LSU coach Will Wade has landed his third five-star prospect in his second recruiting cycle since taking over the Tigers in 2017 by securing a commitment Monday from top-20 recruit Trendon Watford.
Watford, a 6-foot-9, 230-pound power forward from Mountain Brook, Alabama, picked the Tigers over Alabama, Memphis, Indiana and a handful of others. He's rated as the No. 17 overall player in the 247Sports Composite rankings, and the No. 4 player at his position. He joins 2018 signee Naz Reid as the highest-rated player to commit to LSU since 2015.
Watford's commitment signals quite a turnaround for Wade, who earlier this spring had a cloudy future at the school. On March 8, Wade was suspended by the university after allegations he discussed a "strong ass offer" to a recruit with an ex-basketball middleman. At the time, the recruit in question was a freshman on LSU's roster: Javonte Smart.
Wade subsequently met with LSU and NCAA officials on the topic in a meeting in April in which he denied any wrongdoing, and was reinstated.
LSU isn't recruiting at quite the same level as it was last year when it reeled in the No. 4 class in the country, but Watford's commitment is a huge momentum swing. The Tigers jumped from No. 86 in the national rankings to No. 32 with Monday's development, and he joins James Bishop and Charles Manning as incoming freshmen next season at LSU.
