Anding picks the Tigers

Ruston High star cornerback Aidan Anding announced his commitment to the LSU Tigers on Saturday after months of a high-profile recruitment from some of the top college programs in the country.

In front of a packed crowd at Ruston High’s auditorium, Anding chose between three SEC programs on his big day.

“The best in the boot stay in the boot!” Anding said as he made his announcement.

“Me being from Louisiana, if I go play for the best college football team in Louisiana, I can make a name for myself, and they’ll pour more into me because from I’m from Louisiana.”

Rated as the No. 13 overall prospect and No. 2 corner in Louisiana, per 247Sports Recruiting, Anding chose between LSU, Texas, and Arkansas for his final decision. He also held offers from USC, Miami, Ole Miss, Louisiana Tech, and Tulane, among others.

Anding’s commitment would have been hard to imagine at this time last year, given he was heading into his first varsity football season as a junior for the Bearcats.

However, you would have never known the rangy corner was inexperienced as he finished with 34 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions, 10 pass breakups, and a blocked field goal, along with nine punt returns for 205 yards and a touchdown — the score coming in the Division I non- select state championship.

He earned first team All-District 2-5A honors and was named a first team Class 5A All-State selection by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

If that wasn’t enough, he also excelled on the basketball court for Ruston — averaging 14.8 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.5 steals as a 37% three-point shooter — good enough to earn 5A All-State basketball honors from the LSWA.

He also finished as state runner-up in the 5A long jump (7.24 m) at the LHSAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in May.

Ruston football coach Jerrod Baugh has never seen a recruitment like Anding’s.

“No,” Baugh said when if he could compare Anding’s recruitment rise. “The odds of that being able to happen are few and far between. We knew he was a really good athlete; Knew he was a good basketball player. I knew he was a good football player in junior high, but you don’t know how that translates, and you take some years off.

“But I knew whenever he came back and we started some football drill work and watched him move around. I’ve never seen a kid be out of football that long, because even though you play basketball and there’s some different movements and things you have to do, and him being able to get out there and look like he had been playing and never had any time off, I knew he was going to quickly move on and do some really good things. But even me seeing that, I didn’t think it was going to be as fast.”

Anding originally planned to announce his commitment the weekend of June 28 after taking official visits to Texas, Arkansas and Miami in June. However, that very Friday, LSU extended an official offer to Anding and shook up his recruiting race for good.

Kenny Wright, Anding’s position coach for the Bearcats, spoke highly of his abilities to the Leader back in June, saying, “The first summer he was out here, you would have sworn he’d been out here the last four years with the team the way he was leading them,” Wright told the Leader. “He’s a hard worker. I have to keep him off the field sometimes. After they lost the semifinal game in basketball, the next day he wanted to come out here and work out. That’s a good thing. He’s a dog. He likes to work hard.”

Anding became the ninth Bearcat since 2022 to commit to an in-state, Division I program, something Baugh hopes can continue in the future.

“I hadn’t realized that,” Baugh said. “I think that says a lot about our kids, and it is they feel about the state of Louisiana and really being homebodies. A lot of these kids developed relationships with coaches, and I think that’s what we do here. It’s probably easier to develop in- state relationships with coaches just because they’re more available to be inperson to recruit you. That probably goes a long way with our guys. And I think that’s built off how our coaches develop relationships with kids because that’s what they’re used to.”

Former DI commitments include Aaron Jackson, Christian Davis, Jadon Mayfield, Ahmad Breaux, Geordan Guidry, Zheric Hill, Sam Nations, and Josh Brantley.

Anding made his commitment alongside his mother Candance and brother Jayden, two people he said were indispensable in the recruiting process.

“I couldn’t do it without them,” Anding said. “ They pushed me. They made sure I stayed focused, they made sure I kept the right mindset, and always made the right decisions and made sure I was 100% in my decision. It’s really been a blessing.”

Anding will lead the Bearcats in their 2024 season opener on Sept. 6 against Acadiana.