LSU lands's No. 2 rated signing class led by Fournette and Dupre - WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports

From LSU Sports

BATON ROUGE – LSU landed the nation's No. 2 rated signing class on Wednesday led by the consensus No. 1 prep player in America in running back Leonard Fournette along with the top-ranked receiver in Malachi Dupre.

LSU's 2014 signing class was rated No. 2 by four recruiting services – ESPN.com, CBS Sports/247sports.com, Yahoo/Rivals.com., and Scout.com. The LSU class included three members of the prestigious Parade All-America Team (Fournette, Dupre, and DB Devin Voorhies) along with three members of the USA Today All-America Team (Fournette, Dupre, and WR Trey Quinn).

Fournette, who is perhaps the most decorated prep player to sign with the Tigers, was the No. 1 rated player in America by ESPN.com, 247sports.com, and Scout.com. He was also named the USA Today National Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,792 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior in 2013.

Fournette finished his record-setting prep career at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans with 7,619 yards rushing and 88 touchdowns becoming one of the most sought-after players in the history of Louisiana high school football.

Dupre comes to LSU after a stellar prep career where he caught 73 passes for 1,479 yards and 22 touchdowns in football and swept the high jump, long jump and triple jump titles at the outdoor state championship track meet in 2013. 

"Our 2014 class starts with what are our needs and replacing those needs with elite players and I felt like we did that," LSU coach Les Miles said. "This class has a mix of speed, size and strength. I think there's a number of elite players and guys that are good students in this group. They're a very, very talented group and a very quality character group."

Miles cited that LSU has played a combined 30 true freshman over the past two years and that the Tigers have lost 18 juniors who have declared for the NFL as a reason this class was so critical.

"This class is a must," Miles said. "It's an opportunity to replace guys that have graduated from college and gone on to business or gone on to play professional football. It's a class that will come in to replace those juniors who have gone on to the NFL."

LSU's class included 12 players from Louisiana, six from Texas, two from Florida and one each from Mississippi and Illinois. LSU is expected to sign one final player on Thursday, which will bring its total of 2014 signees to 23.

The Tigers used the 2014 class to sign 10 players on both offense and defense, along with one placekicker and one player (Russell Gage) listed as an athlete.

On defense, the Tigers added four defensive linemen and four linebackers to go with a pair of defensive backs. The headliners on defense include safety Jamal Adams, who was rated No. 1 at his position by Scout.com and a five-star player, and linebacker Clifton Garrett, who was named the player of the year in Illinois as a senior.

Safety Ed Paris, who is one of two early enrollees for LSU, is listed as the No. 3 safety prospect by 247sports.com and participated in the U.S. Army All-America game.   On the defensive line, the Tigers added standouts Davon Godchaux, Trey Lealaimatafao, Sione Teuhema, and Travonte Valentine. Godchaux and Valentine both earned consensus four-start status, while Lealaimatafao earned four stars from ESPN.com.

Linebacker Donnie Alexander earned four stars from ESPN.com and was a member of the ESPN 300, while safety John Battle earned a spot on the Rivals 250 list as well as being a four star recruit from Rivals.com and 247sports.com.

Safety Voorhies was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Mississippi in 2013 as well as being a consensus four-star recruit after shining on both sides of the ball as a senior. Voorhies threw for 2,374 yards and 19 TDs and rushed for 2,207 yards and 15 scores at quarterback. On defense, he had 67 tackles and two interceptions as a safety.

On offense, the Tigers added four wide receivers, two running backs, two offensive linemen, and a quarterback and tight end. Fournette and Dupre were considered the best at their position in 2013, while Quinn comes to LSU after setting a national record for receiving yards (6,566) during his four years at Barbe High School. 

Brandon Harris, an early enrollee from Bossier City, La., was ranked as one of the top three dual-threat quarterbacks after throwing for 3,172 yards and 34 touchdowns to with 1,048 rushing yards and 15 TDs as a senior.

The LSU offense line got a boost with the addition of the nation's top-rated guard in Garrett Brumfield, who was a member of the USA Today Second Team All-America squad. Offensive lineman William Clapp continued a family tradition by signing with the Tigers, following in the footsteps of his father Tommy, who started on defensive line for LSU in the 1980s.

Darrel Williams joins Fournette as LSU's two running back signees. Williams enjoyed an outstanding prep career at John Ehret High School in New Orleans, where he rushed for 2,201 yards and 32 touchdowns as a senior in 2013.

LSU bolstered its wide receiving corps with the addition of two four-star recruits in D.J. Chark and Tony Upchurch. Chark caught 48 passes for 554 yards and three touchdowns in 2013, while Upchurch hauled in 62 receptions for 897 yards and six scores. 

Tight end Jacory Washington brings an athletic pass catcher to the Tiger offense as he won the Under Armour Skills Challenge in December. Listed as the No. 4 tight end in the prep ranks in 2013, Washington caught 36 passes for 518 yards and three TDs as a senior.

Gage, a versatile playmaker who contributed on both offense and defense as a senior at Redemptorist High School in 2013, and placekicker Cameron Gamble, round out the LSU signing class. Gage threw for 740 yards and three TDs and ran for another 1,018 yards and 14 scores as a senior. Gamble was listed as one of the top kickers in the nation at Flower Mound High School in 2013.