LSU head coach Ed Orgeron nabbed 18 players on the first day of the early signing period Wednesday, including nine players ranked as four-star prospects by recruiting services and three junior college standouts. The Tigers also signed five defensive tackles and a graduate transfer placekicker.

Five defensive tackles and nine four-star rated players overall highlight LSU’s early signing day class announced by the school Wednesday.

The Tigers signed 18 players overall, three from the junior college ranks, including the No. 1 junior college offensive line prospect and the No. 1 junior college weakside defensive end prospect.

The class also features a pair of linebackers, two four-star wide receivers, the top offensive guard prospect from the state of Texas and a graduate transfer kicker who was named the top player at his position in the FCS, Division II, Division III and NCJAA ranks this year.

JUCO Players

Defensive end Travez Moore (6-foot-6, 250 pounds), a Bastrop native who just finished at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi, is the top rated weakside defensive end in the JC ranks. Moore is the No. 6 overall prospect on ESPN’s JC 50.

Tackle Badera Traore (6-6, 310) was rated the No. 1 junior college offensive line prospect and the No. 6 overall junior college player by 247Sports. He earned first-team All-Offense for the Northeast Football Conference at ASA College in Brooklyn, New York.

Guard Damien Lewis (6-3, 320) of Canton, Mississippi, joins the Tigers from Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he was named to the MACJC All-Academic Team and was the MACJC Offensive Line MVP for the north division.

Defensive Line

Dare Rosenthal (6-7, 327), the top defensive tackle prospect in Louisiana, heads the defensive line crop for coach Ed Orgeron. A four-star prospect, the Ferriday High School senior is listed at No. 18 nationwide at his position. He had 60 tackles, 30 for loss, with six sacks, five quarterback hurries, four fumble recoveries including two for touchdowns and a blocked field goal and interception as a senior.

Chasen Hines (6-3, 335) of Marshall, Texas, High School, also earned four stars from national recruiting services and was pegged the No. 22 DT nationally by 247Sports.

Plaquemine High School’s Nelson Jenkins (6-3, 290) also was a four-star prospect in ESPN’s rankings.

Dominic Livingston (6-3, 340) of Benjamin Davis High School in Houston was the 34th ranked defensive tackle in the country according to 247Sports.

Davin Cotton (6-1, 262) of Evangel Christian Academy was the No. 9 overall Louisiana player in the 247Sports rankings despite missing his senior season with an injury. The four-star prospect had 17 career sacks and plans to enroll at LSU in January.

Skill Positions

Two of Louisiana’s top receivers inked with the Tigers, Berwick’s Kenan Jones and Jena’s Jaray Jenkins. Both were four-star choices by recruiting services.

Jenkins (6-1, 175) had 111 receptions for 1,960 yards and 27 touchdowns in his high school career before breaking his leg in the first game of his senior season.

Jones (6-3, 205) was the No. 11 overall prospect in Louisiana according to 247Sports. He had 99 career catches for 1,952 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Running back Chris Curry and tight end Zach Sheffer were additional skill position signees for LSU on Wednesday.

Curry (5-11, 200) rushed for 764 yards and five touchdowns in nine games as a senior at Lehigh High School in Florida. He was listed as the ninth-best running back nationally by recruiting publications and was a four-star prospect according to 247Sports and ESPN. Curry had 2,984 yards and 28 touchdowns as a four-year letter winner.

Sheffer (6-3, 230) was a consensus three-star prospect and ranked the No. 26 tight end nationally with 45 catches for 607 yards and five touchdowns as a senior.

Linebackers

Four-year starter Micah Baskerville (6-2, 215) of Evangel Christian Academy and two-time state champion Damone Clark of Southern Lab are the two linebackers signed Wednesday by LSU.

Baskerville (6-2, 215) is a four-star prospect according to 247Sports and Rivals and the top inside linebacker in the state and No. 6 nationally, according to 247Sports.

Clark (6-3, 218) was a four-star prospect according to 247Sports and Rivals and the No. 7 player in Louisiana and No. 18 inside linebacker nationally according to Rivals.

Offensive Line

Tackle Cameron Wire of East Ascension High School and center Cole Smith of Pontotoc (Miss.) High School are the two high school offensive line signees for the Tigers.

Wire (6-6, 270) is a four-star prospect according to ESPN and rated the No. 23 overall player in Louisiana by ESPN and No. 15 in the state by 247Sports.

Smith (6-4, 275) played on both sides of the ball at Pontotoc High School and was a three-star prospect. He did not allow a sack in his junior or senior seasons and had 62 pancake blocks as a senior, playing tackle, guard and center in his career.

Athlete

Dantrieze Scott (6-5, 245) played both tight end and defensive end at Ferriday High School and was ranked the No. 33 athlete in Louisiana by Rivals and No. 95 nationally by ESPN. He had 19 catches for 441 yards and eight TDs with two touchdown runs in eight carries as a senior and had 101 tackles with 49 for loss, 10 sacks, 21 QB hurries, four forced fumbles, three recovered fumbles and a blocked punt in his final season.

Kicker

Cole Tracy (6-0, 185) of Camarillo, California, will transfer as a graduate student in the spring semester with one year of eligibility. 

Tracy won the Fred Mitchell Award as the top in the college ranks below the football bowl series after hitting 27 of 29 field goals and 67 of 67 extra point tries for Assumption College.

He also is the only player in NCAA Division II history to kick six field goals in a game twice.