Fournette commitment was a must for Miles, LSU

    Perception can turn on a dime. Or, in the world of college football, on one verbal commitment.
    When St. Aug running back Leonard Fournette announced on national television that he would attend LSU, Tiger fans were relieved, then excited.
    That big exhale you felt came from Baton Rouge, where head coach Les Miles needed a nod from Fournette, recently named Louisiana’s “Mister Football” by the state’s sports writers association, to avert what could have been a recruiting disaster at the Under Armour All-Star Game in Florida.
    Now, back to reality.
    LSU has verbal commitments from Fournette and three others in the top 37 of the ESPN rankings for the class of 2014.
    John Curtis wide receiver Malachi Dupre, ranked No. 25, still has LSU among his options. He has said he will take his visits, then announce on signing day, Feb. 5.
    Here’s some more reality of the uncomfortable kind for Miles. Four of the 29 players on the list are from Louisiana and have committed elsewhere. They include athlete Speedy Noil (Texas A&M) and defensive end Gerald Willis (Florida) of Edna Karr High School.
    Willis’ commit to Florida is a head scratcher, considering that head coach Will Muschamp is clearly on the hot seat after losing his last seven games in 2013.
    The other two, offensive tackle Cameron Robinson of West Monroe and safety Hootie Jones of Neville, committed to Alabama. LSU clearly has a problem in the northeast part of the state.
    One game clearly has hurt LSU in recruiting: Alabama 21, LSU 0. It happened in January 2012.
    Since then, the Crimson Tide has defeated LSU twice more. Since then, Alabama has grabbed the highest-ranked player in Louisiana (safety Landon Collins of Dutchtown in 2012 and defensive end Tim Williams of University Lab in 2013).
    Williams’ bio on Alabama’s website reads: “Gives Alabama yet another top player out of the state of Louisiana.” Not good.
    These recent defections made Fournette a must-get for LSU. He is arguably the most talented player in the history of the city of New Orleans. And, he is a player talented enough to change the current dynamic between the Tide and the Tigers.
    Think of Fournette as a Jeremy Hill with breakaway speed. This is no knock on Hill, who has a chance to be a very good NFL running back.
    The sleeper of LSU’s class, if you want to call the 58th-ranked player in America a sleeper, is quarterback Brandon Harris of Parkway High in Bossier City. Harris stands 6-2 and is generously listed at 186 pounds. But, he throws a beautiful pass. He has a strong arm, coupled with touch and accuracy. And, he can tuck it and run.
    Harris also is a master at social media. During a playoff game at East St. John, yours truly tweeted that Harris was “the real deal.” Minutes, and I mean minutes after the game was over, he re-tweeted my comments.
    Harris hasn’t thrown a pass in purple and gold, but don’t be surprised if this is one recruit who makes perception reality.
    Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at edaniels@clarionherald.org.