LSU HC Brian Kelly would be cooking in-state if he can land four-star RB James Simon

Brian Kelly and his LSU staff are currently cleaning up on the in-state recruiting trail. Out of the top 10 recruits in the state, according to 247Sports, five – including the top three – are already committed to the Tigers.

James Simon, a four-star running back from Shreveport, Louisiana, is currently the top-ranked (No. 4) uncommitted recruit out of the state, but even he may be leaning toward LSU.

This is according to Shea Dixon of On3, who believes Simon could choose the Tigers before he even announced a trimmed-down list from his current offer sheet of 22.

“I just think LSU is in really good shape right now, I won’t count out them being able to pull a rabbit out of the hat, " Dixon explained, "and get a commitment long before he said anything would be trimmed down or focused on just a couple of teams, because we’ve seen the do with a couple of other guys in Louisiana."

If Kelly can land Dixon, that commitment would be a sign of dominance for the Tigers in regard to in-state recruiting. With Simon aboard, the top-five ranked recruits from Louisiana would be committed to LSU.

That's not even mentioning what LSU has been able to do as a whole on the 2025 recruiting trail. Kelly has commitments from two four-star recruits, one of which is quarterback Bryce Underwood -- the consensus No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class.

As far as Simon is concerned, 247Sports ranks him as the No. 11 running back recruit in the nation. He rushed 192 times for 1,600 yards and 21 touchdowns for Calvary Baptist Academy in 2023.