Aidan Anding commits to LSU

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 had inexperience as he finished with 34 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions, 10 pass breakups, 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."

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.”

In a profile on Anding in June, he told the Leader his mentality is to be feared by opponents, saying, “To me, the sky’s the limit. I never want to limit myself,” Anding said in June. “I don’t want to just have interceptions. I want people to not have a catch against me. In fact, I really want a team to not even put a receiver on my side of the field. I don’t even want to be targeted. That’s how I feel.”

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