BATON ROUGE (AP) — The past two seasons have not been great for LSU coach Les Miles and his football program.

The Tigers had a .500 record in Southeastern Conference games over the last two years. Then, for the first time since Miles became coach in 2005, LSU lost a bowl game on New Year’s Day against Penn State.

However, those mediocre results on the playing field had no effect on the Tigers’ recruiting class.

On Wednesday, LSU signed 27 players for a class which had a consensus Top 10 finish in the country.

‘‘We hadn’t experienced a bowl loss here,’’ Miles said. ‘‘I was afraid (loss) would affect the momentum of recruiting. I think we finished well because of our players here. They have character and understand what we’re doing. They talked to the recruits.’’

There is no doubt that the Tigers closed recruiting in a strong manner. LSU picked up five players in the last four days who were not previously committed to the Tigers. Three of those five players came from outside of Louisiana.

The in-state players are Shreveport wide receiver Jarrett Fobbs, who had committed to Texas A&M, and Slidell wide receiver Armand Williams, who had committed to Arkansas. The out-of-state signees are uncommitted defensive lineman J.R. Ferguson from Hargrave Military Academy, wide receiver Kadron Boone (Ocala, Fla.), a Texas Tech commitment, and defensive tackle J.C. Copeland (LaGrange, Ga.), a Tennessee commitment.

‘‘The last day certainly benefited us,’’ Miles said. ‘‘This was a very good day for our football program. We improved our football team. We didn’t get everybody we wanted, but we got guys who will really help our team.’’

Nearly half of the 27 signees come from Louisiana. The most decorated in-state players are West Monroe defensive end Jordan Allen, Dutchtown safety Eric Reid and Eunice defensive back Tharold Simon.

The 14 out-of-state recruits come from eight states, including three from both Texas and Georgia. The most heralded out-of-state signees are Boone, Ferguson and Cincinnati running back Spencer Ware.

Running back is the one area on the team which needs immediate help. LSU lost its top three running backs from last season — Charles Scott, Keiland Williams and Trindon Holliday. In addition, the Tigers never had one reliable fullback.

‘‘Spencer Ware, Jakhari Gore (Miami) and Alfred Blue (Boutte, La.) certainly will give us help right there,’’ Miles said. ‘‘We have two fullback types in Travis Dickson (Ocean Springs, Miss.) and Brandon Worle (LaGrange, Ga.).’’

According to NCAA rules, the Tigers can only have 25 players enroll for the fall semester. Miles acknowledged that a couple of signees may have some academic issues.

‘‘There are a lot of guys in this class who have size and speed,’’ Miles said. ‘‘But, it’s difficult to predict how good they are. I am pleased. I think this group will compete for championships.’’