This weekend, 2022 Mandeville (LA) 3-star WR Landon Ibieta was part of a Bootleggers team that made it all the way to the championship game of the Battle Miami 7v7 tournament; although his squad didn’t quite reach their goal in falling to Team DEFCON in the final round, Ibieta certainly outperformed expectations on an individual level by shining at the event.
“I really did more than people expected of me,” Ibieta said. “We have a lot of 4 and 5-stars on our team that are big time guys. So that’s what a lot of people were saying, they didn’t expect me to be that ‘Go-To’ guy on the weekend. I had probably the most catches on the team, they were giving me the ball almost every play by the end.”
Following his strong performance at the event over the weekend, Ibieta received a call from Miami Hurricanes WR coach Rob Likens, who wanted to extend an offer to the rising talent from Louisiana.
“I’ve been talking to coach Likens for about a week now. After I got the Virginia offer (on Monday), he told me to call him,” Ibieta said. “He said he had some people watching me down at the Battle tournament and he said they liked what they saw so he wanted to give me an offer. I’m excited about it because obviously it’s ‘The U’ - a lot of history there, a really good school.”
As for their conversation, Likens told Ibieta that he sees the 6’1” 185 pound prospect as a potentially versatile piece in UM’s offense that is a strong fit for what he is looking for at his position group.
“[Likens] said he likes me because I can play outside and slot,” Ibieta said. “He said he wanted someone who can get off of press and he thinks I can do that well. He basically told me I’d be playing both those positions, so that’s cool. I really liked what coach Likens had to say.”
Ibieta was able to visit the UM campus last January when his 7-on-7 team was in town for the prior Battle Miami tournament, and he spoke on how the experience in Coral Gables went from his perspective.
“It was cool, it was definitely the biggest school I’ve visited so far,” Ibieta said. “All the facilities were better than the other ones I’ve seen. We saw the indoor turf field, it was nice. They also took us into the film room. I also like the location of it, Miami is really nice, so that helps a lot.”
Ibieta is hoping to plan a return trip to Miami in April when the NCAA mandated dead period comes to an end, but until then, his blueprint for his recruitment is up in the air.
“I guess I don’t really have a set plan (for my recruitment), just want to keep working hard and whatever comes will come,” Ibieta. “I’ll probably be waiting to make a decision for awhile, I won’t be one of the guys that commit very early. My recruiting just started turning up a bit, so I’m just going to see how everything goes and what other schools have to say.”
The day before the Canes extended their bid, UVA became Ibieta’s first Power 5 offer, and he now has 6 total offers from D-I programs along with Tulane, Memphis, Louisiana Tech, and South Alabama. According to Ibieta, the Mississippi State Bulldogs also look close to jumping in on this recruitment as well.
“Tulane was my first offer, and it’s close, so that will be one school that I’ll really be looking at,” Ibieta said. “Then I’ve been talking to Mississippi State a little bit too. Those would be the main two.”
As a junior in 2020, Ibieta helped lead Mandeville to an 8-2 record and landed on First Team All-County while mostly operating in a run-first offense.
“What I grew on from sophomore to junior year was really just speed and size – it really helps you get open more, get off press, things like that,” Ibieta said. “I thought I played well in the offense that I was in this year. We ran the ball a lot this year, but whenever I got the chance to get the ball, I made the most of it.”
What will Ibieta be looking for in a program when it is time to make his decision?
“The education, the coaching, and just the campus in general.”
“I really did more than people expected of me,” Ibieta said. “We have a lot of 4 and 5-stars on our team that are big time guys. So that’s what a lot of people were saying, they didn’t expect me to be that ‘Go-To’ guy on the weekend. I had probably the most catches on the team, they were giving me the ball almost every play by the end.”
Following his strong performance at the event over the weekend, Ibieta received a call from Miami Hurricanes WR coach Rob Likens, who wanted to extend an offer to the rising talent from Louisiana.
“I’ve been talking to coach Likens for about a week now. After I got the Virginia offer (on Monday), he told me to call him,” Ibieta said. “He said he had some people watching me down at the Battle tournament and he said they liked what they saw so he wanted to give me an offer. I’m excited about it because obviously it’s ‘The U’ - a lot of history there, a really good school.”
As for their conversation, Likens told Ibieta that he sees the 6’1” 185 pound prospect as a potentially versatile piece in UM’s offense that is a strong fit for what he is looking for at his position group.
“[Likens] said he likes me because I can play outside and slot,” Ibieta said. “He said he wanted someone who can get off of press and he thinks I can do that well. He basically told me I’d be playing both those positions, so that’s cool. I really liked what coach Likens had to say.”
Ibieta was able to visit the UM campus last January when his 7-on-7 team was in town for the prior Battle Miami tournament, and he spoke on how the experience in Coral Gables went from his perspective.
“It was cool, it was definitely the biggest school I’ve visited so far,” Ibieta said. “All the facilities were better than the other ones I’ve seen. We saw the indoor turf field, it was nice. They also took us into the film room. I also like the location of it, Miami is really nice, so that helps a lot.”
Ibieta is hoping to plan a return trip to Miami in April when the NCAA mandated dead period comes to an end, but until then, his blueprint for his recruitment is up in the air.
“I guess I don’t really have a set plan (for my recruitment), just want to keep working hard and whatever comes will come,” Ibieta. “I’ll probably be waiting to make a decision for awhile, I won’t be one of the guys that commit very early. My recruiting just started turning up a bit, so I’m just going to see how everything goes and what other schools have to say.”
The day before the Canes extended their bid, UVA became Ibieta’s first Power 5 offer, and he now has 6 total offers from D-I programs along with Tulane, Memphis, Louisiana Tech, and South Alabama. According to Ibieta, the Mississippi State Bulldogs also look close to jumping in on this recruitment as well.
“Tulane was my first offer, and it’s close, so that will be one school that I’ll really be looking at,” Ibieta said. “Then I’ve been talking to Mississippi State a little bit too. Those would be the main two.”
As a junior in 2020, Ibieta helped lead Mandeville to an 8-2 record and landed on First Team All-County while mostly operating in a run-first offense.
“What I grew on from sophomore to junior year was really just speed and size – it really helps you get open more, get off press, things like that,” Ibieta said. “I thought I played well in the offense that I was in this year. We ran the ball a lot this year, but whenever I got the chance to get the ball, I made the most of it.”
What will Ibieta be looking for in a program when it is time to make his decision?
“The education, the coaching, and just the campus in general.”
