LSU announced earlier today that all 5-star football recruits will immediately be reclassified as “extremely good 4-star recruits” as the university continues adjusting to the increasingly complicated legal status of the number 5.
The change comes amid an ongoing dispute with former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels over the university’s use of his name, image, and likeness after the school reassigned his former No. 5 jersey.
University officials stressed that Daniels has not claimed ownership of the number itself, but said continuing to use it unnecessarily seemed like the kind of thing that could eventually result in another email.
“We still intend to recruit the best players in the country,” an LSU official said. “We’re just going to be very careful about how many stars we say they have.”
Under the new system, a traditional 5-star prospect will become an “extremely good 4-star,” with recruiting services asked to display such prospects as “4+ stars,” a designation LSU attorneys stressed should not be interpreted mathematically.
LSU recruiting staff have also been instructed to avoid phrases such as “top five,” “take five,” and “high five” until the university can determine whether those uses are sufficiently transformative.
Defensive coaches are reportedly reviewing the legal viability of the 3-3-5, 2-4-5, and 5-2-4.
The changes have already created some confusion among recruits.
“They told me I’m a 4+,” one recruit said. “I asked what the plus was worth and three attorneys walked into the room.”
LSU officials said the new classification system should have little effect on recruiting rankings, provided services such as Rivals and 247Sports agree to recognize the university’s new 1-through-4-and-then-6 scale.
Officials also clarified that fans may continue giving players high fives for personal, noncommercial use.