the program’s commitments was in attendance.
Destrehan High linebacker Kolaj Cobbins returned to campus on Tuesday to watch the team’s spring practice, and he followed up the morning session by spending time with the staff in Baton Rouge.
Cobbins is one of 12 commitments on board for LSU in the 2024 recruiting cycle.
He’s ranked as a Top 300 prospect on the On3 Industry Rankings, and Cobbins is one of three linebackers already committed to the Tigers. LSU also has commitments from Texas linebackers Dahvon Keys and Xavier Atkins.
LSU’s 2024 class is currently ranked No. 11 on the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
LSU made a splash to reel Cobbins into the class
Cobbins had a double-digit offer list that included programs like Alabama, Georgia, Texas and more, but in early-March, he shut down his recruitment and committed to stay in-state and play for the Tigers.
“LSU is home,” Cobbins said. “When I was there, they separated me from the other kids and it’s like I’m already an LSU player riding around with the coaches and things like that.
“Going one on one with Brian Kelly, he told me that most SEC schools want you, but we want you and we need you. That meant a lot to me to hear that.”
Cobbins a star for a state championship program
Between December’s Louisiana state championship game win and Cobbins’ commitment to play for LSU, Destrehan head coach Marcus Scott is all smiles for one of his program’s leaders.
“As a coach, we want them first and foremost to be productive citizens and leaders,” Scott told The Bengal Tiger. “Kolaj is not only an outstanding athlete, but he is a first-class human being with high character.
“He is the total package when you look at what he can do athletically and in the classroom. He’s in the Beta Club, he’s on Honor Roll, he does all kinds of stuff on campus, and he was the only underclassmen voted as a team captain this past season.”
With LSU head coach Brian Kelly leaning on his mantra of “Graduating Champions”, Cobbins fits the bill when it comes to players the staff is trying to build the program around moving forward.
As for his talents on the field, the 6-foot-2.5, 200-pound linebacker was used in a variety of ways for Destrehan this past season, a proven versatility that Scott said the LSU staff loves about Cobbins as a prospect.
“LSU views him in the mold of Harold Perkins, because you can do a lot of things with him,” Scott said. “We tried to move him around a bit this year. We tried to make people account for him and not just keep him on one side of the field. He seemed to enjoy the variety. We will continue to do that next year.
“His first step is exceptional. His motor is very high. This year we dropped him into coverage some, and he has been able to add that to his repertoire. He’s not just a pass-rush guy. He can blitz the quarterback from depth and he can drop into coverage and make tackles in the open field.”
