Shelton Sampson Jr. is staying home.
A wide receiver from Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Sampson committed to LSU on Saturday.
“Baton Rouge is home for me,” he wrote in an email to ESPN. “I’ve been blessed to have my family close throughout this process and their support means everything to me. I like how genuine everyone is at LSU. The Louisiana culture is real.
“From the old coaching staff to the new coaching staff, the energy is different. When Coach Kelly came in, he got the academics right. It’s all going in the right direction!”
Sampson chose LSU over Alabama, Texas A&M and Florida State.
The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Sampson is No. 36 on the 2023 ESPN 300 and is the sixth-best receiver in the cycle, according to ESPN’s rankings.
He joins Jalen Brown (No. 60), who announced July 8, as ESPN 300 wide receivers to become part of Brian Kelly’s first full recruiting class with the Tigers.
“The support at LSU is felt from the moment you walk in the building,” Sampson said. “From the strength and conditioning staff to the position coaches and directors of player development, I know I can be my best at LSU.”
Sampson, LSU’s 10th ESPN 300 pledge, is the highest overall ranked recruit in LSU’s class, which sits eighth in ESPN’s latest rankings.
As a junior, he had 40 catches for 932 yards and eight touchdowns for Catholic High in 11 games last year.
“My strengths as a receiver are my speed, being able to go up and get the ball on top of anybody,” he said. “I’ll help LSU by being a deep threat and a guy who can win the one-on-one matchups.”