Indiana's dream commitment didn't happen thanks to Lane Kiffin and LSU

There once was a time in the not-so distant past when blue chip recruits didn't give the Indiana Hoosiers a serious look. But that has changed with Curt Cignetti leading the way.

The turnaround that Cignetti has led in Bloomington is among the best stories in sports history, and it has high-profile recruits paying attention. Indiana has already secured four blue chip recruit in the 2027 cycle, and Cignetti has the Hoosiers well-positioned to land more elite talent in the coming weeks.

However, Cignetti and company were dealt a tough recruiting blow when 4-star target Tre Segarra committed to play for the LSU Tigers on Tuesday afternoon.

4-star RB Tre Segarra chooses LSU over list of finalists that included Indiana

Segarra, a 5'10" 210-pound RB from Duncan, SC, is among the most highly-touted prospects in the 2027 recruiting class. He is ranked by Rivals as the No. 7 running back in the country as well as the No. 3 overall player in the state of South Carolina. Furthermore, he is ranked as the No. 143 overall player in the 2027 class.

Indiana was among his list of five finalists back in April, joining South Carolina, Penn State, Tennessee, and Stanford. But Kiffin and the Tigers moved fast and furious to land the 4-star prospect. Kiffin extended an offer to Segarra back on June 5 during his Official Visit to Baton Rouge. He committed less than two weeks later.

Segarra choosing LSU doesn't come as a huge surprise, as Rivals Industry Consensus gave the Tigers a 92.4% chance to win the recruiting battle. But it's still a tough blow for Cignetti and Indiana, especially when they were in the running until the very end. Segarra would have been Indiana's 5th blue chip commit of the 2027 class.

If Segarra would have chose to play for the Hoosiers, he would have been the highest ranked running back recruit for Cignetti during his time in Bloomington thus far. He is a physical runner that can rack up yards after contact with relative ease. Last year as a junior at Byrnes high School, Segarra totaled 1,460 rushing yards to go along with 17 scores and an average of 8.4 yards per carry.

With Segarra out of the picture, 3-star recruit Da'Jon Talley-Rhodes remains Indiana's lone RB commit of the 2027 cycle. Talley-Rhodes has plenty of potential, and he is ranked as the No. 32 running back. In addition, he is Indiana's 4th-ranked commit in the 2027 class, following behind 4-star EDGE Myles Smith, 4-star OT Mason McDermott, and 4-star DL Reinaldo Lopez.

Kiffin and LSU have also entered the picture when it comes to 5-star WR Monshun Sales, who has been linked to Indiana for several months. IU is among the list of finalists for the Lawrence North product, and the Hoosiers are even considered the favorites by multiple recruiting industry experts. But now, LSU has entered the mix late in the process and is hosting Sales for an Official Visit this week. Hoosier fans are hoping Kiffin can't beat out Cignetti and Indiana once again.

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