Loston’s commitment has LSU looking good

• By SCOTT HOTARD
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Jan 3, 2009 - Page: 3C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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For months, Houston safety Craig Loston had been considered a “secret” LSU commitment.

Well, the secret is out.

Two days before the Under Armour All-American Game in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Loston donned an LSU hat Friday at the game’s Skills Challenge event.

Just like that, LSU’s recruiting class — already one of the nation’s strongest — had its 21st official commitment, adding yet another consensus five-star prospect.

“It’s a bit of a coup,” said TigerGumbo.com’s Scott Rabalais, who is in Florida this weekend to cover the second annual all-star game. “But it certainly isn’t a surprise.”

Talk of Loston-to-LSU has been the subject of Internet fodder since Tommy Bowden resigned as Clemson coach in October.

Loston, who originally committed to Texas A&M as an Eisenhower High sophomore, had been a Clemson commitment since April.

It seemed a formality that Loston would follow his Clemson de-commitment by choosing LSU, where he’d join Cypress Ridge quarterback prospect Russell Shepard, his first cousin.

But the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Loston — nicknamed “Poppa” after the sound of the hits he delivers — wouldn’t whisper a word about it.

Not until the Skills Challenge, aired by ESPN2 on tape delay. The nation’s top safety prospect stood before a table featuring LSU, A&M and Stanford hats. He chose the purple one.

“He was just having fun with it,” Shepard said by phone Friday. “I’ve been telling everybody in the country he was going to LSU.”

Even without Loston’s name in the mix, LSU entered the weekend with a class ranked first by Rivals.com, second by ESPNU and fourth by Scout.com.

More good news could come.